Psychology is the science of the mind. The human mind is the most complex machine on Earth. It is the source of all thought and behaviour. Any attempt to explain why humans think and behave in the way that we do will inevitably be linked to one or another branch of psychology. The different disciplines of Psychology are extremely wide-ranging. At A level they include: Cognitive Psychology: Memory and Intelligence, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Biological Psychology and Abnormal Psychology. What all these different approaches to Psychology have in common is a desire to explain the behaviour of individuals based on the workings of the mind. In every area, psychologists apply scientific methodology; they formulate theories, test hypotheses through observation and experiment, and analyse with statistical techniques that help them identify important findings.

The College offers the AQA examination board's psychology specification (A). For full details visit www.aqa.org.uk 

Good subject combinations

Psychology lies at the intersection of many other different disciplines, including Biology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Sociology, and Linguistics. For example, Neuropsychology is allied with Biology, since the aim is to map different areas of the brain and explain how each relates to different brain functions like memory or language. Economists are increasingly drawing on psychology when analysing and explaining consumer behaviour and the subject has been a substantive part of studies of motivation and leadership within business and management degree courses for many years.

After Abbey

Our psychology students have progressed to a range of degree courses in recent years including medicine, psychology, sciences, economics and business management.

Is the course available as a one year programme? Yes

Is the course available as an eighteen-month programme starting in January? No