Psychology

• Scottish Highers:
  • Standard Entry Requirements - ABBB (114 UCAS Tariff points)
  • Minimum Entry Requirements – BBBB (108 UCAS Tariff points)
• A levels:
  • Standard Entry Requirements – BBC (112 UCAS Tariff points)
  • Minimum Entry Requirements - BCC (104 UCAS Tariff points)
• Irish Leaving Certificate: H1 H2 H2 H2
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 27 points
• SQA HNC / BTEC Level 4 HNC: Additional Support Needs or Applied Science or Counselling or Care & Admin Practice or Coaching & Developing Sport or Early Education & Childcare or Childhood Practice or Legal Services or Police Studies or Social Sciences or Social Studies or Social Care or Social Services or Working with Communities
• SQA HND / BTEC Level 5 HND: Legal Services
• Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP): Access to Humanities; Access to Humanities, Law & Business; Access to Life Science (Plus SQA Higher English); Access to Medicine; Access to Primary Education; Access to Chemical & Biological Sciences; Access to Social Sciences (BBB)

• SQA Advanced Highers: BCC (128 UCAS Tariff Points)
• A-Levels: BBB (A20 UCAS Tariff Points)
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 28 points
• SQA HNC / BTEC Level 4 HNC: Social Sciences or Social Studies (for SQA HNCs with Grade B in the Graded Unit)
• SQA HND / BTEC Level 5 HND*: Social Science

English language requirements for most courses

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.

General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

• overall score 6.0
• no sub-test less than 5.5

Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist fro some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).

Common equivalent English language qualifications

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:

• CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
• CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests
• PTE Pearson Academic English: An overall score of 54 with no element below 51 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5). An overall score 61 with no element below 51 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.5 with no element below 6.0)

IELTS Score Exceptions (Research degrees, Biomedical Science degrees, Nursing & Midwifery degrees with NMC registration, Certificate of Higher Education, etc.)

For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) and our MSc Advanced Biomedical Science, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 6.5
• no sub-test less than 6.0

For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.

For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:

• overall score of 7.0
• score of at least 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking and no less than 6.5 in writing

* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).

For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science and BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 7.0
• no sub-test less than 6.5

For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 5.0
• no sub-test less than 4.5

TOEFL IBT

TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:

• Reading: 17;
• Listening: 17;
• Speaking: 17;
• Writing: 17

* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE)

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*

• C6 or above in English

*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.

Pre-sessional courses

Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:

• 10 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.0 with no element below 4.5.
• 5 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.5 with no element below 5.5.
• English Language for University Study - entry criteria UKVI IELTS with score of 4.0 in all elements (10 month course), or 4.5 with no score below 4.0 (7 month course).

Find out more about our English lanaguage Courses.

Psychology graduates also use their skills and knowledge to enter a wide variety of alternative careers. As well as specific knowledge in psychology you will also gain a range of skills that employers value such as:

• Communication
• Numeracy
• Teamwork
• Computing
• Critical thinking
• Independent thinking

As alternatives to psychology careers, many psychology graduates enter industry or commerce sectors in roles such as:

• Market researchers
• Personnel managers
• Teachers
• Civil servants
• Researchers
• Careers advisors
• Charity/non-governmental organisation sector workers

Check the British Psychological Society website for further information on psychology and careers options.

A wide range of postgraduate courses/study options exist including:

• Educational Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Occupational Psychology
• Counselling Psychology