This ‘pure psychology’ course will allow you to gain a scientific understanding of the basic processes by which we learn, think, feel and adapt to our social conditions. The course covers the investigation of behaviour from infancy to old age, and deals with the biological, social and individual factors that affect human psychology. This course offers the widest choice of modules in the third year enabling you to tailor your study as your interests develop.

On this course your horizons will be broadened by learning all of the exciting and diverse areas that a psychology degree has to offer. You’ll learn about human development through the lifespan and the myriad of influences upon people from their biology and physiology to how parenting and socialisation influence us. You’ll learn not only about the intricacies of what makes humans tick and how we are able to navigate such a complex internal and external environment but also the mechanics and effects of what happens when these complex systems stop working well.

You’ll also learn from a wide range of modules about some of the tools that psychologists use to support and understand human behaviour and will have access to exciting research tools to understand brain activity, developing interventions for people in distress, and many other opportunities to develop into a well-rounded psychologist. This degree will give you a broad foundation in psychology that you can tailor to your own interests and provide you with a stable base from which to dive into a varied number of career opportunities.

Psychology at Bangor University was founded in 1963 and is one of the UK's oldest and largest psychology departments. We regularly rank among the top 10 in the National Student Survey for overall student satisfaction and with over 1,000 students we're also one of the largest departments in the UK. Not only are we highly ranked for our teaching but we also have a global reputation for the quality of our research. In the most recent Research Exercise Framework, we ranked in the top 20 in the UK with 89% of our research considered either 'Internationally Excellent' or 'World leading'. This research feeds directly into our teaching ensuring a fresh, vibrant learning experience and a large and varied range of modules studied with academics who have an international reputation in their specialist area.

We have a cosmopolitan feel and a global outlook that attracts staff and students from all over the world to work and study with us. A key aspect of our success is our focus on both the academic and pastoral sides of the student experience and this effort is led by academics in the teaching team who provide high levels of support to our students. All of this combines to provide you with what we believe is a uniquely supportive, exciting and rewarding environment in which to study Psychology.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• 96% Student Satisfaction (National Student Survey 2020).
• 2nd for Course satisfaction (Guardian Good University Guide 2021).
• Top 20 for Research Quality (Complete University Guide 2021).
• Specialist research labs including an MRI scanner, TMS, ERP, EEG and a Brain Anatomy lab.
• Unique learning experiences currently include hands-on human brain anatomy, gamified lectures and a positive psychology module that gets you running!

You’ll learn through a variety of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and practical's as well as self-guided learning. As an undergraduate student, you’ll gain an excellent grounding in various research methodologies used in the field by participating in current cutting-edge research being conducted in the school. We make extensive use of technology in order to enhance the learning experience including recording podcasts, and an innovative range of online assessments that, amongst other advantages, provide instant feedback. An increasing number of our modules can be followed through the medium of Welsh and students can choose to have a Welsh speaking tutor and complete their project in Welsh.

There is a wide range of continuous assessment on offer across the modules including essays, weekly homework, multiple choice tests, presentations, blogs, quizzes etc. throughout each semester and many modules include end of semester examinations.

What will you study on this course?

In your third year you will carry out a major research project in an area of interest to you. The project will be individually supervised by a member of staff who is a specialist in the appropriate research field giving you the opportunity to exercise your skills and knowledge alongside an expert. Our students regard the project as one of the most challenging, but also most rewarding elements of their course and our graduates have amongst the most highly developed research skills of any UK psychology graduates.

In years 1 and 2 you’ll take compulsory modules which will give you a strong foundation in the wide-ranging reach of psychology. In your third year you’ll be able to choose four modules that interest you most from a wide range of choices. This degree offers you the greatest range of third year modules to choose from and is our most popular degree.

Each year you study a total of 120 credits and the modules build up over the years to provide both breadth and depth of understanding in wide-ranging areas of psychology, ultimately tailored by you to your interests and career plans.

All graduates who achieve at least a 2:2 will be eligible for Graduate Based Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Your Research

We put great emphasis on developing your research skills. Right from the start of your course you’ll begin to build an understanding of how to undertake research and you’ll also act as a participant in our ongoing research programmes. In this way, you’ll gradually acquire the skills you need to design and conduct your own research project in year 3. Your project will be related to an area of interest to you that fits with the research strengths of our staff.

Recent projects include studies of how childhood experiences influence us as adults and the potential relationship with psychopathology, how language influences the ways in which we process our world, the ways in which the brain attends to stimuli and how motivation can influence performance. We have a wide range of specialist research laboratories including MRI, ERP, TMS, Eye tracking, etc.

Modules for the current academic year

Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Psychology Modules page.

Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.

As a graduate with a good degree in psychology from Bangor, a variety of careers will be open to you. There are careers for which a psychology degree is essential, and careers for which psychology provides a useful base. The BSc Psychology is the broadest degree option we offer so is suitable for students who want to follow any of the main psychological professions (clinical psychology, educational psychology, counselling psychology, health psychology, cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, applied behaviour analysis, etc). In addition, there are careers open to graduates and postgraduates from any discipline. These include, for example, careers in management training, accountancy, teaching, nursing, social work, the police and the armed forces. Employers are usually looking for general or transferable skills, and a psychology degree arguably provides a unique combination of these.

Employability is a key theme of the Psychology programme you’ll follow in Bangor and we have embedded a large number of opportunities within our degree to give graduates as strong a CV as possible and equip them with a host of transferable skills that are relevant to both psychology and non-psychology related careers.

Previous graduates from the BSc Psychology course have gone into a wide range of career paths including, but not limited to, researchers and academics, market research, business, assistant and clinical psychologists, forensic psychology and working with children and young people. The simple fact that you will graduate from an internationally renowned, research intensive psychology department adds additional value to your degree and improves your employability.

Further details on the exciting careers open to graduates of this course can be found on the BPS website.

Psychology is the scientific study of how people behave, feel, think and learn. As a science and as a profession, Psychology makes a difference to people in the real world, by improving quality of life across a wide range of areas. We are proud of our strengths in teaching, learning and research, ensuring that you’ll be learning the science and application of psychology from world class researchers and lecturers

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