Blog | A psychology department with a difference | News

April 2026

Blog | A psychology department with a difference

By Helen McEwan

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In our latest blog Dr Helen McEwan, Head of the Department of Psychology explains why the blend of theory, practice, and state-of-the-art facilities makes University College Birmingham the perfect place to begin your career journey.

At University College Birmingham we have a psychology department unlike any other, with a strong focus on developing students’ professional skills while they study for their degrees. This gives them a significant advantage in the job market, and enables them to enter the world of work with the capability and confidence needed to make an immediate difference.

While we cultivate a strong emphasis on practical and work-based learning, academic rigour doesn’t take a back seat.

Theory is the bedrock of our teaching, and our experienced staff are highly qualified; many have been awarded doctorates, and we publish our work and attend conferences. We’ve also hosted book launches, and guest lectures from academics from other universities, including University College London.

All of this means our staff are at the cutting edge of psychological research and the latest developments in the field, and translates into the most up-to-date teaching for both our undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The diversity of our research interests is reflected in the range of degrees offered across the department. In addition to Psychology BSc (Hons), students can choose to study Psychology with Sport and Exercise BSc (Hons), Psychology with Education BSc (Hons), or Psychology with Health BSc (Hons).

We also offer these programmes as 4-year degrees with a Foundation Year, helping to widen participation and access to a broader range of students, alongside a Psychology (Conversion) MSc, for those who have already completed a degree in a different subject but are interested in switching to further study and careers in Psychology.

Our Psychology BSc and Psychology MSc (Conversion) degrees are fully accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), a mark of quality and recognition that is essential for those considering a professional career in psychology. This accreditation provides students with the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the BPS, opening doors to further study and professional pathways, including becoming a Chartered Psychologist.

"The benefits of our courses extend well beyond the route to becoming a psychologist.

"The knowledge, skills, and critical thinking acquired are highly valued in a wide range of fields, meaning graduates are well-equipped to apply psychological understanding to many aspects of professional and personal life, regardless of their chosen career."

Dr Helen McEwan Head of the Department of Psychology

Whether students wish to follow a career as a psychologist or simply want to enhance their understanding of human behaviour, our practical courses empower them to use psychological knowledge in everyday life. They learn to think critically, understand themselves and others, and make informed decisions across a variety of careers and contexts.

As the University has recently invested more than £300 million across our campus, all course areas have access to state-of-the-art facilities, making our integrated approach much easier, but we’re also able to call upon the experience and expertise of dedicated academic teams of lecturers from across those distinct departments, giving students a solid foundation across their chosen subject areas.

Part of our commitment to practical learning and skills development means giving students the opportunity to make use of these facilities from the moment they begin studying with us. They have access to our lab to conduct live, practical experiments, use VR headsets and treadmill , eye trackers and EEG machines, and also view parts of the brain through an Anatomage table!

We even have a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation device, which uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain, to allow students to explore how different brain regions contribute to different cognitive functions.

Our VR equipment and immersive room can be used to provide students with simulation experiences – you can see the world from the perspective of an infant! This equipment is managed by an experienced Teaching and Learning Technician, and with our small, friendly, and tight-knit, community staff are always approachable and eager to engage with your learning.

With our observation suite, students have the chance to conduct interviews and observe through two-way mirrors as they would when working as psychologists, and our practical teaching extends to allowing them to recreate well-known, classic experiments in ethically sound ways, including Zimbardo’s prison experiment and Milgram’s obedience study.

Combining these unique opportunities with strong theoretical underpinning, students are given the chance to grapple with the ethical and moral implications of the work in comparison with modern day studies.

This approach ensures that theoretical understanding and subject knowledge are developed alongside the professional skills needed to transition confidently into professional roles. This learning is further enhanced through real‑world exposure to psychology, including guest speakers and educational visits.

Our courses have been developed with ‘golden threads’ that weave throughout the curriculum. Each of these is designed to give students a greater appreciation not only of the role played by psychology in society, but to demonstrate the applicability of their skills across a range of different disciplines.

Regardless of whether they want to stay in the field or work in another area, we’re ensuring our students have the transferable skills and practical experience to succeed in whatever they choose to do.

Dr Helen McEwan is Head of the Department of Psychology at University College Birmingham. She completed an undergraduate degree in Human Psychology and master's in Health Psychology at Aston University, before undertaking a National Institute for Health and Care Research-funded PhD at the University of Leicester.

After completing her doctorate, Helen worked as a research associate at Aston University and research assistant at Birmingham City University before working as a lecturer at the latter, and then transitioning to the role of senior lecturer at the University of Worcester.

She joined the team at UCB in 2024.

Find out more about our degrees in psychology.