The new way of studying psychology

Psychology is one of the most popular subjects in the UK to study at degree level. In 2021, universities welcomed over 140,000 students who were eager to study the subject.  

With it being such a competitive degree, some are left wondering whether studying psychology is worth it, but the subject exposes students to a lot of transferable skills and insights that are applicable in a variety of sectors post-graduation. At the end of the day, psychology looks at human behaviour and how it applies to the real world – luckily for my students, all jobs involve people.

A flexible way to study Psychology

There are an array of reasons why studying psychology is great, but with the latest technology developments and an innovative mindset, we can now study psychology in a way that better enhances our professional development after graduation. How do we do it at Arden? We make sure our students are career-ready by doing the following: 

1. Being flexible towards learning

Everyone deserves to follow their dreams, but a lot of the time our personal commitments –   whether that is childcare or working full/part-time, for example – can sometimes get in the way. 

At Arden University, flexibility is at the core of what we offer. Our unique learning experience means all study materials are online, including all required books and journals, so you can learn on your laptop, smartphone or tablet – at home, at work or even on the move. This means our psychology students can work and earn alongside their studies and balance their personal life with their passion for psychology. This approach also allows students to get work experience while studying, bettering their chances for a job post-graduation. 

These advantages make online learning an attractive option for a diverse range of students seeking a flexible and accessible educational experience.

You have 3-9 years to complete the course, which means students can take up to 3 years to complete each level. This means if unexpected life events occur, students can press pause on their studies and resume when they feel more able to do so. This widens opportunities for those with external commitments and is a less stressful way of committing to higher education.

2. Opening accessibility 

We are also passionate about opening opportunities for those with different learning styles. We know not everybody suits the structure and approach of higher education and believe that students should be able to learn in a manner that is more comfortable for them. 

There are a number of different types of support and reasonable adjustments available to Arden students who are coping with a mental health challenge, disability, long-term illness, and/or learning difference. We have open conversations with our students about the barriers they experience and offer the adjustments they need to thrive during their studies. This can range from offering support with note-taking to speech-to-text and mind-mapping software that can help with academic tasks like reading and essay writing. 

We've embedded a series of free and easy-to-use assistive technologies to better enhance learning experiences. These can be used to help complete tasks and assignments, removing some of the accessibility barriers students might face. By offering such support we aim to make the psychology industry more diverse and inclusive, so our students can go on to work in the sector with their own personal, unique traits and knowledge.

We also have a longstanding commitment to breaking down financial barriers to higher education. In addition to having competitive tuition fees, we have a dedicated financial support team and a wealth of online resources to support our students in completing their studies without breaking the bank.

3. Offering more than just a degree

We want our psychology degree to support students post-graduation and get the job of their dreams. This means we have to offer more than just the degree certificate at the end. That's why each assessment on our courses is embedded with employability skills students can transfer to their future role, including preparing presentations, role play sessions, conducting real-world research and analysis. 

With psychology being a competitive degree and industry, it's so important to be up-to-date and have insights that will ensure our students have the relevant skills to make them stand out. Because of this, we have former and continuing practitioners in the team whose expertise centres on the application of psychology in real-life contexts, such as organisational, educational, prison, health care and clinical settings. As the team is highly active in the professional psychology community by running workshops and taking part in charitable events for organisations such as MIND, we can expose students to the demands of the industry.

On top of this, we have a highly trained Careers Team to support students in reaching the career they've always wanted. Acting as personal careers consultants, they offer advice and coaching, interview preparation and help identify any additional skills or qualifications needed to achieve professional ambitions. Students also have the chance to take advantage of our 34-step Employability Programme, which is designed to help develop employability skills for today's workforce.

Studying online also requires self-discipline and effective time management, as you have the autonomy to create your study schedule. This allows students to develop time management skills that are valuable in both academic and professional settings.

4. Leveraging the latest technology 

At Arden, we introduce our students to a number of easy-to-use software packages that will help them to reinforce their learning through state-of-the-art research and analysis tools.

We leverage the latest technology – such as Gorilla experimental software - to enhance the learning experience, offering multimedia resources, case studies and experimental tools for conducting research, making the education journey for our students more interactive and engaging. Not only does this help our students to retain information better, but it exposes them to further insights and knowledge that prepares them for the demands of their future careers in psychology.  

Is this the future of studying psychology?

Our way of studying is ideal and is working for our students. Since 2019, we've had a 128% increase of new students enrolling on our programmes, with 28% of our students reporting a disability, 46% being from a BAME background and the majority of students being mature students aged 21 to 40. By being flexible and allowing our students to study online while connecting with industry experts, we are setting up our cohort for a successful career in psychology.

​​Gail Steptoe-Warren is the Head of the School of Psychology at Arden University and a chartered member of the BPS, a member of the Division of Occupational Psychology, and a registered occupational psychology with the Health Care Professions Council. Gail has worked in the HEI sector for 16 years, having achieved Senior Fellow status of the HEA, as well as working in a consultancy capacity within the public, private, voluntary, and charitable sectors.

Gail is on Twitter/X: @GailSteptoe