Psychology with Placement Year

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour, asking how people think, feel, perceive, learn, remember, and act, and why there is so much variation in all of these processes between individuals and across contexts. It is a discipline that ranges from the biological and neuroscientific to the social and clinical, encompassing both the laboratory science of cognition and perception and the applied practice of supporting mental health. Many of the most important questions psychology addresses remain open, which makes it one of the most intellectually alive fields available to study.

At Brunel University London, this four-year full-time programme includes a placement year, giving you direct professional experience in a psychology-relevant role alongside your academic study. The degree covers the full range of the discipline, including cognitive, biological, developmental, social, and clinical psychology, with access to extensive laboratory and technical facilities that include brain imaging technology such as fMRI and EEG, psychophysics equipment, and eye-tracking systems. These resources allow you to engage with cutting-edge research methods and to understand the biological substrates of behaviour at a level that distinguishes a science-based psychology degree from a more humanities-oriented approach.

The placement year significantly strengthens your preparation for graduate employment or further study.

Psychology graduates work in mental health services, educational psychology, human resources, market research, user experience research, criminal justice, social research, and many other fields. The placement year is particularly valuable in helping you identify which direction best suits your interests and skills. Many psychology graduates pursue postgraduate professional training to become clinical, educational, forensic, or occupational psychologists, all of which require a BPS-accredited undergraduate degree as a foundation.

Postgraduate research in psychology or neuroscience is another route for those with strong research interests.