Study Psychology abroad

Although psychologists - qualified and homegrown - are more than enough, there are few highly skilled specialists among them, the competition is high. In 2019, Times Higher Education magazine published a ranking of 463 top universities for the study of psychology. The ranking includes 47 countries.

TOP 5 universities with the strongest department of psychology:

1. Stanford University . The Department of Psychology was one of the first created in this institution. Tuition is $ 47,940 per year. Undergraduate and graduate programs are provided, with the latter focusing on research training in groups:

• affective science
• neurobiology,
• cognitive psychology
• developmental psychology
• social Psychology.

2. UCL . The UCL Department of Psychology and Language Sciences is the largest faculty of its kind in the UK , with over 120 faculty members and about 1,500 students. The cost of training is 25,260 £ per year. The undergraduate program is accredited by the British Psychological Society, and graduates have the right to become members. Along with undergraduate courses, the department offers 20 master's degrees on topics:

• business psychology,
• neurology,
• science of decision making
• human-computer interaction.

3. Princeton University. The Department of Psychology at Princeton University has prepared a Nobel laureate, has six outstanding service awards from the American Psychological Association and three William James Fellow Prizes from the Association of Psychological Sciences. The department is closely associated with the Center for the Study of the Brain, Mind and Behavior. The cost of training is $ 45,300 per year. Graduate studies focused on systems:

• neurobiology
• cognitive neurobiology,
• perception and cognition,
• personal and social psychology,
• physiological psychology.

4. University of Chicago. The Department of Psychology was founded in 1893 and is one of the most popular specialties at the university. Courses for students are centered around research opportunities. The program includes a series of seminars, information sessions, and career development events throughout the year to help students make the most of the opportunities and research-related activities available on campus and beyond. PhD programs are also popular. The cost of training is $ 52,491 per year. Students can choose between four areas of study:

• cognitive psychology
• developmental psychology
• integrative neuroscience
• social Psychology.

5. University of Pennsylvania. The Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania is the oldest, standing faculty of psychology in North America. One of the courses offered by the faculty at the undergraduate level is “Pursuit of Happiness”. The aim of the course is to study the theoretical, practical aspects of well-being and how students can use these methods to enhance their feelings of happiness. The cost of training is 51464 $ per year. Alumni research teams are divided into two areas:

• brain, cognitive psychology, decision psychology
• clinical psychology, positive psychology and social psychology.

Most universities require students entering psychology departments abroad to demonstrate their analytical skills and interest in the subject. Especially important for admission are English, history, psychology and biology. Applicants to the undergraduate program must have a high mark in the certificate (A-level or its equivalent). If you are not a native speaker, then for admission to the course you need to pass the IELTS test with a minimum score of 6.0.

The English educational system provides future applicants with an opportunity to enter the A-level program after 9, 10 or 11 grade. After 11th grade, you can enter the Foundation's one-year program, which makes it possible to prepare for undergraduate studies and significantly increases the chances of entering a university.

Psychology as a school profile is gaining popularity. Abroad, it is possible to choose psychology for the 12th and 13th years of study within the framework of the International Baccalaureate program: for example, in the British St. Leonards School. You can also deeply study psychology in the framework of the school curriculum at the American Pomfret School: here, students apply the principles of psychological research to develop and conduct their own experiments.

In addition to knowledge, specialized school courses provide the skills necessary for a student: to conduct research, apply appropriate methods, and analyze the data. Staying in a foreign school for a child is an invaluable experience in communication in an intercultural environment, which, incidentally, is useful to future psychologists from a professional point of view. A major advantage is the mastery of the high school program in the country where the university selected for further studies is located.

Graduates of psychology departments can pursue a career as professional psychologists, but a psychologist's degree can also lead to a career in child care, social work, or the legal profession. You can work in both the public and private sectors.