Home

Psychology MSci

London, Bloomsbury

The Psychology MSci is a four-year, British Psychological Society (BPS)-accredited course that teaches students to use scientific methods to explore and understand human behaviour. They ask fundamental questions about the mind and tackle pressing societal challenges, from understanding everyday well-being and behaviour to complex clinical disorders. Psychology students will be key to responding to mental health issues, climate change and artificial intelligence – each rooted in the need for behaviour change. Whether you want to predict, measure, influence or understand people, or just make them feel better, psychology at UCL is where to start. Students also gain real-world experience through the work placement in their final year.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
Duration
4 academic years
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£9,535
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£39,800
Programme starts
September 2026
Application deadline
14 Jan 2026
UCAS course code
C810
Apply via UCAS

Entry requirements

A levels IB Diploma Other qualifications
Grades
A*AA
Subjects
To include A*A from two of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology.
GCSEs
English Language, Mathematics and two Sciences (double award acceptable) at grade B or 6.

Contextual offer information

Grades
A*AC more about contextual offers
Subjects
To include A* and A from two of the following subjects Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology
GCSEs
English Language, Mathematics and two Sciences (double award acceptable) at grade B or 6.
Points
39
Subjects
A total of 19 points in three higher level subjects to include grade 7 and grade 6 in two subjects from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology.

Contextual offer

Points
36 more about contextual offers
Subjects
A total of 17 points in three higher level subjects to include grade 7 and 6 in two subjects from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology, with no higher level score below 5. If Mathematics is offered at higher level, the programme will accept either 'Analysis and Approaches' or 'Applications and Interpretation.

UK applicants qualifications

For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:

Equivalent qualification

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

D2, D3, D3 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects, including D2, D3 in two subjects from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology.

A1,A,A at Advanced Highers (or A1,A at Advanced Higher and A,A,A at Higher), including A1,A in two subjects from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology at Advanced Higher.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

International applications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

Access and widening participation

UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.
Check your Access UCL Scheme eligibility

Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates

The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.

Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.

For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.

English language requirements

The English language level for this programme is: Level 3

Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.

A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.

Course overview

You study a wide coverage of the field of psychology with opportunities to specialise your studies as you progress through the course, empowering you to make informed and rational decisions about your future career. We also offer a three-year undergraduate BSc course.

In your first three years, you will gain an extensive, comprehensive, and dynamic introduction to many areas within psychology. In Year 4, you study Master’s-level modules and take a placement in either a research group or workplace (applied) setting. In Year 1, you study several compulsory modules and take one elective module. Compulsory modules include a general introduction to scientific psychology, research design and data analysis, topics in cognitive psychology, social psychology, and individual differences.

Reflecting the research-intensive department that you will be joining, you will begin writing research lab reports from the very start of your studies, as well as beginning to learn R, a programming language used in data analysis and presentation. Your elective module can be selected from any open module from across UCL with many students choosing modules in forensic psychology, neuroscience, or linguistics.

There are no elective modules in Year 2, but your learning continues in the areas of developmental psychology, health and clinical psychology, language and cognition, perception, and the neurological underpinnings of behaviour. You continue your studies in research design and data analysis. Students are encouraged to think about future research and career opportunities by the end of your second year.

In Year 3, you will be able to select all your modules from a wide number of options taught across psychology. This allows you to specialise your studies in particular areas that interest you, with optional modules available in areas such as educational psychology, cognitive neuroscience, organisational psychology, and computer programming.

You also undertake a research project on a subject of your choice and become embedded in one of the research departments within the faculty. Your research project (similar to a dissertation on other courses) will be supervised by a member of academic staff and will be an empirical and usually experimental piece of research which utilises the skills you have learned. It is a challenging yet rewarding culmination of your three years of studying, where you will be able to develop your own hypotheses, test these with real data, measure outcomes and test for probability, before writing up your own research paper.

In Year 4, you take Master's-level modules from a range of options usually within the areas of psychology, psychiatry, and language sciences, and also in advanced data analysis. Students on both routes will take modules relevant to their research interests, in order to prepare them for the independent piece of research conducted in either a UCL laboratory (research route) or in a workplace setting (applied route). Additionally, students on the applied route will take a compulsory module on behavioural research methods in applied settings.

What this course will give you

The UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences is one of the largest centres of psychology teaching and research in the UK. Its cutting-edge research is internationally recognised. Supporting this, and your own research project, undergraduate students from this course have also been involved in research that gets published in leading science and psychology journals.

As this is an integrated Master’s course, students will graduate with a Level 7 qualification (the same level as standalone MSc courses) and is a great option for students looking to pursue both a clinical or research career.

You are taught by academics and researchers carrying out pioneering and innovative research across the subject of psychology and students benefit from being exposed to influential researchers from the very start of their studies. Our department is community-minded and our researchers and academics are eager to hear from and support undergraduate students with their own academic interests.

The first two years of the course span the field of psychology while the third offers a considerable choice of topics reflecting the interests and ambitions you have developed since the start of your studies. You will be supported to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to pursue careers within psychology, as well as future studies and research careers.

In the fourth year, students can choose between two specialised pathways: research or applied.

  • Students on the research route will be embedded within a UCL research lab or department for most of their final year, working alongside world-leading researchers and their teams to produce an independent piece of research.
  • Students on the applied route will gain experience of applying psychological theory within a workplace setting and will also be exposed to the challenges of carrying out research within a work environment. Typical applied setting routes include NHS Trusts, partner research institutes, psychology practices, charities, and the private sector.

Please note, it is not possible to guarantee a particular workplace or research lab setting for your final year placement. Although we will try to support you in finding a placement option that best fits with your future study and career ambitions, placements are limited by local availability.

As the course is accredited and audited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), graduates are eligible to become members of the BPS, which is the starting point for a career in psychology. Many students are interested in becoming clinical psychologists, and this course is a great first step towards this.

You will benefit from excellent resources including our virtual learning environment (VLE), which makes all teaching materials (including course outlines, lecture presentation slides, handouts, video recordings of lectures) available to all students. Research lab spaces and computer rooms are available during your studies.

The Division of Psychology and Language Sciences is also home to the departmental Psychology Society which is student-run and has many social activities as well as external guest lecturers and talks presented throughout the year.

Additionally:

  • We are top in the UK for research power in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, with more than 90% of our research rated as world-leading or internationally excellent (UK Research Excellence Framework 2021).
  • UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2025).
  • We are ranked 6th in the world for Psychology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025).
  • UCL is 2nd in Europe and 3rd in the world for Psychiatry / Psychology in the National Taiwan University Rankings for scientific papers (2024).

Teaching and learning

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

Upon successful completion of 480 credits, you will be awarded a MSci (Hons) in Psychology.

Modules

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

In the first two years of your degree, you will cover introductory and core topics required for a British Psychological Society accredited course.

There is one elective module in Year 1 which may be taken from a wide range of options (both arts and sciences) taught within UCL. You may wish to study a module related to the field of psychology, but you also have the option to study something that aligns to your own personal interests.

In Year 2, there are no electives and all modules are compulsory. However, you continue to expand your knowledge of psychology by continuing to take modules in a wide variety of psychology specialisms. For example, you could study language and cognition, perception, behaviour, developmental psychology, and clinical psychology.

In Year 3, all the modules you study are chosen by you from a large number of psychology modules. This allows you to tailor and shape your studies around your own academic interests, as well as future career destinations.

You also complete a compulsory research project in an area of your choice (from a list of live research project options being carried out at UCL). Your project will be supervised by a member of academic staff and will be empirical in nature, utilising the research and data analysis skills you have required through your studies. You develop your own hypotheses and test these using the knowledge and skills you have gained.

Your final year will be spent largely in your placement setting and focusing on your research project. Reflecting the advanced level of study, your research project in your final year accounts for half of your credits in Year 4 and double the credit value of the research project in your third year.

Supporting your academic and future career success, in each year of the course, one hour a week is spent in an Academic and Personal Development Seminar.

Please note that the module catalogue may not include updates to module credit values or condonable modules. For detailed information about the programme structure, applicants are advised to contact the department via the email address listed in the catalogue.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Compulsory modules


Introduction To Psychological Experimentation


Evidence and Enquiry in Psychology




Compulsory modules










Compulsory modules



Optional modules
















Topics in Neurobiology



A Psychological Perspective on the Journey of Data


Compulsory modules



Optional modules






Your learning

This course aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to pursue a career in the expansive field of psychology, while also developing many transferable skills for further study and careers in other fields. You will graduate with knowledge covering mental health and clinical psychology, educational psychology, developmental psychology, organisational psychology and more.

In Year 1 and Year 2, you will study research skills and learn how to code using the programming language R (used extensively in research careers). These skills are highly valued in several fields and there are students who choose to pursue a career in data science and computer science upon graduation. The advanced research methods and data analysis that you will carry out in your fourth year further develop these skills.

Your learning will involve attendance at lectures. You will also experience laboratory classes and independent research projects. Small academic tutorial groups meet weekly, for which you will be asked to produce essays and prepare discussion topics. Progression to the second and third years is dependent upon your achievement in Year 1 and Year 2.

You will also undertake a research project on a subject of your choice and become embedded in one of the research departments within the faculty. Your research project (similar to a dissertation on other courses) will be supervised by a member of academic staff and will be an empirical and usually experimental piece of research which utilises the skills you have learned. It is a challenging yet rewarding culmination of your three years of studying, where you will be able to develop your own hypotheses, test these with real data, measure outcomes and test for probability, before writing up your own research paper. 

In Year 4, you will undertake a research placement in either a research group or workplace (applied) setting while studying Master’s level modules and complete an advanced research project.

Depending on the year of study and module choices, the number of contact hours typically average between 8-12 hours a week and include lectures, tutorials, lab sessions and practice-based activities. Students will also display a level of independent study (25-30 hours per week), for example, by engaging with key topics and required readings in preparation for the discussions promoted in the programme.

Assessment

Assessment is primarily by end-of-year examinations, but other methods may include multiple choice, computational tests, oral presentations, and written coursework.

On the MSci course, you will complete two research projects – one in Year 3 and one in Year 4 (related to the research group or applied setting you are based in).

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Virtual Open Event: Psychology BSc/MSci information session (AM)

—

Become the next generation of psychology experts by studying UCL's Psychology BSc/MSci course. During this online session you'll meet Admissions Tutor and Lecturer on the programme, Prof Freya Lygo-Frett. She'll give you insights into the course structure, the differences between the BSc and MSci routes, modules, career outcomes and life as a student in the department, UCL and London more widely.

Online - Open day

Virtual Open Event: Psychology BSc/MSci information session (PM)

—

Become the next generation of psychology experts by studying UCL's Psychology BSc/MSci course. During this online session you'll meet Admissions Tutor and Lecturer on the programme, Prof Freya Lygo-Frett. She'll give you insights into the course structure, the differences between the BSc and MSci routes, modules, career outcomes and life as a student in the department, UCL and London more widely.

Online - Open day

Undergraduate Psychology at PALS - Virtual Discovery Session

Join the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences to find out more about studying one of our undergraduate psychology courses. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about studying Psychology BSc/MSci and Psychology and Language Sciences BSc/MSci at UCL. You will get to hear from academic staff who teach on our programmes and get an opportunity to ask them questions.

Watch on demand event

The foundation of your career

Your knowledge of all areas of psychology makes you eligible for entry into any field normally open to psychology graduates, or for further graduate training (which is required for graduates wishing to work as a chartered professional psychologist in the areas of health, forensic, clinical, educational, and occupational psychology). However, the course also teaches many transferable skills that are highly sought after in a wide variety of professions and sectors. 91% of graduates are working or in further study after 15 months of completing their studies. While many of our graduates have gone on to work in the National Health Service (NHS), others have gone on to work in highly skilled disciplines such as health and social care, IT, business, market research and teaching (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021-22).

It is important to bear in mind that psychology provides a very useful basis for a wide range of other careers.

The Master’s level research that you carry out on the MSci course is a great platform for future PhD study and many graduates pursue an academic career as well.

For further information on careers, visit the website of the British Psychological Society.

Employability

In addition to subject-based skills and knowledge, psychology graduates also acquire a number of transferable skills.

You will have significant training and education in statistics and numeracy, IT literacy and programming, data management and analysis, critical thinking and problem solving, time management, independent research, team working, report writing, presentation skills, communication and literacy skills, and the ability to work ethically and professionally with people. These abilities are all highly valued in a range of employment fields.

Accreditation

This programme is accredited and audited by the British Psychological Society. Applicants for graduate membership and the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) require a minimum of a lower second-class degree, or equivalent. The Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership is required for entry to all accredited postgraduate and doctoral programmes as part of the route to becoming a chartered psychologist.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £9,535
Tuition fees (2025/26) £39,800

Fees are for Undergraduate 2025/26 entry and are for the first year only. Fees for subsequent years may be subject to increase: Student Terms and Conditions. UK fees are in line with the Government announcement on fee cap increases and are subject to the passing of secondary legislation. Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2025/26 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.

Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.

Additional costs

This programme has no additional costs.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).

Funding your studies

Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Scholarships

The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.

Next steps

Your application

In addition to meeting the entry requirements for this course, we especially welcome applications from students who are passionate about the scientific foundations of psychology. This programme is research-intensive and designed for those who thrive on exploring evidence-based approaches, testing hypotheses, and uncovering new insights into human behaviour. It is ideal for students who are curious, analytical, and eager to contribute to the advancement of psychological science. 

If you have work experience that you want to include in your personal statement, we recommend that you include this, but it is important you to make this relevant to the field of psychology. Applicants are also encouraged to consider the current research output of the department.

We understand that some students may be applying for this course alongside applications to study Medicine. We still welcome these applications and understand that these personal statements will be submitted with Medicine as the primary subject focus.

How to apply

Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.

Selection

For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.

All applicants who are offered a place and resident in the UK will be invited to attend an offer holder open day. This is intended to allow candidates to make an informed decision about whether the degree programme is right for them. Virtual open days will also be organised.

Apply via UCAS
Application guidelines
Download prospectus

Got questions? Get in touch

Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

psycadmin@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.