Why study Psychology at ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's?
Students are hugely positive about their experiences studying this subject at ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ’s, not just because of our College’s friendly community feel, but because we offer excellent tutorial and cross-college support.
PBS graduates to date have gone on to study for further degrees, or to work as research or care assistants with a view to training as clinical psychologists. Information about becoming a psychologist is available on the .
Course content and structure
The PBS course (or ‘tripos’) is a three-year degree. Please visit the University website for full details of the You will also find information on the .
Teaching
You attend lectures at the Department of Psychology, just a short walk away from ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ’s (see ). You also have weekly ‘supervisions’ here in College. These small-group (or one-to-one) tutorial sessions are arranged by your Director of Studies and give you the advantage of personally-tailored guidance and tuition from an experienced supervisor. And our modern library is designed to ensure you get the peace you need without feeling isolated when you’re studying independently.
ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's currently has ta number of academics in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences. Dr Camilla Nord is the Director of Studies, Dr Marcella Montagnese is a Junior Research Fellow and Professor Dame Theresa Marteau is a bye-fellow and Director of the University's Behaviour and Health Research Unit in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care as well as Associate Fellow of the Centre for Science and Policy.
What do our students think?
Read about the experiences of students studying PBS here at ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ’s.
If you’d like to hear from other ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's students, please watch the , and visit our Student Profiles page.
"Out of all of my papers this year, I thought that the most interesting essay I got to work on was either one on social norms, or another on non-traditional families, as I enjoyed being able to explore ongoing research."
How to Apply
Visit How to Apply for full details and a timeline of the application process. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and school types, all over the world. If you're applying from outside the UK, please read our international students section.
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Subject requirements
Applicants for Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's College must be taking (or have taken) Biology or Mathematics amongst their A-level, IB Higher, Scottish Advanced Higher or equivalent subjects.
- Students taking the International Baccalaureate must take Biology or Maths: Analysis and Approaches as one of their Higher Level subjects.
- Students taking USA Advanced Placements should take five subjects including Biology or Calculus BC.
We do not require you to be studying Psychology at school.
We encourage students to attend one of our regular Subject Matters webinars for help with choosing Post-16 subjects for competitive university applications. This webinar is pitched for students aged 14-16 though it is also possible to attend when you have started sixth form.
Interviews
If we invite you for interviews, these usually take place in early December. At ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's we continue do all of our interviews online, as we have done for the last three years. You can have your interviews either at home (most applicants do this) or at school (if easier). Those invited for Cambridge interviews are normally interviewed for 35-50 minutes in total. At ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ’s, we usually split the time into two interviews with academics in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences. During one of these, we may ask you to interpret a graph, solve a problem or comment on an essay question.
Further, more general information about interviews (including two useful films) is available in the , and it's worth also having a look at supervisions (), as interviews are similar to what you do every week as a Cambridge student.
There will be no written assessment for Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's College.
Offers
ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's College does not have fixed quotas of places for different subjects and the exact numbers admitted in any one year will depend upon the strengths of the fields of applicants in various subjects. However, our aim is to make around three offers each year for PBS.
We assess the terms of each offer individually but our typical conditional offer for PBS is:
- A*, A*, A at A level
- 42 points overall in the International Baccalaureate with 7,7,6 in relevant Higher Level subjects
- A1, A1, A2 in three Scottish Advanced Highers
If you're taking another qualification, we expect you to be working at or close to the top of the mark range i.e.
- Option Internationale du Baccalauréat: at least 17/20 overall, with 17 or 18 in relevant subjects
- European Baccalaureate: at least 85% overall, with 9/10 in relevant subjects
You can look up other qualifications in the and , and if you are applying from outside the UK please read the ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's international students section for further information and check the country pages.
If you will have finished school when you apply, please also read about post-qualification applications, taking a gap year, and, if relevant, applying from a university.
Helpful Resources
| Short film | |
| Reading suggestions | Books you might enjoy reading that provide a general background to Psychological and Behavioural Sciences. |
| Theresa Marteau discusses how to change behaviour (a BBC Sounds registration needed to access this recording). | |
| Exploring the range of Cambridge Psychology research | |
| Film about one of the possible second year options (see ) | |
| Resources for students taking A-level Mathematics (or equivalent) | |
| Free online lectures. You can search for terms such as , , or . | |
| The British Psychological Society magazine. You may also like to explore articles on Psychology in science publications such as and . | |
| Blog. You can even with summaries and links | |
| Year 12 opportunity to work on a summer research project. Strict eligibility criteria apply. | |
| Website for secondary school students who would like to explore Psychology | |
| Introducing the academic and information skills that you will need during your studies, as well as how and where you would be working. |
"Both the best and the hardest thing about PBS is that it combines humanities and the sciences."
Come to an open day or online event
Our open days and events page advertises regular online opportunities as well as events you can attend in Cambridge. If you can, sign up for a College Open Day (our October, February and September events normally include a meeting with a subject specialist). Between February and August we run regular webinars:
- Subject Matters: The importance of post-16 subject choices (this one is also run Sept - Nov)
- Cambridge for Beginners
- ÂÒÂ×ͨµÀ's College: A look at the Grounds and Facilities
- Personal Statements and preparing for an application
Further subject-specific opportunities you might wish to consider include organised by Cambridge Admissions Office, and subject-specific talks in the July Cambridge Open Days. If you are a UK student from a background where there is little tradition of entry to Higher Education, you can apply to attend a in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences or to shadow a current undergraduate studying PBS via the (do be aware that there's a high proportion of applicants to places for both of these last two opportunities so please don't be discouraged if you don't get a place).
Need more information?
For a full picture of what the course involves, take a look at on the University website and read the too.
If you have any queries at all, please contact us at admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk. We’ll be happy to advise.
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