Following a programme with BPS accreditation means that you can be assured of the very best education and training in psychology in your degree. Our degree adds to this your development of knowledge and skills which are unique to LSE. It also gives you eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, acts as a foundation for further training in professional psychology and means you can access the benefits provided by both LSE and the BPS.
What is the British Psychological Society (BPS)?
The British Psychological Society (BPS) acts as the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the United Kingdom. They are responsible for the promotion of excellence and ethical practice in the science, education, and application of the discipline. As a society, the BPS support and enhance the development and application of psychology for the greater public good, setting high standards for research, education, and knowledge, and disseminating our knowledge to increase public awareness.
The BPS strives to:
- be the learned society and professional body for the discipline
- embrace equity, diversity and inclusion in everything we do
- promote and advance the discipline
- be the authoritative and public voice of psychology
- determine and ensure the highest standards in all we do
A key objective of the Society is ‘to promote the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of psychology pure and applied and especially to promote the efficiency and usefulness of members by setting up a high standard of professional education and knowledge’.
To find out more visit About the BPS.
LSE's BPS accreditation
Our programme has been accredited since it's first intake in 2019. BPS accredited programmes are highly valued by employers and give students a route to full BPS membership. The accreditation process means that our programme has been successfully benchmarked against the BPS’s high standards.
Accreditation is based on a rigorous process where eight programme standards are investigated:
- Programme Design
- Programme Content
- Working ethically and legally
- Selection and admissions
- Student development and professional membership
- Academic leadership and programme delivery
- Discipline specific resources
- Quality management and governance
The BPS’s approach to accreditation is based on partnership rather than policing, and they work collaboratively with programme providers to allow for exploration, development and quality enhancement. The standards are intended to be interpreted and applied flexibly, in a way that enables programmes to develop distinctive identities that make the most of the strengths of the provider. This means that you know you are following a programme that is supported by the BPS and offers the core knowledge required, but that also has a distinctive LSE flavour to it.
View LSE’s accreditation listing.
Student membership to the BPS
One of the benefits of following an accredited programme is you can join the BPS as a student member. This is only available to students following accredited programmes.
Membership brings you:
- Access to lots of events including careers focused events where you can learn from professionals working in the field.
- A free subscription to The Psychologist (the BPS’ monthly magazine) and PsychTalk (which is written by students for students).
- Access to the online student community where you can connect with other psychology students across the UK. There are also exclusive resources to help you get practically involved in the world of psychology.
- Membership of the London and Home Counties Branch.
- The chance to become a student rep and spread the word about the BPS
- Savings and discounts on textbooks, events and more. This incudes a 35% discount on Wiley/Blackwell books.
Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC)
Students who successfully complete the BSc in Psychological and Behavioural Science will be eligible for GBC if they gain a lower second classification (2:2) overall and pass the Independent Research Project (PB310).
Graduate membership of the society is often the starting point to your career as a psychologist and is a prerequisite for many of accredited post-graduate and Doctoral programmes.
Graduate members receive:
- the title 'MBPsS' after your name
- a free subscription to The Psychologist
- free online access to the BPS’ archive of academic journals
- discounts on BPS conferences and events
To find out more visit BPS Graduate Membership.