Take part in our Psychology Research Apprenticeship Scheme

Gain practical research experience, develop your CV, and enhance your employability skills with an apprenticeship within our Department of Psychology.

As an undergraduate or master’s student studying a psychology course at Bath, you can join our Psychology Research Apprenticeship Scheme.

An exclusive opportunity for our students, the scheme allows you to work alongside a Department of Psychology researcher.

You'll be able to find out more about areas of psychology you are interested in and add valuable experience to your CV. This will help you stand out when applying for further study or job opportunities.

Apprentices work under the guidance of academic staff, PhD researchers and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) trainees.

Please note: This is a voluntary scheme designed for motivated psychology students who want to develop their research skills. As it is voluntary, we are unable to offer a salary or cover travel expenses.

What you’ll do as an apprentice

You’ll contribute to real research projects within our Department, covering many different areas of psychology, such as clinical, cognitive, developmental, environmental, health, social, and biological psychology ¹.

During most projects, you'll work directly with your supervisor, but some will give you the chance to be part of a wider research team.

Your tasks and responsibilities will vary depending on the project you work on, but examples of activities you may be involved in include:

collecting data (either in our psychology labs or online)
literature reviews
interview transcription
data analysis
authoring papers
organising public engagement events

Throughout your apprenticeship, your supervisor will provide guidance and support, helping you develop new skills and gain vital experience.

Two students working together and talking

Why you should join this scheme

If you join the scheme, you’ll get the opportunity to:

gain hands‑on research experience
learn about the different activities that researchers do
develop your existing skills and build new ones
apply your own learnings from your studies to real-world research challenges
connect and network with the wider academic community and students across undergraduate and postgraduate studies
receive a certificate of completion to recognise your achievement. In some cases, your supervisor may be willing to act as a referee for future job applications

A group of people sticking notes with words written on them onto a board in a classroom

How the scheme and applications work

Apprenticeships are open to undergraduate and master's level students studying a psychology course at Bath and start on three occasions throughout the year.

Apprenticeship applications are open to undergraduate and master's students (full-time or part-time) studying one of our psychology degrees listed below:

Apprenticeships are open to applicants three times a year — at the beginning of semesters 1 and 2, and the start of the summer term.

Each apprenticeship normally lasts for one semester. You will complete your apprenticeship alongside your studies, spending around 4 hours per week on your assigned apprenticeship project.

The duration of apprenticeship projects is as follows:

Semester 1: October to January
Semester 2: February to May
Summer: June to September

The summer scheme is only for students who are still registered at the university over the summer. This means students finishing in June (for example, final year undergraduate students) cannot take part.

Please note: This is a competitive process. We cannot guarantee you a project as we often receive a large number of applications.

A human head made up of puzzle pieces — — Vyara Stoyanova BSc (Hons) Psychology graduate, now pursuing a PhD at Bath

Previous students' experiences

Participating in the apprenticeship scheme has been a valuable opportunity for many students. Several have co‑authored publications and been inspired to pursue a PhD after their studies.

Research Apprentices within the spotLight on Adolescent and young adult Mood Problems (LAMP) research project have contributed to a range of projects focused on young people’s mental health. This has included:

Helena Adam and Ananya Maity (MSc Applied Clinical Psychology – 1 year full-time) worked on the COMET-GB randomised controlled trial evaluating a single-session intervention to improve university student mental health. They contributed to qualitative analysis of free-text responses, directly informing the paper’s acceptability findings, and are co-authors of the resulting publication.
Melanie Luximon and Beatrice Sung (BSc (Hons) Psychology (3-year and 4-year with work placement)) supported social media recruitment and contributed to qualitative analysis exploring young people’s and parents’ experiences of assessing Gillick competence. They are co-authors of two resulting publications:
- a commentary on using social media to reach young people
- a paper outlining a method for enabling 13–15-year-olds to self-consent to low-risk online research.)
Jenna Leas (BSc (Hons) Psychology (3-year and 4-year with work placement)) supported social media recruitment for the Can We Connect? study and contributed to qualitative interview analysis, including transcript preparation and thematic coding. Jenna is a co-author on resulting publications:
- What do they look for and what do they find? A coproduced qualitative study on young people's experiences of searching for mental health information online
- Young people's attitudes towards online self-help single-session interventions: findings from a co-produced qualitative study

Are you interested in our Psychology Research Apprenticeship Scheme?

Find out more about how to apply

Contact us

If you have any questions about the Psychology Research Apprenticeship Scheme, please contact us.

Psychology Research Apprenticeship Scheme team

Projects and topics will vary from year-to-year. We cannot guarantee a set of projects each year, and you may not be able to work on one that directly aligns with your interests. ↩