Psychology Vs Psychological and Behavioural Science
Hi! I've just been looking into potential universities I'd like to study at, to make sure that the subjects I plan on choosing for A levels are in line with their requirements (I'm currently in Year 11). I am looking into Russell Group universities and I do want to do a psychology degree, and LSE doesn't offer a Psychology BSc programme, but they do have a Psychological and Behavioural Science BSc programme and I was just wondering what the major differences are between the two, and as the internet hasn't proved very useful, I was wondering if anyone might know. Thanks in advance!
Original post by AmeenahHs
Hi! I've just been looking into potential universities I'd like to study at, to make sure that the subjects I plan on choosing for A levels are in line with their requirements (I'm currently in Year 11). I am looking into Russell Group universities and I do want to do a psychology degree, and LSE doesn't offer a Psychology BSc programme, but they do have a Psychological and Behavioural Science BSc programme and I was just wondering what the major differences are between the two, and as the internet hasn't proved very useful, I was wondering if anyone might know. Thanks in advance!
The title / name of a degree often isn't very illuminating. Even two Psychology degrees, with the same UCAS course code, can be quite different depending on where they're taught.
To compare two degrees properly you need to check the modules it contains, including details such as which are mandatory and which are options you choose from.
Original post by AmeenahHs
Hi! I've just been looking into potential universities I'd like to study at, to make sure that the subjects I plan on choosing for A levels are in line with their requirements (I'm currently in Year 11). I am looking into Russell Group universities and I do want to do a psychology degree, and LSE doesn't offer a Psychology BSc programme, but they do have a Psychological and Behavioural Science BSc programme and I was just wondering what the major differences are between the two, and as the internet hasn't proved very useful, I was wondering if anyone might know. Thanks in advance!
The main thing to look for when choosing a Psychology degree is that it is accredited by the BPS. You will need this if you want to go into a psychology career. Outside of that, it's just a matter of what you are interested in! It looks like the Psychological and Behavioural Science degree at LSE is accredited, so that's good. I'm not exactly sure what the difference would be, then, between that and a typical psychology BSc - perhaps just a heavier focus on behaviour?
From someone that’s just got into LSE psychological and behavioural sciences it is just as accredited as the other psychology courses meaning it also deals w biological aspects however on top of that it looks at economic aspects of our behaviour and focuses more on how our psychology affects what we do and spend etc. It’s more useful for jobs like marketing etc rather than psychiatry or therapy. It’s just more applied to a sociology side and more about society as a whole rather than just our brains.
As above if it's accredited by the BPS then it will cover all the necessary core content required for graduate basis for chartered membership (GBC).
LSE is primarily a specialist institution in the social sciences so will undoubtedly focus more on that angle of the subject rather than on e.g. the scientific or clinical sides of things. So I imagine they will focus more on things like psychological approaches rational choice theory and decision sciences, etc, beyond that core content (however the BPS requirements make up a pretty significant part of most psychology degrees so it's really more in terms of the advanced optional modules that you'll see the differences, so mainly in third and second years).
Note that other than LSE, many psychology courses do require or prefer at least one "core" science (i.e. maths/physics/chemistry/biology); some may require two (but often will accept psychology as one of the two, and sometimes other things like geography - but usually still require at least one core science). So I would recommend taking at least one of those core sciences, since as well as giving you more options, I understand it will prepare you for the course better than many alternatives. I've seen people say in particular A-level Biology and/or A-level Maths are the most specifically useful.
Depending on what you want to do afterwards, where you study the degree may not matter that much though. For example, if you plan to pursue a career in clinical psychology, the NHS doesn't really discriminate between individual universities and will just accept the accreditation meaning they are equal. However, as it's a very competitive field to get into, courses that include more clinical content and/or potential for clinical placements or attachments may be particularly valuable (and I'd note often these are not offered by "Russell Group" or similar universities, as they tend to focus more on the experimental science/research side of it - noting also the RG is a political lobbying group with no bearing on undergraduate teaching quality anyway).
I'd also note though that as indicated above, the name of the degree is basically meaningless - the important thing is the content. The Cambridge psychology course is also called psychological and behavioural sciences, and is renowned as being one of the more science heavy psychology courses.
LSE is primarily a specialist institution in the social sciences so will undoubtedly focus more on that angle of the subject rather than on e.g. the scientific or clinical sides of things. So I imagine they will focus more on things like psychological approaches rational choice theory and decision sciences, etc, beyond that core content (however the BPS requirements make up a pretty significant part of most psychology degrees so it's really more in terms of the advanced optional modules that you'll see the differences, so mainly in third and second years).
Note that other than LSE, many psychology courses do require or prefer at least one "core" science (i.e. maths/physics/chemistry/biology); some may require two (but often will accept psychology as one of the two, and sometimes other things like geography - but usually still require at least one core science). So I would recommend taking at least one of those core sciences, since as well as giving you more options, I understand it will prepare you for the course better than many alternatives. I've seen people say in particular A-level Biology and/or A-level Maths are the most specifically useful.
Depending on what you want to do afterwards, where you study the degree may not matter that much though. For example, if you plan to pursue a career in clinical psychology, the NHS doesn't really discriminate between individual universities and will just accept the accreditation meaning they are equal. However, as it's a very competitive field to get into, courses that include more clinical content and/or potential for clinical placements or attachments may be particularly valuable (and I'd note often these are not offered by "Russell Group" or similar universities, as they tend to focus more on the experimental science/research side of it - noting also the RG is a political lobbying group with no bearing on undergraduate teaching quality anyway).
I'd also note though that as indicated above, the name of the degree is basically meaningless - the important thing is the content. The Cambridge psychology course is also called psychological and behavioural sciences, and is renowned as being one of the more science heavy psychology courses.
Original post by artful_lounger
As above if it's accredited by the BPS then it will cover all the necessary core content required for graduate basis for chartered membership (GBC).
LSE is primarily a specialist institution in the social sciences so will undoubtedly focus more on that angle of the subject rather than on e.g. the scientific or clinical sides of things. So I imagine they will focus more on things like psychological approaches rational choice theory and decision sciences, etc, beyond that core content (however the BPS requirements make up a pretty significant part of most psychology degrees so it's really more in terms of the advanced optional modules that you'll see the differences, so mainly in third and second years).
Note that other than LSE, many psychology courses do require or prefer at least one "core" science (i.e. maths/physics/chemistry/biology); some may require two (but often will accept psychology as one of the two, and sometimes other things like geography - but usually still require at least one core science). So I would recommend taking at least one of those core sciences, since as well as giving you more options, I understand it will prepare you for the course better than many alternatives. I've seen people say in particular A-level Biology and/or A-level Maths are the most specifically useful.
Depending on what you want to do afterwards, where you study the degree may not matter that much though. For example, if you plan to pursue a career in clinical psychology, the NHS doesn't really discriminate between individual universities and will just accept the accreditation meaning they are equal. However, as it's a very competitive field to get into, courses that include more clinical content and/or potential for clinical placements or attachments may be particularly valuable (and I'd note often these are not offered by "Russell Group" or similar universities, as they tend to focus more on the experimental science/research side of it - noting also the RG is a political lobbying group with no bearing on undergraduate teaching quality anyway).
I'd also note though that as indicated above, the name of the degree is basically meaningless - the important thing is the content. The Cambridge psychology course is also called psychological and behavioural sciences, and is renowned as being one of the more science heavy psychology courses.
LSE is primarily a specialist institution in the social sciences so will undoubtedly focus more on that angle of the subject rather than on e.g. the scientific or clinical sides of things. So I imagine they will focus more on things like psychological approaches rational choice theory and decision sciences, etc, beyond that core content (however the BPS requirements make up a pretty significant part of most psychology degrees so it's really more in terms of the advanced optional modules that you'll see the differences, so mainly in third and second years).
Note that other than LSE, many psychology courses do require or prefer at least one "core" science (i.e. maths/physics/chemistry/biology); some may require two (but often will accept psychology as one of the two, and sometimes other things like geography - but usually still require at least one core science). So I would recommend taking at least one of those core sciences, since as well as giving you more options, I understand it will prepare you for the course better than many alternatives. I've seen people say in particular A-level Biology and/or A-level Maths are the most specifically useful.
Depending on what you want to do afterwards, where you study the degree may not matter that much though. For example, if you plan to pursue a career in clinical psychology, the NHS doesn't really discriminate between individual universities and will just accept the accreditation meaning they are equal. However, as it's a very competitive field to get into, courses that include more clinical content and/or potential for clinical placements or attachments may be particularly valuable (and I'd note often these are not offered by "Russell Group" or similar universities, as they tend to focus more on the experimental science/research side of it - noting also the RG is a political lobbying group with no bearing on undergraduate teaching quality anyway).
I'd also note though that as indicated above, the name of the degree is basically meaningless - the important thing is the content. The Cambridge psychology course is also called psychological and behavioural sciences, and is renowned as being one of the more science heavy psychology courses.
Thank you for this. Obviously, only being in secondary school, we've not really been 'taught' about how to select what university is the right choice for you, and I assume that'll be something covered in college/sixth form but I did want to do some prior research in advance. I think my inclination towards RGs is only the name, and thank you for informing me that Russell Groups are necessary 'better' in the quality of teaching- I somewhat assumed that because they're so competitive to get into, they'd have higher standards of teaching overall
I guess I still have some research left to do
Original post by AmeenahHs
Thank you for this. Obviously, only being in secondary school, we've not really been 'taught' about how to select what university is the right choice for you, and I assume that'll be something covered in college/sixth form but I did want to do some prior research in advance. I think my inclination towards RGs is only the name, and thank you for informing me that Russell Groups are necessary 'better' in the quality of teaching- I somewhat assumed that because they're so competitive to get into, they'd have higher standards of teaching overall
I guess I still have some research left to do
I guess I still have some research left to do
Unfortunately you're unlikely to get much more information in 6th form lol...sadly the myth persists that the RG is somehow a magical transformative place and not just another set of universities which have banded together for their own purposes!
Generally you shouldn't judge a course by their entry criteria - unfortunately many do and unis know and play off this. For example Exeter has over the last 10 years massively inflated their "standard" offers on their website, however the average incoming student's tariff score equivalent has not gone up much if at all - and they have a nearly 90% offer rate on average! So they're a lot less selective than they are making themselves seem, and the courses certainly don't necessarily correspond to those entry criteria. (although in the case of psychology specifically I understand Exeter's psychology department is fairly strong, particularly if you're interested in clinical psychology)
In fact in general, as RG unis are at least ostensibly members of the RG due to being research universities, often the teaching can often be worse than at e.g. ex-polys (which were designed specifically with the goal of teaching undergraduates in mind) as many members of staff will be primarily focused on research (and some disdain the teaching of undergraduates they are required to do!).
There are good reasons to pick unis, and those unis may end up being members of the RG incidentally, but I would strongly recommend not picking a uni purely on the basis of it being in the RG as that doesn't actually mean much for you in the end!
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by artful_lounger
Unfortunately you're unlikely to get much more information in 6th form lol...sadly the myth persists that the RG is somehow a magical transformative place and not just another set of universities which have banded together for their own purposes!
Generally you shouldn't judge a course by their entry criteria - unfortunately many do and unis know and play off this. For example Exeter has over the last 10 years massively inflated their "standard" offers on their website, however the average incoming student's tariff score equivalent has not gone up much if at all - and they have a nearly 90% offer rate on average! So they're a lot less selective than they are making themselves seem, and the courses certainly don't necessarily correspond to those entry criteria. (although in the case of psychology specifically I understand Exeter's psychology department is fairly strong, particularly if you're interested in clinical psychology)
In fact in general, as RG unis are at least ostensibly members of the RG due to being research universities, often the teaching can often be worse than at e.g. ex-polys (which were designed specifically with the goal of teaching undergraduates in mind) as many members of staff will be primarily focused on research (and some disdain the teaching of undergraduates they are required to do!).
There are good reasons to pick unis, and those unis may end up being members of the RG incidentally, but I would strongly recommend not picking a uni purely on the basis of it being in the RG as that doesn't actually mean much for you in the end!
Generally you shouldn't judge a course by their entry criteria - unfortunately many do and unis know and play off this. For example Exeter has over the last 10 years massively inflated their "standard" offers on their website, however the average incoming student's tariff score equivalent has not gone up much if at all - and they have a nearly 90% offer rate on average! So they're a lot less selective than they are making themselves seem, and the courses certainly don't necessarily correspond to those entry criteria. (although in the case of psychology specifically I understand Exeter's psychology department is fairly strong, particularly if you're interested in clinical psychology)
In fact in general, as RG unis are at least ostensibly members of the RG due to being research universities, often the teaching can often be worse than at e.g. ex-polys (which were designed specifically with the goal of teaching undergraduates in mind) as many members of staff will be primarily focused on research (and some disdain the teaching of undergraduates they are required to do!).
There are good reasons to pick unis, and those unis may end up being members of the RG incidentally, but I would strongly recommend not picking a uni purely on the basis of it being in the RG as that doesn't actually mean much for you in the end!
Ah that's very helpful to know, from attending open evenings (for sixth forms) there's been so much focus on RGs and programmes for high achievers to help them get into Oxbridge and RGs. I don't think I'm particularly keen on Oxbridge as I don't want to live out, and thankfully there are great universities near where I live. Considering that RGs aren't always necessarily a gateway to something fabulous, would you say that universities within the University of London group are similar in the sense that they're just an association rather than identifiers of a great university or is that slightly different?
Thank you for all your help
Original post by AmeenahHs
Ah that's very helpful to know, from attending open evenings (for sixth forms) there's been so much focus on RGs and programmes for high achievers to help them get into Oxbridge and RGs. I don't think I'm particularly keen on Oxbridge as I don't want to live out, and thankfully there are great universities near where I live. Considering that RGs aren't always necessarily a gateway to something fabulous, would you say that universities within the University of London group are similar in the sense that they're just an association rather than identifiers of a great university or is that slightly different?
Thank you for all your help
Thank you for all your help
The UoL group combines a pretty wide range of unis with different focuses and aims. Some may be better for some things than others - not even purely academically, but also practically. Birkbeck for example is ideal for people wanting to earn a degree but are working full or part-time since they offer evening classes. For someone not needing that benefit, they may find its offerings are comparable to other unis. SOAS is generally the best or second best (after Oxford usually) uni in the country for Asian and Middle Eastern languages, and has a phenomenal reputation in many of the countries speaking those languages; for more generalist courses in accounting or similar it's a bit more average though.
So it's really quite dependent on what you're looking for. In terms of psychology both UCL and KCL are regarded as quite strong psychology departments academically, although also worth noting they are very scientific/experimental psychology focused courses from what I understand. Even then, I've heard that there are some issues at UCL psychology - @Noodlzzz might be able to give some more insight into that (as well as psychology in general!). Worth noting I don't think the Goldsmiths course is BPS accredited, although they do seem to do a fair bit of psychodynamic stuff if that's your interest. Although UCL also has a lot in that realm being associated with the Anna Freud Centre (and their course is BPS accredited).
Original post by AmeenahHs
Hi! I've just been looking into potential universities I'd like to study at, to make sure that the subjects I plan on choosing for A levels are in line with their requirements (I'm currently in Year 11). I am looking into Russell Group universities and I do want to do a psychology degree, and LSE doesn't offer a Psychology BSc programme, but they do have a Psychological and Behavioural Science BSc programme and I was just wondering what the major differences are between the two, and as the internet hasn't proved very useful, I was wondering if anyone might know. Thanks in advance!
Definitely look at the electives that LSE has packaged with their PBS course. You will need to want to study those subjects. For a 'pure' Psychology program with placement, have a look at Uni of Bath. It's a very competitive course even though entry requirements look deceivingly low.
Original post by artful_lounger
The UoL group combines a pretty wide range of unis with different focuses and aims. Some may be better for some things than others - not even purely academically, but also practically. Birkbeck for example is ideal for people wanting to earn a degree but are working full or part-time since they offer evening classes. For someone not needing that benefit, they may find its offerings are comparable to other unis. SOAS is generally the best or second best (after Oxford usually) uni in the country for Asian and Middle Eastern languages, and has a phenomenal reputation in many of the countries speaking those languages; for more generalist courses in accounting or similar it's a bit more average though.
So it's really quite dependent on what you're looking for. In terms of psychology both UCL and KCL are regarded as quite strong psychology departments academically, although also worth noting they are very scientific/experimental psychology focused courses from what I understand. Even then, I've heard that there are some issues at UCL psychology - @Noodlzzz might be able to give some more insight into that (as well as psychology in general!). Worth noting I don't think the Goldsmiths course is BPS accredited, although they do seem to do a fair bit of psychodynamic stuff if that's your interest. Although UCL also has a lot in that realm being associated with the Anna Freud Centre (and their course is BPS accredited).
So it's really quite dependent on what you're looking for. In terms of psychology both UCL and KCL are regarded as quite strong psychology departments academically, although also worth noting they are very scientific/experimental psychology focused courses from what I understand. Even then, I've heard that there are some issues at UCL psychology - @Noodlzzz might be able to give some more insight into that (as well as psychology in general!). Worth noting I don't think the Goldsmiths course is BPS accredited, although they do seem to do a fair bit of psychodynamic stuff if that's your interest. Although UCL also has a lot in that realm being associated with the Anna Freud Centre (and their course is BPS accredited).
That's really good to know, you've been amazing thank you for all of this
Original post by BubblesBB
Definitely look at the electives that LSE has packaged with their PBS course. You will need to want to study those subjects. For a 'pure' Psychology program with placement, have a look at Uni of Bath. It's a very competitive course even though entry requirements look deceivingly low.
Thank you, I don't think I'm considering living out but that is good to know
Original post by artful_lounger
So it's really quite dependent on what you're looking for. In terms of psychology both UCL and KCL are regarded as quite strong psychology departments academically, although also worth noting they are very scientific/experimental psychology focused courses from what I understand. Even then, I've heard that there are some issues at UCL psychology - @Noodlzzz might be able to give some more insight into that (as well as psychology in general!). Worth noting I don't think the Goldsmiths course is BPS accredited, although they do seem to do a fair bit of psychodynamic stuff if that's your interest. Although UCL also has a lot in that realm being associated with the Anna Freud Centre (and their course is BPS accredited).
Hi! I have firmed UCL for MSci Psych. What are the issues that you are aware of? Just want to be mentally prepared. Thank you!
Original post by BubblesBB
Hi! I have firmed UCL for MSci Psych. What are the issues that you are aware of? Just want to be mentally prepared. Thank you!
I don't know specifically but from what @Noodlzzz has noted before it seemed it was that student support was pretty poor in the department unfortunately
Original post by BubblesBB
Hi! I have firmed UCL for MSci Psych. What are the issues that you are aware of? Just want to be mentally prepared. Thank you!
Original post by artful_lounger
I don't know specifically but from what @Noodlzzz has noted before it seemed it was that student support was pretty poor in the department unfortunately
Just absolute lack of care for students. Grades over health every time.
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