We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

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A working knowledge of German and an advanced understanding of psychology will prepare you for a rewarding career. And, the chance to explore a new culture overseas will prepare you for life working in the UK and abroad.

Through this programme, you will develop a detailed understanding of psychology, while gaining the skills and knowledge to engage with the discipline in preparation for a placement year overseas in a German speaking country. During the four years, you will be able to draw on expertise from two specialist departments: The School of Global Affairs; and Psychology. This degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society and provides the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the Society.

You will learn and develop a solid grasp of German language and culture, while studying the main themes of modern psychology:

  • Brain and Behaviour: how neural disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease affect behaviour
  • Cognitive Psychology: our reactions to colours, smells, speech and music
  • Developmental Psychology: the ways in which infants perceive space, patterns, objects and events
  • Social Psychology: how our thoughts, emotions and behaviours are shaped by the presence of others

You will learn from passionate academics, all of whom are active researchers and world leaders in their field, which allows you to benefit from their insight, expertise and cutting-edge research.

In the first year, you will gain an in-depth overview of the main study themes through our Understanding Psychology module. You will explore the theories underpinning these areas, learn to evaluate scientific journals, and develop your ability to construct formal arguments. Running parallel to this, you will also undertake the Investigating Psychology module, which will equip you with important practical skills for conducting research in psychology, such as data analysis and report writing. In addition, you will take language classes, determined by your current level of ability.

During the second year of your degree, you will develop upon the key themes introduced in Year 1. You will study specialist modules on topics such as cognitive, developmental and social psychology; deepening your understanding and testing your knowledge. You will also benefit from specialist German modules, which will develop your foreign language oral and written communication skills further.

In addition to these themes, Research Methods and Statistics modules will be covered this year. These will expand your knowledge of research methods, develop key skills and enable you to gain a detailed understanding of analysis and reporting.

Spending your third year - the International Placement Year - abroad in a German-speaking country makes a major contribution to your command of the language, while deepening your intercultural sensitivity. You can study at a partner university or conduct a work placement, while continuing to enhance your psychology skills and knowledge.

Returning to Lancaster for your fourth year, you will further develop your knowledge and understanding of the core aspects of modern psychology, taking modules in Brain and Behaviour; and Personality and Individual Differences. You will also carry out your own research project under the supervision of an experienced researcher.

The optional modules available this year will allow you to expand your knowledge of German culture and continue to practise the language.

Structured Work Experience

Alongside your academic study, you will have the opportunity to gain voluntary work experience through our Psychology Employability Programme, allowing you to develop invaluable skills for either a career in psychology or a graduate programme. You can choose between working part-time in the community with charities and organisations that support vulnerable people, or working alongside staff in the Psychology Department on their ground-breaking research projects. Crucially, every placement will provide you with experience and skills that are valuable to both psychology careers and more general graduate level occupations, strengthening your CV and enhancing your employability for life after graduation.

Voluntary work can be an enlightening and rewarding experience, enabling you to make a difference to the lives of others, while having the opportunity to try something new, which may lead you to change or confirm your career plans and is recommended by the BPS.

Beginners Languages

Studying a language from beginners level is somewhat intense in nature so we only allow students to study one language from beginners level. Please bear this in mind when looking at our first year module options. If you apply to study a degree with a language from beginners level, your optional modules will only include higher level languages and modules in other subject areas.

Careers

This degree will equip you with both specialist and transferable skills that are valued by all employers, such as communication, critical thinking, numeracy and self-management. From research analysts to retail managers, a good grasp of human behavioural patterns and the science of the mind make psychology graduates attractive to a wide range of employers.

Some psychology graduates go on to become chartered psychologists, specialising in clinical, educational, occupational, forensic, health or sports psychology. There are also new and emerging areas such as neuropsychology, environmental psychology, consumer psychology and animal psychology. It is a fiercely competitive field, which needs a strong academic background, lots of relevant work experience, determination and resilience.

Additionally, should you wish to pursue a career abroad, our degree will have prepared you with an exceptional ability in the German language and you will also have gained a rigorous understanding of life overseas.

Helping you to prepare for your future career is important to us. We will help you decide upon your career path and give you the chance to develop the right skills.

There are three Academic Employability Champions within the Psychology Department whose role is to ensure that our students become highly sought after, employable graduates. This includes providing students with information about pathways to various careers inside and outside of psychology, and advice about further study. We offer one-to-one careers sessions, regular drop-in Psychology Careers Cafés, as well as careers fairs.

Within the degree itself, you will be taught vocational skills that you will need to obtain and sustain a career in psychology and other fields, such as CV writing, interview skills, team work and presentation skills.

Some of our recent graduates have chosen careers outside of professional psychology. These are just a few of the pathways a psychology degree can lead to:

  • Media Marketing Coordinator
  • Sales Consultant
  • HR Assistant
  • Business Support
  • Child Protection Officer
  • Social Worker
  • Recruitment Advisor
  • International English Teacher

There are various options for postgraduate study too, should you wish to gain chartered status to practice specialist areas such as clinical, educational, forensic or occupational psychology. Likewise, many psychology graduates who do not wish to become psychologists often study further in a different area such as advertising, marketing or teaching.

Entry requirements

These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. You may need to have qualifications in relevant subjects. In some cases we may also ask you to attend an interview or submit a portfolio. You must also meet our English language requirements.

Find more about these qualifications and others not shown here

Learn about how we will assess your application

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Important information

L1 speakers or German speakers fluent above CEFR B2 will not be accepted onto this course.

Contact Admissions

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, please complete our enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you.

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Fees and funding

Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.

Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2025/26 are:

Home International
£9,535 £27,260

Fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:

Scheme Based on Amount
Lancaster ScholarshipBased on Entry grades Amount £2,000 in your first year of study
Lancaster Opportunity ScholarshipBased on Contextual offer Amount £1,000 per year of study
Lancaster BursaryBased on Household income Amount £1,000 per year of study
Lancaster Global Scholarship - UndergraduateBased on Entry grades Amount £2,000 in each year of study for applicants joining Part 1 of our undergraduate programmes.

We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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