BSocSci (Hons) in Psychology
The BSocSci (Hons) in Psychology curriculum is designed as a 4-year programme. Over the four years, students complete core and elective psychology courses in conjunction with a series of broadening courses in other academic disciplines.
Psychology is the study of behaviour and cognition, and is both a social science and life science. The broad-based undergraduate programme reflects this dual nature. Humans are studied in interaction with others, and to answer questions about how we perceive our world, learn, formulate goals, react to stress, and interact with others. Psychology is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on neurophysiology, sociology, philosophy, and mathematics. A student with varied interests can frequently find a place for them in psychology.
For GCE 'A' level certificate holders:
NTU General Admission Requirements
A good grade in H1 Level Mathematics
A good grade in General Paper/Knowledge & Inquiry
For International Baccalaureate Diploma holders:
NTU General Admission Requirements
A good grade in Mathematics at Standard Level
A good grade in English at Standard Level
For NUS High School Diploma holders:
NTU General Admission Requirements
Major CAP of 2.0 in Mathematics
Good Overall CAP in English Language
For International Students & Students with other qualifications:
NTU General Admission Requirements
A good grade in Additional Mathematics at Junior High School Level
A good grade in English at Senior High School Level
More details on admission can be found at the Office of Admissions website.
The distribution of the courses of study and the number of academic units are shown in the table below.
| Curriculum Structure AY2025-2026 Intake | |||||||
| A. Major Requirements | B. Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC) | C. Broadening and Deepening Electives (BDE) | Total (AUs) | ||||
| Core | Prescribed Electives | GP* or two HP4000 level courses | Common Core | Professional Series | Care, Serve, Learn | ||
| 27 | 34 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 31 | 128 |
*Graduation Project
The requirements for a Psychology major consist of 3 components:
- Psychology Core Courses (27 AUs)
- Psychology Prescribed Electives (34 AUs)
- Graduation Project (GP) or 2 HP4000 level courses (8 AUs)
(The two HP4000 level courses are for those who are not eligible to do GP.)
The 9 compulsory core courses are listed below.
- HP1000 Introduction to Psychology
- HP1100 Fundamentals of Social Science Research
- HP2100 Research Design & Data Analysis in Psychology
- HP2200 Biological Psychology
- HP2300 Developmental Psychology
- HP2400 Social Psychology
- HP2500 Personality & Individual Differences
- HP2600 Cognitive Psychology
- HP2700 Abnormal Psychology
To refer to the Psychology website for the list of courses.
A3. Graduation Project (GP) or 2 HP4000 level courses (8 AUs)
HP4099 Graduation Project (GP) (8 AUs) is undertaken during a student’s final year or when the student has fulfilled the below requirements. The GP is to be conducted over two consecutive semesters in NTU.
To obtain Honours (Highest Distinction & Distinction), students must complete a Graduation Project, HP4099.
1) Students with CGPA of 3.90 and above must complete a GP.
2) Those with CGPA between 3.75 and 3.89 may opt-in to do a GP, subject to the approval by the Program.
3) Students with CGPA below 3.75 will not be eligible to conduct a GP.
In addition to the CGPA requirement, students will need to also meet the below Programme GP requirements.
(A) Completed 94 Academic Units
(B) Completed all core courses (must be taken at NTU).
(C) Completed 1 laboratory course.
(D) Completed compulsory internship.
(E) In the final two semesters of coursework
Students who do not do the GP are to take two 4000-level Major Prescribed Elective courses to fulfill the 8 AUs requirement.
Table B: Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC)
| ICC – Common Cores | 14 |
| CC0001 Inquiry and Communication in an Interdisciplinary World | 2 |
| CC0003 Ethics and Civics in a Multi-Cultural World | 2 |
| ML0004 Career and Entrepreneurial Development for the Future World | 2 |
| CC0015 Healthy Living & Wellbeing | 2 |
| CC0006 Sustainability: Society, Economy and Environment | 3 |
| CC0007 Science & Technology for Humanity | 3 |
| ICC – Professional Series | 11 |
| Effective Communication II - HW0208 Academic Communication in the Social Sciences | 2 |
| Digital Proficiency (can choose from a basket of courses) | 3 |
| Internship | 5 |
| Profession Preparation | 1 |
| ICC - Care, Serve, Learn | 3 |
Table C: Broadening and Deepening Electives (BDE)
| BDE (Students may choose from the list of courses offered by NTU) | 31 |
Interest in psychology is rapidly growing internationally and locally. In a recent survey by the American Psychological Association, psychology was the most popular intended undergraduate major among university freshmen. This is in part a reflection of the increasing demand for psychology majors across diverse industries and sectors.
Two-thirds of students surveyed with a psychology degree are in for-profit business settings, usually the sales/service sector. These students often have good research and writing skills, are good problem solvers, and have well-developed, critical thinking skills when it comes to analysing, synthesising, and evaluating information. Many find jobs in administrative support, public affairs, education, business, advertising, health, the media, the biological sciences, and computer programming. They work as employment counsellors, correction counsellor trainees, interviewers, personnel analysts, and writers. Two thirds believe their job is closely or somewhat related to their psychology background and that their jobs hold career potential.
Psychology graduates generally report being pleased with how their degree helped prepare them for both life and work. A vice-president of human resources of a notable multinational Singapore-based firm described psychology majors as having very useful skills for her business, stating, "after all, psychology is the business of life."
In Singapore and overseas, opportunities for graduates in psychology are increasing. The Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and the Police are among the Singaporean government agencies interested in hiring psychology graduates. In the private sector opportunities range more widely.
For students who wish to work as professional psychologists, we strongly recommend that they receive training beyond the bachelor level. Typically these students go on to do a masters or a doctoral degree in one of the many subfields in psychology.
For more information as described by the American Psychological Association, click here.