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Psychology careers

A psychology degree can offer a versatile range of career options when you graduate. Learn how we teach transferable skills valuable to any route of further education or employment, as well as the opportunities and other career support you’ll receive while studying with us.

Psychology students looking at a laptop together in the classroom

Career ready

Our undergraduate courses are accredited by the British Psychological Society. If you graduate with a 2:2 or above, you’ll have Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership to the BPS, which is an essential step for any career in psychology. We want to make sure you know how to achieve the career you aspire to and be prepared to enter the workforce.

Throughout your degree, we prioritise preparing you to enter the world of employment. We offer opportunities for professional development through activities like CV writing and mock interviews. Our creative assessment programme allows for the authentic mirroring of tasks you may do in your chosen career, giving you the opportunity to showcase a wide range of skills.

Find out what career pathways you can enter with a Psychology degree.

Topical teaching

We also like to welcome the wider field of Psychology into our school. Guest speakers are included across several modules within the courses we offer, as well as an external speaker series that runs every year. This gives you access to a wider academic research network and the opportunity to hear cutting-edge work occurring across the field.

We also tailor our specific modules to ensure you are being taught current and topical issues which can prepare you for a wide variety of job applications and interviews, supporting you in becoming who you want to be.

Check out our School of Psychology blog for more information about the latest developments in Psychology.

Psychology lecturer talking with students in the classroom

Collaborate with staff

Our staff regularly collaborate with students with the aim to co-publish joint research projects, which offers you the opportunity to work with practising academics and have relevant experience on your CV.

Many of our teaching staff have their own varied, applied experience, so will integrate real-life examples of their practice and research into the teaching programme. This is beneficial as it can give you a taster of what practice might be like, which can support your career decisions.

Psychology and Pharmacy students collaborating on a project in the immersive suite

Collaborate with students

The School of Psychology is proud of our inclusive community and we continue this in our academic practice. We offer our students the opportunity to take part in multidisciplinary team collaborations with other University of Sunderland students, studying different degrees, which can help you develop personal and professional skills and attributes.

Here is a picture of our immersive suite designed to look like a domestic flat with an older patient who needed intervention. Our Psychology students worked with Pharmacy students as part of interprofessional learning in this simulation to replicate real-world procedures.

Student and graduate destinations

Get career inspiration from our Psychology students and graduates below, or see the full list of our student stories here:

Explore

What careers can a degree in psychology lead to?

A psychology degree develops important skills that could help you land your dream job. We talked to Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Employability Coordinator, Carole Carter, about the wide range of careers you can have as a psychology graduate.

Five reasons to study psychology

Dr Helen Driscoll is a Principal Lecturer in Psychology and Team Leader for the undergraduate Psychology courses at the University of Sunderland. Her areas of specialism are evolutionary psychology, individual differences and quantitative research. Here, Helen shares her five reasons why you should study Psychology at Sunderland.

Which Psychology course is right for me?

If you know you’re passionate about psychology, but you’re unsure which course is right for you, we’re breaking down our specialist Psychology courses to help you choose the right pathway. All our undergraduate Psychology programmes are accredited by the British Psychological Society.

All about Forensic Psychology

Being a forensic psychologist can be challenging, but rewarding at the same time. You could be working with prisoners, or giving evidence in court as an expert witness. It's safe to say that no two days will be the same. We spoke with BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology Programme Leader Dr Laura Farrugia about being a forensic psychologist and why Sunderland's course is unique.