Psychology and Philosophy
University of Reading
UCAS Code: CV85 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of Reading
UCAS Code: CV85 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Maths C (or 4), English Language or English Literature C (or 4) and Science C (or 4).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
The Cambridge Technical Diploma is only accepted when taken alongside one other acceptable level 3 qualification such as an A level or Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate
The Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate can also be accepted when taken alongside two other acceptable level 3 qualifications e.g. two A levels or a Cambridge Technical Diploma.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma
The Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma can also be accepted when taken alongside two other acceptable level 3 qualifications e.g. two A levels or a Cambridge Technical Diploma.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
The Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma is only accepted when taken alongside one other acceptable level 3 qualification such as an A level or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
The Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate can also be accepted when taken alongside other acceptable level 3 qualifications e.g. two A levels or a BTEC National Diploma.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Higher
T Level
Minimum grade C in the Core Component.
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
The Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted in lieu of one A Level at the grade achieved.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**With the BA Psychology and Philosophy you will explore the inner workings of the mind, and examine some of our most fundamental ideas about truth, reality, right and wrong.**
Develop a broad overview of modern psychology and philosophy on this British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited course.
In psychology you will study the subjects required for BPS qualification, including cognition, neuroscience, development, personality and social psychology. The final year will then allow you to build upon this knowledge by exploring areas of interest in greater depth. The vast majority of modules in this year are optional and are regularly revised in order to incorporate the latest developments in psychology. Recent modules have included topics such as self-control, social cognition of non-verbal behaviour and adaptive control of thought. Should you wish to study abroad, you can spend a term of your final year at a partner institution.
You will be able to take advantage of the Department of Psychology's neuroimaging facilities, observation rooms and research laboratories. Additionally, we have three in-house NHS clinics and the world-renowned Charlie Waller Institute for Evidence-Based Psychological Treatments on-site.
Studying philosophy at the University of Reading will equip you with the ability to think logically, to evaluate arguments critically, and to challenge your own ideas and those of other people. We will give you an understanding of the central philosophical principles, concepts, problems, texts and figures. You will be taught by leading experts whose research strengths lie especially in moral philosophy and the philosophy of the mind and language. You will also have the chance to study non-Western philosophies, especially Indian philosophy.
**For more information, please visit the programme page:** https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/philosophy-ug/ba-psychology-and-philosophy
Modules
The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2025/26. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change.
Core modules for this course:
Debates in Mental Health;
Introduction to Psychological Research;
The Person and the Brain;
Reason and Argument;
Social Psychology and Individual Differences.
The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available in the summer of 2024. We suggest that you regularly revisit our course page during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme. Check our website for more details about the course structure.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Reading
School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Philosophy
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology (non-specific)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.
Philosophy
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are a relatively popular option, with more than 2,000 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2015 - a little down on previous years, but still healthy. Nearly a quarter of philosophy graduates take a postgraduate qualification, and it's a relatively common subject at both Masters and doctorate level — so if you think academic life might be for you, think ahead about how you might fund further study. For those who go into work, philosophy grads tend to go into teaching, accountancy, consulting, journalism, PR, housing, marketing, human resources and the arts while a few go into the computer industry every year, where their logical training is highly rated.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Psychology (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£24k
£31k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Philosophy
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£25k
£28k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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