Education and Psychology

Education and psychology is a pairing that makes immediate intuitive sense: how people learn, how they develop, how they behave in educational settings, and what factors shape educational outcomes are all deeply psychological questions. Psychology provides the scientific tools to examine these questions rigorously, while the education focus gives that psychological knowledge a practical and social context. Together they develop a graduate who understands both the science of learning and the institutional and policy environments in which that learning takes place.

At the University of Southampton, this three-year full-time combined degree examines how education evolves, how people learn, and how individuals behave in educational settings, drawing on psychological research and theory across the full breadth of the discipline. You will study cognition, development, social psychology, and research methods alongside the sociology and policy dimensions of education, building a programme that is genuinely integrative. The course is designed, like a single-honours psychology degree, to prepare you for a wide range of psychology careers, in addition to education-related roles.

It includes a sandwich year and work placement, giving you practical experience in educational or psychology-related settings before you complete your degree.

Graduates from education and psychology programmes are well placed for careers in educational psychology (subject to further training), school counselling, teaching, educational research, special educational needs, human resources, occupational roles that draw on psychological understanding, and policy. Initial teacher training is a common next step for those who wish to teach, and the BPS accreditation status of the programme should be checked by those who wish to pursue a career as a chartered psychologist. Further study in educational psychology, clinical psychology, counselling, or education is also a well-established route.