Keele Research Repository

Psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate degree courses around the world. Pathways through psychology vary somewhat depending on the national context; for example, in the UK, students study a general undergraduate degree, usually accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). They then pursue specialised postgraduate training to become a professional psychologist, or enter a wide range of non-discipline-specific graduate employment. As this might suggest, psychology is versatile, and equips students with sophisticated scientific skills, alongside the skills more typically associated with social science or humanities subjects (QAA, 2016). For example, psychology develops numeracy and information technology skills alongside critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills. This ensures that psychology is likely to remain popular in the foreseeable future, as it has considerable value for employability and for society, but also has implications for the way it is taught.