Psychology or Law?

Hello,
I am in a bit of a difficult situation right now, I was previously wanting to do Law at uni and applied for Law at uni of Strathclyde and got accepted but now I am kind of wanting to change it to psychology but I am scared that after getting my degree I won’t know what to do with it you know?but I am kind of hoping to become a therapist from my psychology degree and I am not 100% sure if that’s possible with just a psychology degree. Also I don’t know if I can even change my course at uni at the start, I already do psychology for my A level. What do you guys think?

hello,
no its not possible with just a psychology undergraduate degree, there are alternative undergraduate degrees that do provide course qualifying but the undergrad psychology is mostly academic. Unless you want to be a tik-tok psychologist then you just call yourself one. Its not a protected title after all.
You would be able to apply to be an assistant psychologist but these are highly competitive and limited in scope. These often come with masters degrees and anyone with a drop of experience automatically beats you.
If you want to be a "therapist" following undergraduate there are psychotherapy and counselling degrees that provide BABCP accreditation but that will depend on where you want to work and who you want to treat.
Therapy is a loose term in truth but if you want a specific title its likely postgraduate study will be required or a build through the ranks such as being an EMHP PWP or the like.
You should really consider what you want to do after but all is not lost, if you complete law with enough interest there are psychology conversion courses. Also have some discussion about how your degree is weighted toward the final award, the first year may or may not count if you are not able to change now.

Why did you originally pick Law?, what would you do with a law degree? A lot of universities do let you change subjects, although you would have to start it in the next academic year and join the new intake.

So it seems like Law would be the safer option? Because originally I wanted to do Law and go on from there but apparently it’s too complicated. But then again most people I’ve asked have said psychology is a bit of a useless degree and there isn’t much to do after that. If I do the psychotherapy counselling degree after do you know if I have a high chance of becoming a therapist or not?
Thank youuu

Hello,
I am in a bit of a difficult situation right now, I was previously wanting to do Law at uni and applied for Law at uni of Strathclyde and got accepted but now I am kind of wanting to change it to psychology but I am scared that after getting my degree I won’t know what to do with it you know?but I am kind of hoping to become a therapist from my psychology degree and I am not 100% sure if that’s possible with just a psychology degree. Also I don’t know if I can even change my course at uni at the start, I already do psychology for my A level. What do you guys think?

You will not become a therapist after just an undergraduate degree. There are various types of therapists, so do some more research into which one you would like to become. Note that the study of psychology at university level has very little content regarding mental health unless you choose optional modules further down the line. Psychology is a scientific subject and the vast majority of your work will be based in research methods, social, developmental, cognitive and biological psychology. Content at A level such as psychopathology is not as heavily emphasised in undergraduate study. There are psychology conversion courses available for people who want to undertake further study and apply for doctorate courses in psychology which qualify you as a psychological practitioner (e.g. the DClinPsy to become a clinical psychologist). Alternatively, you could go down a path that doesn't require a psychology degree, such as becoming a psychological wellbeing practitioner (PWP). PWP courses are usually funded and paid courses by the NHS, which means you will be earning a Band 4 salary while studying. This is a one year course and after you qualify, you will be paid on Band 5. As you gain more experience, your pay will progress, but the pay scales only apply to NHS jobs. If you work privately, you could be earning much more and have different progressions. Ultimately, neither subject is easy to study. Law is intensive and competitive when it comes to gaining legal careers, but there is probably more resources and opportunities out there for you to land a decent job, as long as you put the work in. If you want to become a solicitor, you'll need to still study for the SQE, which has a 50% pass rate. If you want to become a barrister, you'll need to take the bar exam, which I don't know too much about, but I know that it is equally as hard of a journey. There are other legal careers, such as paralegal roles and legal assistant positions that don't require further study, but the pay in comparison to more popular routes is a lot less. Becoming any type of psychological practitioner in the NHS likely will also result in an average wage for a lot of work, unless you qualify as a clinical, educational, counselling or forensic psychologist. These are all positions that take roughly 9-12 years from leaving post-16 education to obtain, although the minimum time it should take is 7 years. I suggest that you think long and hard about which degree you'd rather study now, as both of them offer conversion courses. I was once in this position, and I made the switch from psychology to law for two reasons; the first being that the pay progressions were not ideal for the lifestyle I envisioned for myself and the second being that the process of becoming a clinical psychologist is incredibly lengthy and competitive, so I didn't really see the benefits. I also considered the scientific nature of psychology as a degree and as I perform better in humanities subjects, law felt like a better fit. There is also more career opportunities available in comparison to trying to work in mental health. If you are certain you don't want to study law, I'd suggest contacting the university to ask if they would allow you to switch course on results day, as they may tell you to go through clearing instead. Ultimately, you need to do more research into careers in both psychology and law, as well as going through the course modules, as this is what will help you make an informed decision.

Is the SQE the new LPC?

Basically yes but with some differences. Have a look on the SRA website to see what changes they have made.

You will not become a therapist after just an undergraduate degree. There are various types of therapists, so do some more research into which one you would like to become. Note that the study of psychology at university level has very little content regarding mental health unless you choose optional modules further down the line. Psychology is a scientific subject and the vast majority of your work will be based in research methods, social, developmental, cognitive and biological psychology. Content at A level such as psychopathology is not as heavily emphasised in undergraduate study. There are psychology conversion courses available for people who want to undertake further study and apply for doctorate courses in psychology which qualify you as a psychological practitioner (e.g. the DClinPsy to become a clinical psychologist). Alternatively, you could go down a path that doesn't require a psychology degree, such as becoming a psychological wellbeing practitioner (PWP). PWP courses are usually funded and paid courses by the NHS, which means you will be earning a Band 4 salary while studying. This is a one year course and after you qualify, you will be paid on Band 5. As you gain more experience, your pay will progress, but the pay scales only apply to NHS jobs. If you work privately, you could be earning much more and have different progressions. Ultimately, neither subject is easy to study. Law is intensive and competitive when it comes to gaining legal careers, but there is probably more resources and opportunities out there for you to land a decent job, as long as you put the work in. If you want to become a solicitor, you'll need to still study for the SQE, which has a 50% pass rate. If you want to become a barrister, you'll need to take the bar exam, which I don't know too much about, but I know that it is equally as hard of a journey. There are other legal careers, such as paralegal roles and legal assistant positions that don't require further study, but the pay in comparison to more popular routes is a lot less. Becoming any type of psychological practitioner in the NHS likely will also result in an average wage for a lot of work, unless you qualify as a clinical, educational, counselling or forensic psychologist. These are all positions that take roughly 9-12 years from leaving post-16 education to obtain, although the minimum time it should take is 7 years. I suggest that you think long and hard about which degree you'd rather study now, as both of them offer conversion courses. I was once in this position, and I made the switch from psychology to law for two reasons; the first being that the pay progressions were not ideal for the lifestyle I envisioned for myself and the second being that the process of becoming a clinical psychologist is incredibly lengthy and competitive, so I didn't really see the benefits. I also considered the scientific nature of psychology as a degree and as I perform better in humanities subjects, law felt like a better fit. There is also more career opportunities available in comparison to trying to work in mental health. If you are certain you don't want to study law, I'd suggest contacting the university to ask if they would allow you to switch course on results day, as they may tell you to go through clearing instead. Ultimately, you need to do more research into careers in both psychology and law, as well as going through the course modules, as this is what will help you make an informed decision.

What I would add to this very thorough and helpful answer is only core professions mean you can move around more freely and not be "stuck" in the NHS. Ive known EMHP/PWPs to be royally screwed over and there options are limited.
The most common NHS pay band for a clinical psychologist (there's an unsaid avoidance of counselling and forensic is specific/any clin can apply for the same job) is 8a.
In England and Wales that tops out after 5 years service circa £57,000 and Scotland is around £61,000.
This is after you've struggled to get on the course and spend the years highlighted above, you'll then be rammed with cases, very little if any planning time, supervising people and service development and and and.
That's not to say being a solicitor isn't similar by the way, I think either way you're going to have to love it, at least in part. Fundamentally, doing more work does not get you remunerated more in the NHS unless its specifically overtime.
Also, it sounds overly negative on the NHS, there are lots of benefits to the NHS too there's much more than just your salary involved, after 5 years you get 6 months full sick pay and 6 months half which offers some protection. If you are female and plan on having children after (I think) a years full service you can get full maternity for 6 months with a scaling down of salary up to one year. 10 years service gets you 33 days annual leave. There's the pension, which is nothing like the one people who claim costa coffee ruin mortgages got. They can pay for further training for eg. A £60k NHS salary is probably worth £90k privately but this is missed out of a lot of conversations.
I cant even remember my point now.

Apologies if it sounded like I was being too harsh on the NHS, I just wanted OP to consider both the state that the NHS is currently in and the pay in comparison to workload when picking a career in mental health. I 100% agree that if you’re going to become a solicitor or study law, you have to love it. There are lots of NHS benefits, but as of right now, to the journey to becoming a licensed psychologist is so competitive, that a lot of psychology graduates are opting out of that route and choosing easier professions to get into, such as becoming a PWP or even non-psychology paths such as consulting and marketing. I just wanted to make OP aware that the journey to becoming a therapist is mentally draining, and in my experience talking to mental health professionals who have undergone these pathways, while a lot of them enjoy their job in the NHS, it is a heavy emotional burden and they aren’t earning anywhere near what they deserve. The NHS is in need of drastic reforms, what with the ongoing strikes and lengthy waiting lists, so going private after training indeed might be the way to go. These were just some factors I considered myself when making the decision to not apply to study psychology at university next year, as well as the actual nature of an undergraduate psychology degree.

Hello,
I am in a bit of a difficult situation right now, I was previously wanting to do Law at uni and applied for Law at uni of Strathclyde and got accepted but now I am kind of wanting to change it to psychology but I am scared that after getting my degree I won’t know what to do with it you know?but I am kind of hoping to become a therapist from my psychology degree and I am not 100% sure if that’s possible with just a psychology degree. Also I don’t know if I can even change my course at uni at the start, I already do psychology for my A level. What do you guys think?

Hello, that sounds like you're in quite a difficult situation! The first thing that I would say is that neither subject is easy. They both have their challenges, although likely in different ways. The main question is really which subject you would be happier studying and where you think it would take you in the future.
To become a therapist, you would need at least a BPS accredited psychology undergraduate followed by either some qualifications in counselling / cbt, or (if you want slightly more career progression) a DClinPsy which would allow you to become a clinical psychologist. This is an incredibly competitive programme to get on and definitely not something to do if you aren't sure! However, a psychology degree is one of the most diverse degrees in terms of its uses. After graduation you would not have to stay within the field of mental health psychology, you could also expand into HR, management, marketing, research, cybersecurity... many doors can be opened with psychology depending on what route you choose to take after graduating.
With a law degree, I don't know as much but I do know that further qualifications after an LLB are equally as competitive as a DClinPsy and require similar levels of work experience. However, at a guess, you would probably get a higher salary faster. Law is not quite as flexible as psychology when it comes to real life applications, but it obviously won't completely close all doors. There are plenty of applications with this degree regardless of whether you choose to progress to further education.
You will likely be able to swap degree course within the first 6 or so weeks of your first term, but this will depend on your A Level and possibly GCSE grades, as well as the availability on the course. Most psychology degrees will require at least a 6 in GCSE maths due to the volume of statistics that is required for BPS accreditation. That being said, you are more likely to be accepted into psychology after starting a degree in law than you are to switch from psychology back to law.
Alternatively, if you are struggling to make a decision you can defer your place and take a gap year to gain work experience in the respective fields to see what works for you. Most universities will let you defer with minimal issues, all i had to do when I deferred was to email the admissions office!
Best of luck in the future
-Kat (2nd year psychology undergraduate at Lancaster University)

Why did you originally pick Law?, what would you do with a law degree? A lot of universities do let you change subjects, although you would have to start it in the next academic year and join the new intake.

Hello, that sounds like you're in quite a difficult situation! The first thing that I would say is that neither subject is easy. They both have their challenges, although likely in different ways. The main question is really which subject you would be happier studying and where you think it would take you in the future.
To become a therapist, you would need at least a BPS accredited psychology undergraduate followed by either some qualifications in counselling / cbt, or (if you want slightly more career progression) a DClinPsy which would allow you to become a clinical psychologist. This is an incredibly competitive programme to get on and definitely not something to do if you aren't sure! However, a psychology degree is one of the most diverse degrees in terms of its uses. After graduation you would not have to stay within the field of mental health psychology, you could also expand into HR, management, marketing, research, cybersecurity... many doors can be opened with psychology depending on what route you choose to take after graduating.
With a law degree, I don't know as much but I do know that further qualifications after an LLB are equally as competitive as a DClinPsy and require similar levels of work experience. However, at a guess, you would probably get a higher salary faster. Law is not quite as flexible as psychology when it comes to real life applications, but it obviously won't completely close all doors. There are plenty of applications with this degree regardless of whether you choose to progress to further education.
You will likely be able to swap degree course within the first 6 or so weeks of your first term, but this will depend on your A Level and possibly GCSE grades, as well as the availability on the course. Most psychology degrees will require at least a 6 in GCSE maths due to the volume of statistics that is required for BPS accreditation. That being said, you are more likely to be accepted into psychology after starting a degree in law than you are to switch from psychology back to law.
Alternatively, if you are struggling to make a decision you can defer your place and take a gap year to gain work experience in the respective fields to see what works for you. Most universities will let you defer with minimal issues, all i had to do when I deferred was to email the admissions office!
Best of luck in the future
-Kat (2nd year psychology undergraduate at Lancaster University)

every day is a school day, cheers!

You will not become a therapist after just an undergraduate degree. There are various types of therapists, so do some more research into which one you would like to become. Note that the study of psychology at university level has very little content regarding mental health unless you choose optional modules further down the line. Psychology is a scientific subject and the vast majority of your work will be based in research methods, social, developmental, cognitive and biological psychology. Content at A level such as psychopathology is not as heavily emphasised in undergraduate study. There are psychology conversion courses available for people who want to undertake further study and apply for doctorate courses in psychology which qualify you as a psychological practitioner (e.g. the DClinPsy to become a clinical psychologist). Alternatively, you could go down a path that doesn't require a psychology degree, such as becoming a psychological wellbeing practitioner (PWP). PWP courses are usually funded and paid courses by the NHS, which means you will be earning a Band 4 salary while studying. This is a one year course and after you qualify, you will be paid on Band 5. As you gain more experience, your pay will progress, but the pay scales only apply to NHS jobs. If you work privately, you could be earning much more and have different progressions. Ultimately, neither subject is easy to study. Law is intensive and competitive when it comes to gaining legal careers, but there is probably more resources and opportunities out there for you to land a decent job, as long as you put the work in. If you want to become a solicitor, you'll need to still study for the SQE, which has a 50% pass rate. If you want to become a barrister, you'll need to take the bar exam, which I don't know too much about, but I know that it is equally as hard of a journey. There are other legal careers, such as paralegal roles and legal assistant positions that don't require further study, but the pay in comparison to more popular routes is a lot less. Becoming any type of psychological practitioner in the NHS likely will also result in an average wage for a lot of work, unless you qualify as a clinical, educational, counselling or forensic psychologist. These are all positions that take roughly 9-12 years from leaving post-16 education to obtain, although the minimum time it should take is 7 years. I suggest that you think long and hard about which degree you'd rather study now, as both of them offer conversion courses. I was once in this position, and I made the switch from psychology to law for two reasons; the first being that the pay progressions were not ideal for the lifestyle I envisioned for myself and the second being that the process of becoming a clinical psychologist is incredibly lengthy and competitive, so I didn't really see the benefits. I also considered the scientific nature of psychology as a degree and as I perform better in humanities subjects, law felt like a better fit. There is also more career opportunities available in comparison to trying to work in mental health. If you are certain you don't want to study law, I'd suggest contacting the university to ask if they would allow you to switch course on results day, as they may tell you to go through clearing instead. Ultimately, you need to do more research into careers in both psychology and law, as well as going through the course modules, as this is what will help you make an informed decision.

I’m not sure If this is true. If you request a course swap you should be able to be moved as long as you meet the entry requirements and there are vacancies in the course