Psychology

Why Psychology at Sunderland

University of Sunderland’s psychology courses carry British Psychological Society accreditation, which opens the door to professional membership—essential if you’re planning to become a clinical psychologist. The programmes ranked first in northeast England for teaching quality according to The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024. Faculty members bring their own clinical experience into lectures, connecting theory with real-world cases. Students also get placements in clinical settings and opportunities to join interdisciplinary projects that build practical skills alongside knowledge.

Clinical Psychology at University of Sunderland

The BSc (Hons) Clinical Psychology prepares graduates to work with people facing mental health challenges. Modules cover everything from cognitive to evolutionary psychology, showing how these perspectives help explain and treat different conditions. This course emphasizes hands-on skills and reflective practice, exploring topics like addiction, psychosis, cognitive impairment, and depression. You’ll learn patient assessment, diagnostic formulation, and professional ethics. After the first year, the flexible structure lets students switch to forensic psychology or psychology with counselling if their interests shift.

Conversion Programme in Psychology

The MSc Psychology (Conversion) gives graduates without a psychology background one year to gain the same foundation that a three-year bachelor’s provides. Successfully completing this course earns Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership from the British Psychological Society—the necessary step for further specialization. Beyond the path to chartered status, it opens careers in advertising, social work, public services, management, and human resources. Modules cover everything from biological psychology to social interaction, culminating in a research project where students design and conduct their own investigation.

Psychology with Counselling

BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling blends core psychological concepts with specialized counselling modules, teaching students to apply basic counselling skills in real settings. According to the National Student Survey 2024, all students on this course rated it positively for intellectual stimulation and professional skill development. In the second and final years, students choose from modules covering mental health, clinical neuropsychology, and related topics. Graduates from University of Sunderland with at least second-class honours receive the foundation for British Psychological Society membership.

Psychology with Foundation Year

This four-year BSc (Hons) Psychology with Integrated Foundation Year includes a preparatory year that eases students into studying the brain and human behaviour. The foundation year establishes basic knowledge—from statistics to contemporary issues in psychology—before students progress to the main course. Beyond the five core areas defined by the British Psychological Society, the programme draws on evolutionary theory to help students understand the origins of human thought and behaviour. In the final year, modules cover mental health, addiction, and clinical neuropsychology.

Honours Bachelor’s in Psychology

The standard BSc (Hons) Psychology offers a comprehensive approach to studying how the brain works and why people behave as they do, developing transferable skills applicable in any context. This course covers the five main areas of psychology according to British Psychological Society standards, supplemented by evolutionary metatheory for deeper insight into human nature. In the final year, students who choose the Empirical Project plan and execute original research independently. Graduates with at least second-class honours gain the foundation for chartered membership in the professional psychology community.