Our course

Psychology is very diverse – overlapping with and contributing to many other disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, neuroscience, philosophy and sociology.

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBS) at Cambridge gives you the opportunity to study cognitive, social, developmental and biological psychology within the broader context of the behavioural sciences.

The course covers, for example, cognitive psychology, psychopathology, language, brain mechanisms, family relationships and influences, personality, statistics and data-science, and group social behaviour. A wide range of options enable you to study the topics that interest you most in greater depth.

Teaching and facilities

In the Department of Psychology, you’re taught by lecturers and researchers of international excellence. Subject societies and seminar programmes offer regular talks from guest speakers too.

In addition to this academic expertise, you have access to the Department library and specialist collections held in associated departments’ libraries – amounting to around 50,000 books and more than 150 periodicals – as well as other resources and computing facilities.

Course outline

Teaching is provided through lectures, classes or seminars, and supervisions. Some papers include a practical element, which takes place in laboratories. You can typically expect two lectures a week for each paper.

You also have one or two supervisions a week to discuss your work and develop your reasoning and ideas.

Year 1 (Part IA)

In Part IA, you take a total of four papers, three of which are compulsory:

• Introduction to Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience
• Social Psychology, Applied Psychology and Individual Differences
• From Subjective Questions to Objective Science

The remaining paper is chosen from a selection of around nine options. The optional papers available each year may vary but subjects usually include:

• biological and social anthropology
• evolution and behaviour
• politics
• philosophy
• sociology

You will be assessed via a range of laboratory reports, and written exams. 

Year 2 (Part IB)

Part IB provides specialised training in Developmental Psychology and Biological Psychology, in addition to further developing the research skills for your third year project. 

You take four papers in total, two of which are compulsory:

• Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology

The optional papers are selected from a broad range. The subjects may change from year to year but typically include papers in:

• biological and social anthropology
• history and philosophy of science
• sociology
• neurobiology
• philosophy
• education

You will be assessed via a range of laboratory reports, and written exams. 

Year 3 (Part II)

In your final year, you undertake a research dissertation of 7,000 words from a range of topics across the psychological sciences. You also choose a further three papers from a selection available, each of which is assessed via a range of assessments, including written and oral exams. 

The subject of these papers may change from year to year but typically include the following topics:

• social and developmental psychology
• cognitive and experimental psychology
• behavioural and cognitive neuroscience
• criminology
• selected subjects from those offered at Part IB

Subject requirements

Required: No specific subjects required by all Colleges, but applicants would normally be expected to have taken A Level/IB Higher Level Biology or Mathematics. Where this is not the case, applicants should show evidence of strong performance in the Sciences to GCSE level (or its equivalent, as demonstrated in a high school transcript). For IB applicants, if taking Maths at Higher Level we recommend Analysis and Approaches for the most competitive application, however Applications and Interpretations will also be considered.