Why study psychology?

What is psychology? 

While the first thing people think of when they think of psychology is often therapy and counselling, there are much wider applications. Psychology is about the study of the human mind and behaviour, and can be applied to fashion, product design, marketing and HR roles, so it’s much broader it first appears. On a degree in psychology, you’ll be learning how people’s minds work and what can cause certain behaviours. You’ll also learn about different mental health conditions, how they affect people, and their treatment. 

NEXT: Read more about studying psychology at uni.

Reasons to study psychology 

1. The skills you’ll learn 

Psychology degrees are popular for many reasons, and one of those is that you’ll learn a lot! You’ll learn a broad mixture of transferrable and subject-specific skills. Some of the transferrable skills you’ll learn include critical thinking, report and essay writing, communication, teamwork, data analysis and management, ethics, and observation and analysis.  

When it comes to subject-specific skills, you’ll develop an understanding of the human brain and mind, the ability to set up and conduct research and experiments and a knowledge of personality types. You’ll also learn counselling techniques, and scientific research methods. 

2. The career you could have 

Of course, if you do a degree in psychology, you may want to become a counsellor or therapist. In these roles you’ll work with people going through a tough time, or people with chronic mental health conditions to support them with their mental and emotional wellbeing. 

If you work as a psychologist, there are many areas you can choose to specialise in, and many different demographics of people you might work with. You could work with recovering addicts, young people, victims of crime or trauma, or people going through divorce or bereavement. 

Other roles and areas you can go into include teaching, digital analysis, human resource manager or officer, research and consumer psychology.

NEXT: Find your ideal career with our Career Matcher tool.

3. All the topics that get covered 

Of course, you’ll cover different topics on your degree depending on which course you choose and what optional modules you select. There are some topics that will probably be covered on a psychology degree no matter where you go, however. These include social psychology, research methods and ethics, developmental psychology, counselling techniques, and evolutionary and behavioural psychology.  

4. You can study all over the UK 

Psychology is a super popular degree subject, which means there are loads of unis you can go to to study this fascinating subject. According to Complete University Guide’s 2027 league tables, the top three unis for psychology in the UK are:

• University of Cambridge

• University of Oxford

• University of St Andrews

The top three UK unis for student satisfaction in the psychology league tables from Complete University Guide are:

• University of Wales Trinity Saint David

• University of Suffolk

• Teesside University

NEXT: See the full psychology league tables for 2027 from Complete University Guide.

5. It’s something you enjoy! 

We’re hoping that if you’ve read this far, it’s because you think you’ll enjoy studying psychology and you have a passion for it. When you’re picking a uni course it’s really important that you do enjoy studying the subject, because you’ll be thinking about it pretty much every day for three years – and possibly more depending on the type of course you do. 

So, if you think psychology is for you, then amazing! The job opportunities, the fascinating stuff you’ll learn, and all the transferrable and specific skills you learn make it an ideal choice for your uni degree.  

NEXT: Is psychology for you? Start searching for courses now!