Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behaviour. It plays an important role in the world helping to understand complex questions around human behaviour.
Our psychology research at Stirling addresses big questions around fundamental psychological themes:
- Behaviour and Evolution
- Health and Behaviour Change
- Cognition in Complex Environments
Psychology courses at the University of Stirling will allow you to gain an in-depth knowledge of human (and animal) behaviour while developing research and analytical skills that employers highly value. We cover a diverse range of topics including cognition, developmental psychology, social behaviour, health psychology, animal behaviour and clinical psychology. Many of our psychology courses include practical placements.
Psychology courses
Courses labelled are available for online study only.
| Course | Start date |
|---|---|
| BA (Hons) / BSc (Hons) Psychology | September 2025, January 2026 |
| BSc (Hons) Sport Psychology | September 2025 |
| Course | Start date |
|---|---|
| MSc / MA Human-Animal Interaction | September 2025 |
| MSc Autism and Neurodevelopmental Conditions Research | September 2025 |
| MSc Health Psychology | September 2025 |
| MSc Psychological Research Methods | September 2025 |
| MSc Psychological Therapy in Primary Care | January 2026 |
| MSc Psychology (accredited conversion course) | September 2025, January 2026 |
| MSc Psychology of Sport (Accredited) | September 2025 |
| Professional Doctorate Health Psychology | January 2026 |
Scholarships
We offer a variety of scholarship and funding options to help you finance your studies at the University of Stirling.
Undergraduate scholarships
See more undergraduate scholarships
Postgraduate scholarships
See more postgraduate scholarships
Why study Psychology at the University of Stirling?
Many of our undergraduate and postgraduate Psychology courses are accredited by the British Psychological Society.
Graduate careers in Psychology
The wide range of skills and knowledge gained from a Psychology degree can open up many different career paths to you. Jobs that are directly related include:
- clinical psychologist
- health psychologist
- educational psychologist
- forensic psychologist
- sport psychologist
- academic researcher
- counsellor
- psychotherapist
There are also many areas that value Psychology skills including human resources, marketing, emergency services, careers advice and teaching.
Specialist facilities
We have a number of high-end specialist psychology labs for students and researchers that involve:
- brain imaging
- action research
- visual attention
- health psychology
- evolutionary psychology
- animal research
- virtual and augmented reality
We also have a pre-school kindergarten where students will have the opportunity to study aspects of child development.
Partnerships and industry
Our Psychology Single Honours, and all Psychology Combined Honours degree courses, are accredited with the British Psychological Society (BPS). They confer eligibility for Graduate Basis for Registration, provided the minimum standard of a Second Class Honours is achieved. This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
Our MSc Health Psychology meets the British Psychological Society’s requirements for Stage 1 training in Health Psychology.
The MSc Psychology of Sport is accredited by the British Psychological Society. It satisfies Stage 1 training and enables progression onto Stage 2 on route to becoming a sport and exercise psychologist.
Psychology research
Psychology research at Stirling is of a very high standard. In the Research Excellence Framework 2021, we ranked 2nd in Scotland for research impact in Psychology. 100% of our research impact and environment, and 87% of our overall research in Psychology is classed as world leading or internationally excellent. Our academic staff have a diverse range of research interests from animal behaviour to social psychology.
Postgraduate research opportunities
We have a collegiate working environment that provides excellent support and mentoring to early career researchers, making Stirling the perfect place to study for a PhD or MPhil in Psychology.
See our MPhil, PhD and Doctorate opportunities in the areas of Psychology including Health Psychology.