Anthropology and Psychology

Anthropology and psychology together address some of the most profound questions about what it means to be human: how human beings evolved, how they have organised social life across different cultures and throughout history, and how individual minds work, including the processes of language, perception, personality, and intelligence. Anthropology takes a broad, comparative, and often cross-cultural view of humanity, drawing on fieldwork, ethnography, and evolutionary biology to understand the full range of human experience. Psychology provides the complementary scientific study of individual cognition and behaviour, using experimental and statistical methods to understand mental processes from the inside.

At the University of Aberdeen this four-year full-time programme combines both disciplines in a way that gives you a genuinely comprehensive perspective on human nature and human variety. You will develop a thorough grounding in social and cultural anthropology, evolutionary anthropology, and psychological science, engaging with both the breadth of human cultures and the depth of individual psychological functioning. The degree includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different cultural and academic environment, which is particularly fitting for subjects concerned with the diversity of human experience.

The typical entry tariff of 152 points reflects the academic standard expected.

You will develop research skills in both qualitative and quantitative methods, the ability to think critically across disciplinary boundaries, and the cross-cultural literacy that both subjects cultivate.

Graduates pursue careers in research, international development, public health, education, counselling, social work, the civil service, journalism, and the charitable sector. Postgraduate study in anthropology, psychology, clinical psychology, or social research methods is a natural continuation for those who want to specialise.