Anthropology and Psychology

Anthropology and Psychology at Aberdeen is a great partnership, adding to your thorough grounding in what it means to ‘be human’ with a closer look at how humans think and behave, including language, perception, personality and intelligence. You will gain the unique insight, perspective and skills to open up a world of exciting career options.

Anthropology will give you a thorough grounding in humanity, the differences in human cultures and communities and how they have developed. You will gain insight into differing human behaviours, beliefs and attitudes all over the world, exploring connections between aspects of life such as family, economics, politics and religion.

Psychology will deepen your understanding of the processes involved in thinking and behaviour, taught by internationally leading teachers and researchers who are experts in developmental, social and industrial psychology, neuroscience, memory, language and cognition. You will learn in a supportive and stimulating teaching environment that gives you a hands-on approach to gaining the skills and grounding to succeed in any career involving ‘people’.

Aberdeen is the oldest school of psychology in the UK and our facilities are state-of-the-art, including specialised laboratories for brain imaging analysis, eye movement recording, movement analysis and visual neuroscience. You will have many employment opportunities, including those that relate directly to psychology, such as clinical and occupational psychology, the human mind and behaviour such as teaching, marketing and advertising, or the application of your wide skills in a business role.

Anthropology at Aberdeen is ranked 1st in the UK for overall student satisfaction in the 2024 National Student Survey.
Ranked 3rd in the UK for Anthropology and Archaeology (Guardian University Guide 2025),
Ranked 4th in the UK for Anthropology (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)
Global Top 100 for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)