Psychology and Linguistics

Through this joint programme you can take a range of courses in psychology and linguistics.

Psychology

Psychology courses cover the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour. It is an experimental and observational science. It uses evidence from research studies to develop and evaluate theories.

Psychologists study:

• how we perceive, think and learn about the world around us

• the way biological and social factors influence how we behave

• how interests and abilities differ from person to person

• how we communicate verbally and non-verbally

• how and why our mental abilities change across our lives

Psychology is an experimental and observational science. It uses evidence from research studies to develop and evaluate theories.

Linguistics

Linguistics explores how language works. It describes how we create meaning through:

• sounds

• signs

• words

• sentences

• conversations

It also studies:

• the uses of language in everyday life

• ways in which language varies across society and evolves over time

• how language is mastered by children

Programme benefits

• Most of our joint Psychology degrees at Edinburgh are accredited by the British Psychological Society, allowing you to go on to further professional training.

• Our Psychology programme focuses on developing skills in research methods and statistical analysis using R programming. This supports our research-led teaching.

• We have one of the largest concentrations of university language scientists in the UK, with a cohort of over 350 students currently studying linguistics and/or English language.

• We are a leading centre for the study of language change and historical linguistics.

• Linguistics has a long history at the University of Edinburgh, and our teaching staff have an excellent reputation for research in this area.

• Linguistics is a new subject for nearly all undergraduates, so you will not need any prior knowledge at the beginning of the programme.