Psychology can be studied as a single-honours degree in Experimental Psychology, or jointly as part of the degree course in Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics. At Oxford, you will be taught Psychology as a scientific discipline, involving practical work, experimentation, and the formulation and testing of ideas. You can concentrate on biological, cognitive, human experimental, social and developmental psychology, and you’ll get to address such questions as: How do we perceive colours? How do children acquire language? What predisposes two people to get on with each other? What causes schizophrenia?

Whether you study the single-honours course in Psychology, or choose to combine it with Philosophy, Linguistics or both, you will get plenty of opportunities throughout the three or four-years to experience extended project work and research as well as written exam papers.

At Univ, we have a particular strength in Neuroscience and our tutors teach students across many subjects in the Medical Sciences. Here, you can also receive in-house teaching for all elements of the PPL degree. Psychology undergraduates are known for being a warm and supportive group of students and social and extra-curricular events are very well attended. See below for more information about Linguistics at Univ.

You can choose to graduate after three years with a BA degree. Many students in Psychology continue for a research-intensive fourth year leading to a Master’s degree.

Linguistics

In essence, Linguistics tries to answer the twin questions of how all languages are alike and how individual languages differ from each other. In Oxford, Linguistics forms part of two joint schools, Modern Languages and Linguistics (MLL) and Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics (PPL).

The first year Linguistics for both MLL and PPL involves an introduction to the whole field of Linguistics, with topics such as the study of sound (phonetics and phonology), language in society (sociolinguistics), and language as it changes (historical linguistics). Later on, you get to choose options which can include further study of the introductory topics as well as  more specialised possibilities, including a project involving fieldwork. Specialist options in recent years have included Old Norse and Romanian.

At Univ, we welcome applications for MLL (with Russian or Czech) or any of the PPL combinations involving Linguistics. The College has its own tutor for Linguistics who you will work with in tutorials. They also work closely with Modern Languages, Psychology and Philosophy tutors in College to tailor the course to your interests. Univ library holds books commonly needed by students, and we have funds to support you in undertaking fieldwork.

If you are interested in a course involving Linguistics at Univ, be sure to read our course page for Modern Languages and information on Experimental Psychology above. There are also options involving linguistics within other courses such as English, Classics, and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES).

Linguistics is not a school subject, although courses such as the English Language A-Level include topics in linguistics. Most applicants do not have any formal background in the subject. Of course, it is advisable for applicants to find out about what the study of Linguistics involves.

Resources

If you are considering applying for a degree involving Psychology, a number of resources you might find useful to explore beyond the school curriculum can be found on Univ’s Staircase12 pages, including the Reading Bank and Resource Hub.

If you are considering applying for a course involving Linguistics, here are some resources you might find useful to explore beyond the school curriculum:

Many UK schools participate in the UK Linguistics Olympiad (see uklo.org) and there are equivalents in many countries worldwide.

There are lots of very accessible books about language; starting points might include:

• Marina Yaguello, Language Through the Looking Glass
• David Crystal, How Language Works
• Guy Deutscher, The Unfolding of Language
• Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct