psychology phd cambridge

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PhD in Psychology

University of cambridge, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Psychology (General)

Course type

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the Department's principal research degree for postgraduate students and the majority of our students are registered for this degree. The PhD is intellectually demanding and applicants will need to have a high level of attainment and motivation to pursue this programme of advanced study and research.

Completion normally requires three to four years of full-time study, including a probationary period. Students will normally be required to be resident in Cambridge during that time.

Examination is by the submission of a 60,000-word thesis and subsequent oral examination.

The PhD represents a significant and original contribution to the understanding of Psychology. This may be through the discovery of something new, the connection of previously unrelated facts, or the development of a new theory, taking into account all previously published work on the subject.

Students are required to submit a 60,000-word thesis no later than the end of their fourth year. The thesis is not to exceed 60,000 words (80,000 by special permission) excluding bibliography, figures, appendices etc. Double-spaced or one-and-a-half spaced.

Any methods or statistics courses taken as part of the student’s personal development may be assessed or examined on their completion, but do not currently constitute any formal qualification.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK 2.1 Honours Degree. Candidates who wish to become graduate students in the Department should have a degree in psychology, neuroscience or in another related subject (for example, physiology, sociology, linguistics, computer science, or engineering), which with the graduate education provision provided will provide sufficient background for research in specialised areas of psychology (e.g. social, cognitive, or developmental psychology, or cognitive or behavioural neuroscience).

Psychology MPhil/PhD

University of worcester, phd/mphil psychology, city, university of london, pgce - secondary - psychology, psychology msc (distance learning), psychology of health and well-being msc.

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The clinical program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System.

Your program will typically be fully funded for five years thanks to stipend grant support and guaranteed teaching fellowships. Tuition support is also available for a six-year program. Funding is also available for research, travel, and conferences. You will have access to the latest technology at FAS Research Computing and the Neuroimaging Facility at the Center for Brain Science.

Examples of student dissertations and theses include “Childhood Anxiety Disorders: Developmental Risk Factors and Predictors of Treatment Response,” “Clarifying the Pathway to Suicide: An Examination of Subtypes of Suicidal Behavior and Their Association with Impulsiveness,” and “A Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Groups.”

Graduates have secured positions in academia at prestigious institutions such as Princeton University, Dartmouth College, and Columbia University. Others have embarked on careers with companies such as Facebook, BetterUp, and Apple.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Psychology and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Cognition, Brain, and Behavior | Experimental Psychopathology and Clinical | Developmental | Social Psychology

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Psychology .

Academic Background

While an undergraduate concentration in psychology is not required, some social science coursework is recommended. Because the program is heavily quantitatively oriented, college-level math and statistics are also advised. Research experience is extremely helpful; successful applicants have often worked for professors, done research projects as part of college courses, written an undergraduate thesis, or volunteered in a psychology research lab.

Please Note: Before making the decision to apply, the program in Psychology suggests checking individual faculty/lab websites or emailing faculty directly to inquire whether they plan to consider applicants for Fall 2024 admission. It’s important to note that while individual faculty members may have every intention of bringing in a new student this year, we cannot guarantee that they will all be able to do so. The total number of offers of admission to be extended by the graduate program is based on applicant preparedness and fit, availability of university advising and support resources, and target class size. Some of these factors are not able to be determined until after the applicant pool has been finalized.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Optional

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Psychology

See list of Psychology faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

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The Organisatio…

The Organisational Behaviour PhD pathway

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• The Business Doctorate

Organisational Behaviour (OB) is an applied science aimed at understanding individuals and groups in organisations by drawing from various related disciplines such as social and organisational psychology, behavioural economics, and management. OB researchers adopt a micro-perspective, looking into individual psychology and behaviour as well as group processes and emergent states, to understand how they contribute to organisational success and survival.

The Organisational Behaviour faculty at Cambridge Judge comprise some of the leading OB scholars in the world. Their research encompasses a range of topics, including creativity, innovation, psychometrics, big data, the future of work, human-artificial intelligence (AI) collaboration, personality, diversity, decision-making, social networking, culture, helping behaviours, and voice behaviour.

Professor Andreas Richter talks about the Organisational Behaviour pathway.

Hi. My name is Andreas. And I’m a faculty member in Organisational Behaviour, or OB. I’m here to tell you a few things you need to know if you wish to pursue a PhD in OB.

What is OB all about? OB is about how individuals act within society and in organisations, and how their actions in both environments affect each other. Understanding these social processes from a micro perspective is essential for improving how leaders, managers, and individual employees contribute to the effectiveness of an organisational.

Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School is an applied science built on contributions from the behavioural sciences, including social and organisational psychology, decision-making and judgments, behavioural economics and management. And Organisational Behaviour focuses mainly on the effects that individuals and group dynamics such as personality and teamwork have on human Behaviour. It is concerned with how people’s feelings, motivations, and cognitions influence their Behaviour in the organisation and group settings.

At CJBS, OB is an interdisciplinary pathway where faculty from various subject groups are involved. These faculty members studied the areas of leadership, emotions, teams, personality, and other characteristics of executives, big data, and consumers’ self-conceptions in the area of marketing. OB researchers apply a large variety of methods, such as experimental and survey research, archival data analysis, and qualitative methods.

So with these words, I’d like to encourage you to contact us if you are interested in pursing a PhD in OB. And we will be looking forward to talking to you and to hearing from you.

View video with transcript

The pathway

To start on the Organisational Behaviour pathway you must take one of the following 9-month masters programmes:

Essential reading

Download detailed information about the 9-month + 4-year programme structure and content.

The OB PhD pathway

• Research areas What we expect from you What you can expect from us PhD supervisors
• What we expect from you Research areas What you can expect from us PhD supervisors
• What you can expect from us Research areas What we expect from you PhD supervisors
• PhD supervisors Research areas What we expect from you What you can expect from us

Research areas

Organisational Behaviours researchers at Cambridge Judge Business School are leading scholars who make significant theoretical and practical contributions to the literature as well as real-world organisations. Their research topics include:

• creativity and innovation
• future of work
• human-artificial intelligence (AI) collaborations
• social network
• decision-making
• personality
• psychometrics

What we expect from you

Our expectations of prospective candidates are high. You will need to have a first class bachelors degree or equivalent. In some cases you will need to have a masters degree from a highly regarded university and to have performed within the top 5% of your class.

You should have a strong motivation to pursue an academic career in a business school and a genuine interest in collaborating with external organisations. Ideal candidates would have a background in psychology, behavioural economics, the social and natural sciences, or other quantitatively oriented subjects, as we seek individuals who are keen to conduct quantitative research. To be considered, it is essential to demonstrate exceptional writing skills and to provide strong evidence of your quantitative abilities. This can be showcased through successful performance in statistics and calculus courses at the university level, or by submitting GRE scores (although GRE scores are not mandatory for your application). While practical management experience is beneficial, it is not a mandatory requirement for application.

For more details, please see the academic requirements for the:

What you can expect from us

Upon joining us, you can expect an exhilarating journey into the realm of Organisational Behaviour research. Collaborating with world-leading scholars, you will have the opportunity to publish journal articles that significantly expand the current literature, leaving a tangible impact on real-world outcomes. We are committed to providing you with the support and resources necessary to thrive in your research and make a meaningful difference in our field.

• Become part of our team from the outset, you will be treated as a junior colleague rather than a student. Experience a true apprenticeship in the best sense of that word. 
• Work with and be trained by the Organisational Behaviour Group to become an independent researcher. 
• Experience an exciting research programme and produce a portfolio of academic papers that will help you succeed in the job market and gain a junior faculty position following your PhD. 
• Work with faculty on joint research projects for publication in leading academic journals. 
• Take a series of courses focused on research methodology and the foundations of the discipline as well as more advanced research seminars. 
• Learn to critique recent publications and current working papers, enabling you to shape and position your own work as a significant contribution to the academic literature in Organisational Behaviour.  
• Engage in practical research training, where you will develop and execute research projects jointly with faculty members. 
• Develop a coherent and innovative research programme with expert guidance that will form the basis for an interesting and influential academic career.  
• Your research programme may comprise laboratory research, organisational field research and secondary data analysis. 

PhD supervisors

Your principal supervisor will be a senior academic from within the Organisational Behaviour pathway. You will benefit from their guidance and counsel throughout the programme, and beyond: in helping you to succeed in the job market and in gaining a faculty position at a leading business school. Your principal supervisor will take an active role in your research programme and will assemble a group of faculty (your advisory committee) who will co-author papers with you. 

Take a look at the faculty who may serve as your principal supervisor and view their research interests: 

Prithviraj Chattopadhyay

Professor of organisational behaviour, read more about prithviraj.

Research interests

Prithviraj Chattopadhyay’s research interests include relational demography and diversity, social identification, employment externalisation, managerial cognition and affect. He works on combining his various interests to develop a more comprehensive understanding of diverse teams.

View Prithviraj's profile

Alberto Feduzi

Management practice professor, read more about alberto.

Decisions often have to be made in situations of extreme uncertainty and in the face of what are sometimes called “unknown unknowns” and the possible “Black Swans” these may give rise to. Alberto Feduzi’s research is concerned with (a) characterising the different types of uncertainty that decision-makers might face in different situations, (b) understanding how decision-makers typically deal with these different types of uncertainty; and (c) developing heuristic approaches to decision-making that might help decision-makers improve the quality of their decisions in situations of uncertainty.

View Alberto's profile

Elizabeth George

Kpmg professor of management studies, read more about elizabeth.

Elizabeth George’s research interests include nonstandard work arrangements and how they affect individuals and organisations, and how dissimilarity in a team affects both the team and the organisation. More recently she’s been exploring the longer terms implications of both nonstandard work and dissimilarity for individual and organisational effectiveness.

View Elizabeth's profile

Yeun Joon Kim

Associate professor in organisational behaviour, read more about yeun.

Creativity and leadership are among the most important momentums for organisational effectiveness and performance. Yeun Joon Kim’s research addresses the questions of (1) how organisations can improve employee creativity, (2) how organisations recognise employees’ creativity given that employees do have many creative ideas, but these ideas die out due to the lack of recognition, and (3) what are the factors that drive specific leadership behaviours.

View Yeun's profile

Andreas Richter

Read more about andreas.

Andreas Richter researches how a team’s context factors (e.g. diversity) and processes affect employee creativity and innovation in both experimental and field settings.

View Andreas' profile

David Stillwell

Professor of computational social science, read more about david.

A large part of our lives is mediated through digital devices which collect big data about us. David Stillwell’s research asks how can we better understand customers, employees or managers from behavioural traces like their social media activity, emails, or purchase records?

View David's profile

PhD advisory team

Dr Jochen Menges and Dr Patrizia Vecchi supervise MPhil dissertations and can be a member of a PhD advisory team.

Organisational Behaviour faculty

Learn more about the faculty that teach on this pathway.

Learn more about the Organisational Behaviour subject group

Learn more about the application process and deadlines

Explore fees and funding options

Contact the admissions team

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Overview of the course

Is this programme for me.

Are you interested in the psychological processes involved in learning and development? Would you like to explore your ideas through an innovative Masters programme that is informed by cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary research? Would you like to develop new knowledge and skills in critical analysis and learn more about the research processes used in psychological sciences as applied to education, learning and human development? Are you planning for further study through a PhD, or hoping to apply your knowledge and skills in an educational, NGO, or public policy context?

We offer a full-time one-year MPhil programme that will allow you to explore topics in psychology and education that are close to your heart.

Academic staff in the Psychology and Education group comprise an international team. We share expertise across a wide range of ages, subject areas and research methods in psychology and education and we invite you to read more about the research we are doing.

We are also very excited about our laboratory offering state-of-the-art research facilities for our staff and students to conduct observations and experiments.

Why choose us?

• Engage with the latest issues and debates in psychology and education on our unique course covering a wide range of ages and developmental stages from infancy to adulthood
• Become a valued member of active research teams in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge
• Complete an in-depth research dissertation under the supervision of experts in the field
• Join a research & teaching environment committed to promoting open science and scholarship
• Benefit from teaching by internationally renowned Faculty who are actively involved in cutting edge research and policy advice
• Closely engage with the work of the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning and the Faculty's Psychology, Education, and Learning Sciences Research Group
• Join a select group of around 30 students per year
• Experience a teaching approach that promotes active, participatory, inclusive and research-orientated pedagogy
• Enjoy personalised support and mentoring through one to one supervision
• Connect with a friendly and vibrant community of students from across the world
• Benefit from access to research groups and networks across the University of Cambridge
• Develop skills for employability across a range of organisations

What does this course offer?

• Engage with contemporary issues in psychology and education in order to interrogate the latest theoretically-grounded and evidence-based literature
• Critically investigate dominant paradigms in psychology and education, and engage with topical issues of relevance to educational policy and practice
• Develop research and career paths within the wider research culture of both the Faculty and the broader university

How is the course organised?

You will have 64 hours of course sessions in Psychology and Education.

These sessions will be:

• workshop-style discussions (12 hours)
• journal clubs (8+ hours)
• seminars & presentations (8+ hours)
• traditional lecture formats (44 hours) 

The course content draws on the expertise of the team to include topics related to key issues and questions in the psychology of education, namely:

• Thinking & Reasoning Skills for Learning
• Psychology of Play
• The Social Learner
• Educational, Family and Community Interventions
• Advanced Topics in Data & Analysis (with a focus on open, reproducible & transparent methods)
• Ethical Principles and Practices
• Anti-racism and Decolonisation
• Open Science & Reproducibility
• Preparing Data & Materials for Open Access
• Careers in Psychology & Education
• Writing for Publication

Research Method Strand

Alongside these modules, you will benefit from 32 hours of Research Methods teaching.

This is taught across all thematic Masters within the Faculty of Education, allowing you to interact with others on different courses.

It covers a broad range of social science research methods and is essential for Masters level understanding and critical engagement with the research literature in many specialist areas and in education more generally.

Through this strand you will acquire the skills necessary for designing, conducting, analysing, interpreting and reporting a research study for your Dissertation.

Detailed Research Methods information . 

Who are the course team?

Dr. Jillian Lauer (coordinator) is happy to be contacted with questions specific to the course, which are not answered in our FAQs page.

Administrative queries should be addressed to the HD office . Other team members are:

• Prof Sara Baker
• Prof Jenny Gibson
• Prof Michelle Ellefson
• Asst Prof Jillian Lauer
• Dr Laura Oxley 
• Prof Paul Ramchandani

Please note that not all team members are always available as supervisors each term, and this list is subject to change.

Supervisor allocations are made by the course co-ordinator after your matriculation into the MPhil programme. Potential students do not need to contact particular supervisors before applying to the programme but are encouraged to list potential supervisors with whom they would like to work in their applications.

Where do our students go?

Our graduates are the future leaders in their field. They have a wide choice of career options, including:

• further PhD study
• doctoral training in educational or developmental psychology
• work in schools
• charities and government departments
• think tanks and universities

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Psychology Graduate Program

• Psychology Department

Welcome to the Psychology PhD program at Harvard University!

Our work is united in the focus on the science of mental life, yet highly interdisciplinary.

The Psychology Department is organized into four research areas: 

• Clinical Science/ Experimental Psychopathology  
• Developmental Psychology  
• Social Psychology
• Cognition, Brain, and Behavior (CBB)

Students enrolled in the PhD program may follow one of two tracks: Clinical Science or the Common Curriculum, which includes Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Cognition, Brain, and Behavior (CBB). Students may only be considered for Clinical Science during the graduate school application process, and may not transfer in at a later date.

Click here to view our current graduate student profiles. 

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PhD in Sociology

The PhD in Sociology offers a world-class programme of research study in sociology supervised by experts in their respective fields. The Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge is ranked first for Sociology in the  Guardian's Best Universities league table  and first for Sociology in the  Complete University Guide League Table 2024 . And the  QS World University rankings  list our departments as 2nd out of over 500 Sociology Departments across the world in 2023.

In the first year you are encouraged to take research methods courses offered by the Department and the  Social Science Research Methods Programme (SSRMP)  to build the methodological grounding of your individual research projects. 

The Department also offers a programme of seminars covering transferable skills such as academic writing, presentation skills and in-depth information about how to progress the PhD and the academic career. PhD students are supported by their supervisor and a faculty adviser.

Watch our open day video

The Programme

The course aims to provide all students with the skills they need to be professional researchers and academics. There is an organised programme of courses for first-year PhD students, which has three major components:

• Basic academic and research skills, designed to provide the essential tools of academic work
• The core training programme, which covers issues of social science research in general
• Issues of research specific to particular disciplines or areas of interest, and research design, including the integration of methodological, theoretical and substantive issues

The standard period for PhDs is 3-4 years full-time or 5-7 years part-time.    Click here for further information about part-time PhD studies .

Meet our Candidates

What you can do with your phd.

Students who complete graduate programmes in Sociology have the opportunity to develop the analytical and writing skills to help them succeed in academia but also in careers such as health and social care, marketing and public relations, politics, and education, amongst others.

Postgraduate Prospectus

The PG prospectus details all the courses on offer at Cambridge, as well as introducing the different Colleges and describing the admissions process.

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MPhil in Biological Science (Psychology) by thesis

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The full-time MPhil comprises one year of full-time research with an individual supervisor followed by an examination of a research thesis in an oral examination.

The MPhil is most commonly taken as a standalone research degree by candidates with only one year of funding. If this course is taken as part of a route to the PhD a further three years of study and funding are required as well as satisfactory performance in the MPhil. The PhD project may draw on the topic of the MPhil, but the same work cannot be presented for both degrees.

Individual members of staff will be pleased to answer informal enquiries about specific research areas. If you are certain of your field of interest, you are encouraged to contact a potential supervisor at an early stage to see whether your research interests can be accommodated. We have a systematic training programme for research students, giving instruction in research methods, data analysis and presentation skills.

The course introduces students to research skills and specialist knowledge. Its main aims are:

• to give students with relevant experience at a first-degree level the opportunity to carry out focussed research in the discipline under close supervision; and 
• to give students the opportunity to acquire or develop skills and expertise relevant to their research interests.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have:

• a comprehensive understanding of techniques, and a thorough knowledge of the literature, applicable to their own research;
• demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;
• shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies; and
• demonstrated some self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research.

On completion of the MPhil, students may apply to the PhD programme. However, candidates should be aware that the successful completion of the MPhil does not in any way guarantee acceptance on to the PhD programme.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Key Information

12 months full-time, 2 years part-time, study mode : research, master of philosophy, department of psychology, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, michaelmas 2024.

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Funding Deadlines

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.

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Sophie Attwood Ph.D., C. Psych.

Sophie Attwood, Ph.D., C. Psych., is a Cambridge University-trained behavioral scientist and expert in researching, designing, and testing behavior change programs for better health and a more sustainable future. Sophie's peer-reviewed research has been published in a range of high-impact academic journals, including the BMJ Open, Appetite, and Frontiers , and her work has been featured in major international media outlets, including The Guardian, Washington Post, Forbes, Reuters, National Geographic, and more. Sophie is an affiliate academic at VU Amsterdam, a senior scientist at the World Resources Institute, and founder of her own behavioral science consultancy, Behavior Global.

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List of available PhD projects

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For information on how to apply for postgraduate study in the Department of Psychology for 2023-24, please view  our application procedure page .

For further information about any of the projects listed below, please contact the supervisor directly. Applicants are welcome to approach supervisors with their own ideas - the list below is not exclusive and does not include all supervisors.

Current Postgraduates​ ​​​​​ ​

Introduction, open day 2024, application procedure​, mphil in psychology, phd in psychology, application deadline - to start october 2024.

Applications for October 2024 will open in September 2023.

The Department will continue to accept applications up until Wednesday 24 April 2024 for October 2024 start date. 

Any application submitted after 5 December 2023 will not be considered for the funding round.

Research Councils​

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Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, BA (Hons)

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Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBS) at Cambridge

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at Cambridge overlaps with disciplines such as anthropology, neuroscience, philosophy and sociology. 

Study cognitive, social, developmental and biological psychology within the broader context of the behavioural sciences.  

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences 

Psychology is very diverse. It overlaps with and contributes to many other disciplines, such as: 

• anthropology 
• archaeology 
• neuroscience 
• philosophy 

This course gives you the opportunity to study cognitive, social, developmental and biological psychology within the broader context of the behavioural sciences. 

The course covers, for example: 

• statistics and data-science
• cognitive psychology 
• psychopathology 
• brain mechanisms 
• family relationships and influences 
• personality 
• group social behaviour 

A wide range of options enable you to study the topics that interest you most in greater depth.

Teaching and facilities

You’ll be taught by lecturers and researchers of international excellence. Subject societies and seminar programmes offer regular talks from guest speakers too.

Facilities 

Our Department of Psychology is home to:  

• the Department Library and specialist collections held in other departments’ libraries with 50,000 books and more than 150 periodicals combined  
• Specialist laboratories and computing facilities 

You'll also have access to the impressive Cambridge University Library, one of the world’s oldest university libraries.

Course costs

When you go to university, you’ll need to consider two main costs – your tuition fees and your living costs (sometimes referred to as maintenance costs).

Your living costs will include costs related to your studies that are not covered by your tuition fees. There are some general study costs that will apply for all students – you can find details of these costs here .

Other additional course costs for Psychological and Behavioural Sciences are detailed below. If you have any queries about resources/materials, please contact the Department.

• University approved scientific calculator - estimated cost £25

Becoming an accredited psychologist

This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

This means that if you successfully graduate with at least second class Honours you’ll get the ‘graduate recognition’ you need to pursue a career in psychology.

Your future career  

Many of our graduates continue with further study and research.  

As a graduate you’ll be eligible for admission to professional courses in clinical, educational, forensic or applied psychology.  

Recent graduates have gone on to positions in: 

• psychology and related fields 
• careers in social, community and charity work, research and teaching 

Our course also gives you skills and knowledge to be successful in other sectors, including: 

• management 
• the Civil Service 

Some of our graduates have gone on to work in destinations as varied as: 

• Edelman, a global communications firm 
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service 
• the Cabinet Office 
• Arsenal Football Club 

Teaching is provided through lectures, classes or seminars, and small-group supervisions. Some papers include a practical element, which takes place in laboratories.  

You can typically expect 2 lectures a week for each paper. You also have one or two supervisions each week to discuss your work and develop your reasoning and ideas.

Assessment 

Assessment is through a range of laboratory reports, short answer and essay based written examinations and oral examinations.  

You won't usually be able to resit any of your exams. 

Year 1 (Part IA) 

You take a total of 4 papers. 3 papers are compulsory:  

• Introduction to Experimental Psychology: From Brain to Cognition 
• Social Psychology, Applied Psychology and Individual Differences  
• From Subjective Questions to Objective Science  

You choose one more paper from a selection of around 9 options. The optional papers available each year may change, but subjects usually include: 

• biological and social anthropology 
• evolution and behaviour 
• mathematical biology 

Year 2 (Part IB) 

You will get specialised training in Development Psychology and Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience.  

You will also continue to develop research skills for your third year project.  

You take a total of 4 papers. 2 papers are compulsory:  

• Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience 
• Developmental Psychology 

You choose 2 more papers from a broad range. The subjects may change from year to year but typically include papers in: 

• biological anthropology 
• history and philosophy of science 
• neurobiology 
• criminology 

Year 3 (Part II)  

You complete a research dissertation of 7,000 words on a psychology topic of your choice.  

You also choose a further 3 papers from a selection available. The subjects may change from year to year but typically include the following topics: 

• social and developmental psychology 
• cognitive and experimental psychology 
• behavioural and cognitive neuroscience 
• other selected subjects from those offered in year 2. 

For further information about this course and the papers you can take see the Psychological and Behavioural Sciences website .

Changing course

It’s really important to think carefully about which course you want to study before you apply. 

In rare cases, it may be possible to change course once you’ve joined the University. You will usually have to get agreement from your College and the relevant departments. It’s not guaranteed that your course change will be approved.

You might also have to:

• take part in an interview
• complete an admissions test
• produce some written work
• achieve a particular grade in your current studies
• do some catch-up work
• start your new course from the beginning 

For more information visit the Psychological and Behavioural Sciences website .

You can also apply to change to:

• Management Studies at the Judge Business School

You can't apply to this course until you're at Cambridge. You would usually apply when you have completed 1 year or more of your original Cambridge course.

You should contact your College’s Admissions Office if you’re thinking of changing your course. They will be able to give you advice and explain how changing courses works.

Minimum offer level

A level: A*A*A IB: 41-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level Other qualifications : Check which other qualifications we accept .

Subject requirements

To apply to any of our Colleges for Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, you will need A levels/IB Higher Levels (or the equivalent) in: 

• Mathematics OR Biology 

Colleges will usually require you to achieve A*/7 in Mathematics and/or Biology. 

What PBS students have studied

Most PBS students (who had studied A levels and started at Cambridge in 2017-19) achieved at least A*A*A (65% of entrants).

Most of these students usually took:

• at least one of Biology or Mathematics

The majority of students who studied IB achieved at least 42 points overall and/or grades 776 at Higher Level.

Check our advice on choosing your high school subjects . You should also check if there are any required subjects for your course when you apply.

Admission assessment

If you’re shortlisted for interview, you may need to take a written assessment. Please check back in April 2024 for details. If an assessment is required, you will not need to register in advance and the Colleges will provide details directly to you. 

If you applied to Hughes Hall or Wolfson College for 2024 entry in the March application round , please check the College Admission Assessments page for more information. 

Submitting written work

Applicants to some Colleges are required to submit written work prior to interview. 

The following Colleges require one piece of written work:

• Lucy Cavendish

The following Colleges require two pieces of written work:

• Corpus Christi
• Murray Edwards
• St Edmund's

Please note that these submitted work requirements are currently being reviewed and are subject to change. Please check back in April 2024 for details.

Offers above the minimum requirement

The minimum offer level and subject requirements outline the minimum you'll usually need to achieve to get an offer from Cambridge.

In some cases, you'll get a higher or more challenging offer. Colleges set higher offer requirements for a range of reasons. If you'd like to find out more about why we do this, check the information about offers above the minimum requirement  on the entry requirements page.

Some Colleges usually make offers above the minimum offer level. Find out more on our qualifications page .

All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges. Please contact the relevant  College admissions office  if you have any queries.

Discover your department or faculty

• Visit the Department of Psychology website - The Department of Psychology website has more information about this course, facilities, people and research.

Explore the Colleges

• Find out how the Colleges work - A College is where you’ll live, eat and socialise. It’s also where you’ll have teaching in a small group, known as supervisions
• How to choose a Cambridge College that's right for you - If you think you know which course you’d like to study, it’s time to choose a College.

Visit us on an open day

• Book an open day - Get a feel for the city and the University.
• Find an event - We offer a range of events where you can find out more about Cambridge, Colleges, and your course. Many of our events have hybrid options so you can join us virtually.

Find out to apply

• Find out how to apply and how our admissions processes work - Our admissions process is slightly different to other universities. We’ve put together a handy guide to tell you everything you need to know about applying to study at Cambridge.
• Improve your application - Supercurricular activities are a great way to engage with your chosen subject outside of school or college.

Discover Uni data

Contextual information.

Discover Uni allows you to compare information about individual courses at different higher education institutions.  This can be a useful method of considering your options and what course may suit you best.

However, please note that superficially similar courses often have very different structures and objectives, and that the teaching, support and learning environment that best suits you can only be determined by identifying your own interests, needs, expectations and goals, and comparing them with detailed institution- and course-specific information.

We recommend that you look thoroughly at the course and University information contained on these webpages and consider coming to visit us on an Open Day , rather than relying solely on statistical comparison.

You may find the following notes helpful when considering information presented by Discover Uni.

• Discover Uni relies on superficially similar courses being coded in the same way. Whilst this works on one level, it may lead to some anomalies. For example, Music courses and Music Technology courses can have exactly the same code despite being very different programmes with quite distinct educational and career outcomes. Any course which combines several disciplines (as many courses at Cambridge do) tends to be compared nationally with courses in just one of those disciplines, and in such cases the Discover Uni comparison may not be an accurate or fair reflection of the reality of either. For example, you may find that when considering a degree which embraces a range of disciplines such as biology, physics, chemistry and geology (for instance, Natural Sciences at Cambridge), the comparison provided is with courses at other institutions that primarily focus on just one (or a smaller combination) of those subjects.You may therefore find that not all elements of the Cambridge degree are represented in the Discover Uni data.
• Some contextual data linked from other surveys, such as the National Student Survey (NSS) or the Destination of Leavers in Higher Education (DLHE), may not be available or may be aggregated across several courses or several years due to small sample sizes.  When using the data to inform your course choice, it is important to ensure you understand how it has been processed prior to its presentation. Discover Uni offers some explanatory information about how the contextual data is collated, and how it may be used, which you can view here: https://discoveruni.gov.uk/about-our-data/ .
• Discover Uni draws on national data to provide average salaries and employment/continuation data.  Whilst starting salaries can be a useful measure, they do not give any sense of career trajectory or take account of the voluntary/low paid work that many graduates undertake initially in order to gain valuable experience necessary/advantageous for later career progression. Discover Uni is currently piloting use of the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data to demonstrate possible career progression; it is important to note that this is experimental and its use may be modified as it embeds.

The above list is not exhaustive and there may be other important factors that are relevant to the choices that you are making, but we hope that this will be a useful starting point to help you delve deeper than the face value of the Discover Uni data.

Key information

All Colleges, except Peterhouse

Cambridge Admissions Office

• Cambridge Admissions Office Student Services Centre New Museums Site Cambridge CB2 3PT
• 01223 333308
• [email protected]
• www.cao.cam.ac.uk

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