Hello
I would like some opinions (please be kind and constructive) on the following proposition.
I have accepted an unconditional offer to study a Bsc (Hons) in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth - to start in October.
Because of the fact that I really enjoy learning and like pushing myself as much as possible to achieve in as much as I can, and because of concerns about being employable in a graduate-level job after I graduate (so many people are now going to university, and so many are also doing Psychology, I was considering the idea of studying two undergraduate degrees at the same time. Also I refer you to the below yahoo answer (not my question on there, but one I found when searching), where there are some who think it's a good idea and others who don't.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai30qs7Mcx.aipokzfyhTH4jzKIX?qid=20061213102203AAMSVd1I was thinking of doing, in addition to the Psychology degree, which is full time, the degree in Criminology and Psychological Studies at the Open University - in my spare time. The main problem with this is obviously the Psychological Studies part of it isn't really needed as i'm already doing a pure Psychology degree, but I want to study Criminology and they don't offer a pure Criminology degree (correct me if I'm wrong).
http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/P12.dll?S01The reason I want to study Criminology aswell, is that I'm interested in the subject, having studied A level Law and done wider reading while doing so, but also because I think paired with Psychology it can be useful in some careers, most obviously - Forensic Psychology, but also in jobs in the Prison Service, Police, Criminal Justice system and so on.
The main questions I have are -
How flexible is a degree from the Open University? - Can I study for as many or as few hours as I want each week, depending on how often I want to study on a particular week? I don't want to be restricted to only studying the standard part-time hours each week as the amount of free time I have to devote to it would obviously change, obviously I would have a lot during the summer breaks for example.
What are your thoughts on the fact that the Psychological Studies part of it will be superfulous? Am I right that they do not have a pure Criminology degree? I do notice they have an open degree option, but what is that like? What are the pros and cons of doing that? It would have to be an Open University Degree I think, or a similar kind of institution - because It's too late to apply to UCAS again - err.. and I don't you could do two degrees through them? Can anyone reccomend any other instituions similar to the OU which offer recognised degrees?
One last question - what other degrees would go well with Psychology sufficiently to justify studying another pure degree in addition to Psychology?
Thank you.