The best universities for psychology in 2021
While the common focus of psychologists was previously on helping individuals to overcome problems — which might range in severity from the common difficulties associated with making life decisions through to mental illness — the field of psychology is now much broader. Today, many graduates work with organisations (in organisational psychology and industrial psychology) or with teams of elite sportspeople (in sports psychology). Others help clients with issues such as addictions, depression, eating disorders, fears and phobias, career planning, child behavioural problems, sleep disorders and relationships.
There are over 204 undergraduate degrees in psychology listed on The Good Universities Guide course search. We looked at which ones performed best in learner engagement, graduate salary and skill development.
Learner Engagement
This rating looks at the proportion of students who felt they were engaged with learning at their institution. It is based on the extent to which students felt prepared for study, had a sense of belonging at their institution, participated in discussions online or face to face, worked with other students, interacted with students outside of study and interacted with students different to them (including local students for international respondents). The top-ranked university in this category is Bond University with 75% satisfaction rate, followed by The University of Notre Dame Australia, which scored 73.3%.
Graduate Salary
This rating compares the median salary of graduates from different universities. University of New England (UNE) placed highest with a median graduate salary of $72,000, followed by Charles Darwin University, where the median graduate salary for engineering students is $68,700.
Skills Development
his rating looks at the proportion of students who were satisfied with the skill development they experienced through their studies. It is based on the extent to which students felt their course developed their critical-thinking skills, ability to solve complex problems, ability to work with others, confidence to work independently, written communication skills, verbal communication skills, knowledge of the field they are studying, and work-related knowledge and skills. First place goes to Federation University with an 89.5% satisfaction rate, followed very closely by The University of Notre Dame with a score of 88.9%.
View all 2021 rankings for psychology by The Good Universities Guide — filter by study level to view both undergraduate and postgraduate ratings.
Further reading