Subject

Psychology

Explore the complexities of human behaviour in our rapidly changing world. Delving into cognition, emotion, and social interactions, our Psychology degrees provide valuable insight into understanding individuals, fostering empathy, and facilitating personal growth amid new technologies and cultural challenges.

Psychology

Undergraduate Psychology degrees

If you want to understand our place in the world, then psychology at Essex is for you. We focus on the big questions so that you embark on a journey into the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals. At Essex we take a multi-method approach, working beyond traditional boundaries to combine different expertise and share fascinating techniques and intriguing theories. We teach you psychological findings by looking at “how we think about the world”, “how we interact with the world”, and “how we experience the world”.

As an undergraduate student, you can gain authentic research experience by participating in our Research Experience Scheme (RES). Throughout your RES placement, you'll acquire skills essential to researchers across various fields of psychology. This includes tasks such as setting up and designing experiments, conducting literature reviews, recruiting and testing participants, and engaging in coding and data analysis.

Why study here?
  • We are Top 30 in the UK for Psychology in THE World University Rankings by Subject 2024.
  • 95% of our Psychology undergraduate graduates are in employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024).
  • We embed key skills such as research methods and statistics into topics and you will be taught one-by-one in blocks to consolidate your knowledge.
A student wearing a black EEG cap, resting her chin on a frame, with sensors attached to her face.
A student wearing a black EEG cap, resting her chin on a frame, with sensors attached to her face.
Image of a female student involved in a psychology eye-tracking experiment
Image of a female student involved in a psychology eye-tracking experiment
Professor Silke Paulmann with a Psychology student
Professor Silke Paulmann with a Psychology student

Career prospects

A psychology degree, especially one accredited by the British Psychology Society, will provide you with the foundations needed for specialising in diverse areas, including clinical and educational psychology.

Many of our psychology graduates choose careers outside traditional psychology fields. The skills you learn during your degree opens doors to careers in market research, human resources, and people-focussed careers such as a high-intensity therapist or special educational needs.

Our psychology graduates have progressed in diverse careers across the public, private and third sectors, including working for the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, and Prison and Probation Service, mental health charity MIND, and organisations like the BBC.

Visit our psychology careers page to find out more about your career opportunities and discover the variety of career paths our recent graduates have taken. We also work with our University's careers services to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Image of Antonio Ferreria
"I chose to study psychology at Essex because of my passion for mental health. As a teenager, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia which inspired me to want to study psychology, specifically psychology with cognitive neuroscience. I have found the environment to be very supportive at Essex. Lecturers genuinely care and support the extra advocacy and campaigning that I do outside of my studies. I have worked with the Students’ Union to deliver mental health initiatives and completed an internship with the Essex Abroad Team which led to me taking up a remote internship through Absolute Internship at a market research company based in Shanghai. I am passionate about raising awareness of mental ill health within racialised communities. Yet also changing how the UK views and addresses mental ill health, particularly within minority communities."
António Ferreira BSc Psychology AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
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We have a Mini Open Day at our Colchester Campus on Saturday 16 November. Book your place to see where you could be calling home, and we'll make sure you have all the information you need to make the most out of your day.

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Your masters degree

We provide a stimulating and vibrant research environment that allows both our students and staff to shape the future of our expanding research-intensive department.

Further study in our Department of Psychology gives you the freedom and the facilities to study, experiment, explore and research why we think, feel and act the way we do. At Essex we take a multi-method approach, working beyond traditional boundaries to combine different expertise and share fascinating techniques and intriguing theories. We teach you psychological findings by looking at “how we think about the world”, “how we interact with the world”, and “how we experience the world”.

At Essex, we pride ourselves on providing a research-led education with award-winning lecturers who are also world leaders in their research fields. As well as your research project, you can work alongside researchers through our Research Experience Scheme (RES). During a RES placement, you can gain experience developing all kinds of skills used by researchers from all areas of psychology, including experiment set-up and design, literature reviews, recruiting and testing participants, coding and data analysis.

Why study here?
  • We are ranked 17th in the UK for research power in psychology (Times Higher Education research power measure, REF 2021).
  • We have excellent research facilities including well-equipped, purpose-built laboratories in the Centre for Brain Science.
  • You have unparalleled access to state-of-the-art research equipment including eye-tracking, EEG, neurostimulation (TMS, TDCS, TACS), virtual reality, the Babylab and the Human Sexuality Lab.
Image of Chloe Tasker
"I've enjoyed the range of modules on offer such as hearing and vision, neuroscience, child development, relationships, evolution, human sexuality, and much more. It has allowed me to explore the different research areas that psychology has to offer. Something I love about Essex is that I was given opportunities to get involved in research. I worked and volunteered in two different labs, which gave me the confidence and experience I needed to start my PhD."
Chloe Tasker BSc PSYCHOLOGY WITH COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE 2021, MSC RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2022
Join us at our next Open Day

We have a Mini Open Day at our Colchester Campus on Saturday 16 November. Book your place to see where you could be calling home, and we'll make sure you have all the information you need to make the most out of your day.

Book your place

Research degrees

Embarking on a PhD in psychology promises an intellectually enriching journey, guided by distinguished experts in diverse range of expertise.. Our experts carry our research that helps use understand how we think about, interact with and experience the world. Dr. Eva Gutierrez-Sigut's research during the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered that 90% of deaf individuals struggled to communicate with mandatory mask-wearing, bridging psychology and public health. Dr. Elia Valentini's cutting-edge study explores the neurobiology of pain, discovering that found fast-oscillating brain waves linked to brief pain and touch can differ widely in scans.

Find a supervisor that can support your study and let your research guide you to explore some of life great challenges.

 

Why study here?
  • Use state-of-the-art research equipment including eye-tracking, EEG, neurostimulation (TMS, TDCS, TACS), virtual reality, the Babylab and the Human Sexuality Lab.
  • We are 17th in UK for research power in psychology (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021).
  • We offer a range of PhD studentships and funding opportunities.

Start your application with us

Explore our psychology research by theme or your area of interest and find a supervisor that can support your through your studies. More information can be found about research degrees on our department pages. Our courses below will help guide you through the various research degree programmes we offer.


Explore funding opportunities Ready to apply? Start your application today
Join us at our next Open Day

We have a Mini Open Day at our Colchester Campus on Saturday 16 November. Book your place to see where you could be calling home, and we'll make sure you have all the information you need to make the most out of your day.

Book your place
A student walking on campus at the University of Essex.
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