An international, cosmopolitan, and friendly department
School of Psychology
89% of our graduates are in employment or further study after six months
About us
We share our expertise and enthusiasm for psychology with over 800 students. We offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, all accredited by the British Psychological Society. As one of the largest and best resourced psychology departments in the UK, we can cover all areas of psychology.
Plymouth is in the top 20 of all UK universities in psychology, neuroscience and psychiatry with 83 per cent of our research output rated world-leading or internationally excellent by REF2014, placing us above Bristol, UCL, Manchester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, and many others. Our research impact was equal to that of Exeter, and we were the top rated modern university overall.
The School holds a Bronze Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to improving gender equality.
The University of Plymouth holds a Silver Award in the TEF (Teaching Excellence Framework), and was commended for its course design and assessment practices; its institution-wide focus on student employability, work-based learning and entrepreneurship; and the sustained and substantial institutional investment programme to enhance learning resources, both physical and digital.
We take our students' experience at Plymouth very seriously. See what it is like studying here through the School of Psychology web pages, compare us with other Universities in the region, and find out about some of our recent graduates or about our international exchange year and optional work-placement year.
You'll also like to know that all students enrolling on our BSc and MPsych courses receive the core textbooks free – worth around £1500.
We've redesigned the way we teach psychology
We have listened to our students' feedback and created a new curriculum, where the focus is on active learning instead of attending lectures.
We are building a brand new learning resource for our students, the Psychology Experiential Learning Lab or PsychEL, where you will get first hand experience of psychology. In PsychEL, and in tutorials, you'll work with other students, collaborating to apply your knowledge to solve problems.
You can read more about our new first year modules here.
Find out more by watching the short video, or get more detail from our web pages.
Full-time studentships in the School of Psychology - deadline 11 April 2019
With over fifty qualified academics we can supervise doctoral research across the breadth of the discipline
Study full time for three years for a doctorate in Psychology.
Find out how to apply for a PhD in Psychologyprojects
Come to an open day
Follow us on Twitter
PsychShed - our Blog
Contact us
School
of Psychology
Admissions
Team
Plymouth
University
Drake
Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
Tel: +44(0)1752 585858
Current Students
Tel: +44(0)1752 584515
Psychology at Plymouth – find out what it's like to study with us
Plymouth stood out from the rest. It's got a really good vibe – there's so much going on!
Join Abi for a tour of the School of Psychology.
Find out about the psychology courseTeaching and learning
Your experience will be enriched by a variety of teaching methods and you'll have your own personal tutor who will provide academic and personal support during your time at PlymouthTeaching and learning in the School of Psychology
Study abroad or visit us from abroad
"I can proudly say that it has been one of the best and wisest choices I could have ever made!" – Simge Engelkiran spent a year in the USA
Psychology has links with universities around the world – we host their students and our students can study abroad.
Find out about our international opportunitiesPsychology staff and research
What's special about Psychology at Plymouth?
Could it be the £1500 of ebooks, the chance to spend your second year abroad, or is it our optional year on placement to gain work experience and boost your career prospects? Perhaps it is the Research Apprentice Scheme, where you work on real research projects, or the Student Council that helps to run the School.
Find out more about the things that make your time in Plymouth special
Wide range of careers
Our graduates go on to pursue a wide range of careers after studying their first degree. Whether you continue studying for a further degree or look for employment straight away our emphasis on employability will put you ahead of other graduates.
Successful graduates
If you would like to find out what other psychology graduates are currently doing, please visit the psychology and social sciences interest area.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The three schools of Health Professions, Nursing and Midwifery and Psychology combine world-leading research and practical expertise across a wide range of scientific and practical disciplines.
Our staff and students form a diverse learning community and we are proud to support them in being themselves by celebrating how diversity enriches all of our lives.
In line with University policy, we do not tolerate bullying or harassment and we are continually working on how best to support everyone in being the best they can be.
Find out more about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Plymouth
School of Psychology in the media
Could robots be counsellors? Early research shows positive user experience
Jackie Andrade and Joana Galvão Gomes da Silva have shown for the first time that a social robot can deliver a ‘helpful’ and ‘enjoyable’ motivational interview (MI), a counselling technique designed to support behaviour change.
TOUGH LOVE? The meaner your friends are, the more they care about you, study shows (The Sun)
Research by Belén López-Pérez in the School of Psychology suggests that people who gave 'tough love' to their friends were actually more like to empathise with them and want them to succeed.
Psychology academic navigates Moral Maze on Radio 4
Dr Susan Blackmore, Visiting Professor in the School of Psychology, has appeared on Radio 4’s Moral Maze programme discussing whether religious orthodoxy is able to exist in a world of increasingly liberal values.
EU eyes high-tech cleanup for plastic pollution in rivers - Deutsche Welle
Dr Sabine Pahl, Associate Professor (Reader) in Psychology, urges scientists from different fields to work together to address the cause of the plastic pollution.
Plymouth develop resource to assist health services deliver more personalised care - Care Appointments
A study by Dr Helen Lloyd sees the development of a practical tool to support organisations and practitioners achieve the organisational change which needs to happen if they are to provide personalised and coordinated care for people with multiple long term conditions.
‘Social media culture can encourage risky and inappropriate posting behaviour’ (Telegraph)
A new study by Claire White in the School of Psychology has received national coverage after investigating why young adults might post content on social media that contains sexual or offensive material.
Research on link between creativity and risk-taking (Guardian)
'The Guardian' invites readers to take a seven-question test, and, according to Vaibav Tyagi, Yaniv Hanoch, Stephen Hall and Sue Denham from the School of Psychology, if you score 6 or 7 out of 7, you count as more risk taking, and therefore more creative, than the average person.
School of Psychology contact details
School of Psychology, Portland Square, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
Undergraduate courses
- MPsych (Hons) Advanced Psychology (Full-time)
- MPsych (Hons) Clinical Psychology (Full-time)
- BSc (Hons) Psychological Studies (Full-time)
- BSc (Hons) Psychology (Full-time)
- BSc (Hons) Psychology with Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies (Full-time)
- BSc (Hons) Psychology with Human Biology (Full-time)
- BSc (Hons) Psychology with Sociology (Full-time)
Latest publications
Here is a list of some recent papers published by the School of Psychology: you can find a full list from this year and previous years on our research pages
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2019 'Craving measurement and application of the Alcohol Craving Experience questionnaire' in Preedy V The Neuroscience of Alcohol: Mechanisms and Treatment Academic Press 603-610 , DOI
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2019 'More Intelligent Designs: Comparing the Effectiveness of Choice Architectures in US Health Insurance Marketplaces' Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes PEARL
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2018 'A Holistic and Collaborative Approach to Audible Alarm Design' Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology 52, (6) 422-432 , DOI