We are one of the UK's top Psychology departments, providing high-quality undergraduate programmes for intelligent and highly-motivated people, whatever their background. Our teaching is informed by our internationally-rated research and is accredited by the British Psychological Society where appropriate. Our teaching team comprises researchers social, cognitive, and clinical psychology, and also researchers in animal behaviour.

Psychology plays an important role in drawing together techniques, theories, findings and professional practice from several areas of expertise to address complex and socially and economically important questions about behaviour. It is an empirically and scientifically grounded subject that develops skills which are associated with the humanities as well as the sciences.

A psychology degree could be your first step towards becoming a clinical, educational, or occupational psychologist (although entry into all these professions also requires postgraduate training). A psychology degree will also give you valuable skills that can be used in a variety of sectors such as education, business, health and the media. Our programmes are designed to provide a fantastic platform whatever your choice of future career.

Why study at Exeter? 

• 10th in the UK for Psychology in The Sunday Times University Guide 2012
• 11th in the UK for world leading research
• 90% for Overall Satisfaction in the National Student Survey (2011)
• Accredited by the British Psychological Society
• Teaching team includes researchers in social, cognitive and clinical psychology
• Specialist research laboratories, extensive computer laboratories and state-of-the-art audiovisual facilities
• Interdisciplinary, flexible programme structures
• Unique partnership with the NHS; contracts include the high profile NHS Treatment Centre and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies

Learning and teaching

You’ll learn through lectures, seminars, academic tutorials, laboratory and field classes, the final year research project and directed private study. There are between 10-12 contact hours per week in the first and second years. This reduces in the third year as you focus on your research project, but students are expected to spend a minimum of 20 hours a week in independent study.

We make extensive use of small group academic tutorials (15 to 20 students) in the first and second years and in your third year you’ll take part in seminar discussions in groups of around 25 students, discussing advanced topics and the latest developments. In practical work there is progression from large group practicals in the first year to small group practical work in the second year, and then to a final year supervised extended research project where you’ll work in pairs. Our undergraduate clinical teaching is uniquely informed by insights from current clinical practice. Emphasis is placed on the need to analyse, discuss and deploy scientific evidence in a variety of settings and not simply on the ability to memorise.

Within the Applied Psychology (Clinical) programme a range of innovative clinical training techniques will also be adopted to bridge the theory-practice gap. These include the use of problem based learning constructed around clinical cases and situations and the use of self-practice, self-reflection with reflections posted on blogs, which is an approach to clinical training developed at Exeter and published in leading academic journals.

As well as attending lectures and writing essays and assignments, you’ll be expected to make presentations in seminars or tutorials. We encourage your presentation work, because it involves you actively in the teaching and learning process and develops important life skills such as good verbal and visual communication and effective interaction with other people.

A strong emphasis is placed on acquiring a variety of abilities that will be attractive to employers in your future working life. Our modules are specially designed to help you develop transferable and personal skills throughout your degree programme.

We’re actively engaged in introducing new methods of learning and teaching, including increasing use of interactive computer-based approaches to learning through our virtual learning environment, where the details of all modules are stored in an easily navigable website. Students can access detailed information about modules and learning outcomes and interact through activities such as the discussion forums.

For full details of our programme, including module details, please visit our College website.

Research-led teaching

Our staff are research experts in the areas that they teach. You’ll benefit from direct access to this current knowledge through the variety of optional seminar modules that we offer in the final year. Across the board, our active programmes of research in a wide variety of fields feed directly into your undergraduate programme. Additionally we run a research seminar programme, where you’ll have the chance to hear external speakers who are leading experts in differing fields of psychology.

Assessement

Assessment is by exam and continuous assessment (coursework) including practical reports, essays and the final year research project. Continuous assessment comprises more than half of the overall marks counting towards your final degree classification.

Within the Applied Psychology (Clinical) programme, clinical competency is assessed in the low intensity clinical method and case management supervision within a simulated environment with an actor role playing the patient.

Exams are held in January and May/June in the first and second years and in May/June in the final year. You must pass your first year assessment in order to progress to the second year, but the results do not count towards your degree classification. For three-year programmes, the assessments in the second and third years contribute to your final degree classification.

Facilities

The School is equipped with excellent facilities including a new research seminar suite, social psychology research area, the Mood Disorders Centre and Exeter Clinical Training Centre, the Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research, the Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, the Centre for Identity and the Psychology of Self in Society and the Exeter Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience. We have extensive facilities for the measurement of eye movements and for the recording and modification of brain activity; specialist laboratories for interviewing brain-damaged and depressed patients; specialist laboratories for studying animal learning, cognition and evolution; and specialist facilities for studies of cognitive and social psychology. We also have well-equipped workshops and a state-of-the-art audio/visual recording suite.

Psychology at Exeter is a leading centre of psychological research, ranking 11th in the UK for world leading activity. We have active programmes of research in many fascinating areas of human and animal behaviour, specialising in visual perception, social psychology, organisational psychology, economic and consumer psychology, environmental psychology, psychopathology, human cognition, cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology.

Our researchers work to ensure that new knowledge and expertise is quickly and effectively applied, helping to shape social and economic policy, enhance business practice or improve the health and well-being of the population. From playing a central role in creating new professional guidelines for treating depression, to working with large organisations such as the Ministry of Defence and National Health Service, our leading academics ensure the impact of our research is far reaching.

Each year we attract around £1.3 million in external research funding from UK Research Councils and charities. In addition, our research is supported by links with government organisations (including the MET office, NHS, and the armed forces) and the commercial sector (including IBM, Microsoft, CIPD).

Our research is organised into four groups:

(1) Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour

The Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour is one of the few international groups with research strengths in behavioural ecology, sensory ecology, animal cognition and applied ethology.

(2) Clinical research group

The Clinical research group works to advance theoretical knowledge and clinical practice through applied research. In partnership with the National Health Service, the group focuses on mood disorders through the Mood Disorders Centre.

(3) Cognition research group

The Cognition research group focuses on learning and memory, attention and executive control, language processing, developmental and comparative perspectives and consciousness. The group contains two specialist research centres: The Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research and Exeter Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience.

(4) Social, Economic, Environmental and Organisational research group

The Social, Environmental and Organisational research group has established an international reputation for their work in social identity theory, organisational psychology, group behaviour, environmental psychology and social cognition. This research group also contains the centre for research on Identity and the Psychology of Self in Society (IPSIS).

Our programmes provide you with a range of academic, personal and professional skills that will prepare you for employment, future study or training for professional practice. As a Psychology graduate you’ll possess a wide range of skills and knowledge about people and animals and how they function and adapt to various circumstances. Our graduates are scientists who can design experiments and analyse data. These skills can give a foundation for careers in research, high technology industries or management, personnel, legal and advertising services. You’ll have communication skills that form the basis of careers in marketing and the economic world and you’ll be able to help people, in personnel roles or in the caring professions. Psychology graduates are able to progress in many branches of professional psychology, such as, clinical, educational or research.

We run special careers seminars in years two and three of your programmes, where you can get advice and discuss your career options in depth.

Find out more about the Destinations of Psychology Graduates on our Employability site.