Social Psychology

There are numerous career paths that our students follow after graduation. Some seek further training in order to follow a career as a professional ‘Chartered’ psychologist. The Social Psychology degree course is recognized by the British Psychological Society (the professional body of British psychologists) for Graduate Membership of the Society. If you achieve a second class degree or higher you are also eligible for the Graduate Basis for
Registration (‘GBR’) as a Chartered Psychologist. These are essential requirements for entry to many probationary posts and accredited postgraduate training courses in clinical psychology, counselling psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, health psychology, occupational psychology and clinical neuropsychology.

The main professional applications of psychology include:

• Clinical work (including clinical neuropsychology) in health and social care settings such as hospitals and community clinics, working with people with mental and physical health problems such as depression, personal and family relationship difficulties, or childhood behaviour disorders, and with people with neurological diseases.
• Counselling people in a range of settings such as industry, commerce, the prison service and education, for a diverse range of problems including bereavement, relationship difficulties, mental health issues and disorders.
• Educational psychology in schools and child guidance clinics, working mainly with teachers, parents and children, and tackling social, emotional and learning difficulty problems.
• Work as a Forensic Psychologist in the Prison or Probation Services, and in the National Health and Social Services.
• Work as a Health Psychologist, applying psychological methods to the study of health and illness related behaviour such as how people deal with physical illness, or how patients and health professionals interact.
• Occupational psychology in the workplace, focusing on factors affecting the performance of people at work, as well as how organizations themselves operate.
• Sport and exercise psychology, working with individuals and teams at amateur and elite levels of competition to help athletes prepare psychologically for competition and training, or working to increase levels of exercise in the general public.

For more information visit the British Psychological Society’s website: www.bps.org.uk

Other careers

Many of our graduates choose careers outside of psychology, using their degree to enter the wider world of graduate recruitment, marketing, social work, management and journalism. Others go on to enter the teaching profession, or opt for post-graduate courses and higher degrees and PhDs. Overall, our graduates find that the skills of research design, communication and group work are a good foundation for an enormous variety of careers.