You’ve earned the right to be a Graduate member of the BPS, which instantly shows your commitment to your profession to potential employers.
Why should I become a Graduate member?
Becoming a Graduate member of BPS shows you're serious about psychology and your career.
You can call yourself a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society, a title that’s respected around the world.
Membership gives you the chance to build your CV by applying to join a range of specialist registers and directories*, such as the Science Council register and EuroPsy.
Promote your expertise and competence in different areas and specialisms, and get the work you want.
Expert support as you're starting out
One of the great things about a career in psychology is the wealth of routes and options available. The flip side is the sheer amount of choice can seem overwhelming when you're just starting out. It’s why we make sure our Careers team is on hand to answer any questions you have and to guide you on the best way to go.
A world of resources at your fingertips
Psychology moves fast. And we know it’s often difficult - and expensive - to stay at the cutting edge, especially when you’re starting off. So, to help our Graduate members we give you:
* Free print, online and app access to our official magazine, The Psychologist, where you’ll find the latest thought leadership, news, reviews and more.
* Free access to our MyCPD online system, a really useful tool which lets you easily plan, record and reflect on your professional development.
* Free online access to over 150 test reviews and practice papers.
* Discounts on tickets to conferences, events and webinars.
* Up to 40% off CPD courses and webinars produced and led by experts in their specialism (online and in‑person).
* 25% off Routledge publications.
* 30% off Sage titles.
* 30% off Oxford University Press titles.
* Subsidised Article Publication Charge for our 11 journals and a 15% discount for BMJ Mental Health – get published for less.
Save on business costs too
You’ll also get:
* Discounts on professional indemnity insurance. Get the best deal for protecting yourself and your professional services.
* 30% off hiring our meeting rooms at both our Leicester and London offices.
* Income tax relief on all your membership subscription fees, saving you money.
As a Graduate member you can meet, collaborate and share ideas and best practice with other psychologists involved in your specialism, by joining our member networks.
You’ll automatically become a member of your local branch, and we have over 150 more of these exclusive communities of friendly psychology practitioners and academics for you to explore, so you’re bound to find somewhere that’s perfect for you.
As well as the member networks, we have online communities – thousands of people, all passionate about psychology, coming together to discuss the latest ideas, support each other and make connections. It’s a great way to become part of the conversation, and build your network.
There are three routes to becoming a Graduate member.
Do you have a UK qualification?
You must have successfully completed (minimum 2:2) a BPS accredited undergraduate degree or a BPS accredited conversion course.
When you apply, you’ll need to upload copies of your academic transcripts (list of subjects and grades), so make sure you have these ready before you start.
If you have a non‑UK qualification, you need to:
* Hold a degree(s) of an equivalent standard to a British bachelor's degree (minimum 2:2) from a recognised university or comparable institution (as defined by the World Higher Education Database and Ecctis).
* Have passed an empirical project within your degree(s).
* Have a degree that’s made up of at least 50% psychology content.
Your qualification(s) must cover the core areas of the Graduate Basis for Chartered membership (GBC) (cognitive psychology, psychobiology, developmental psychology, social psychology, individual differences, conceptual and historical issues and research).
Following a Memorandum of Cooperation between the BPS and the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), those eligible for Graduate Membership of the PSI after gaining an academic award accredited by the PSI are also eligible for the GBC of the BPS.
Please note: Graduate membership is a recognised mark of competence, so to make sure we maintain that standard we can’t consider part‑completed qualifications, or qualifications that haven’t been formally conferred by the university towards an application for membership.
The special case route lets us assess your eligibility for Graduate membership based on qualifications that aren’t normally recognised by the society.
As a general guide, we will look to see that you normally hold an undergraduate (minimum of 2:2) and postgraduate degree, both with significant psychology content. They need to cover the core areas of psychology (cognitive, psychobiology, developmental, social, individual differences, conceptual and historical issues, and research) in an equivalent breadth and depth as a BPS‑accredited undergraduate degree or conversion course.
Because we assess eligibility via the special case route mainly based on academic study of the core Graduate Basis for Chartered membership (GBC) areas, we’ll usually only consider any short courses, CPD activities, or work experience, etc. as supplementary information to your academic qualifications.
You’ll also need to submit copies of award certificates and academic transcripts for the qualifications you are submitting for assessment, so make sure you have these to hand before you begin your application.
Fees
You will need to pay an application fee and a membership subscription to become a Graduate member.
* £0 i f you’re a current Student member upgrading to Graduate membership, then you won’t have to pay an application fee.
The application fee is non‑refundable, so please make sure your application is completed correctly.
Membership fee:
* £168 per year – Standard full membership fee.
* £84 per year – those who have graduated in the last five years from the qualification.
* £48 per year – postgraduate students or those enrolled on BPS qualifications.
You can pay monthly, quarterly, or annually by Direct Debit (UK bank accounts only) or with an online card payment.
Before you start, we recommend you have all your documents to hand – in our experience it makes things far easier!
* You’ll need to provide copies (we don’t require originals) of your psychology qualifications.
* Transcripts (the list of subjects and grades) are required for all undergraduate, conversion and non‑UK qualifications.
* If you’re currently enrolled on a postgraduate course, you’ll need to include your current course details on the application form.
For any documents not in English translations are required.
Once we’ve received your application it will take approximately three to five weeks to process.
Frequently asked questions
What is an accredited conversion programme?
Graduates who haven’t taken an accredited programme in psychology may undertake a conversion course. Conversion courses provide an opportunity for graduates to build on their first‑degree qualification to become eligible for the Society’s Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership.
The course will usually consist of at least one full year (approximately 45 weeks full‑time, or its part‑time equivalent) and typically comprise either 120 or 180 credits.
Applicants to conversion programmes must normally have a degree at any level which has not been accredited by the Society (whether in psychology or another subject). For conversion programmes comprising 180 credits, this is the only entry requirement set by the Society, although individual providers may set other requirements that they expect their applicants to meet.
For awards comprising only 120 credits, applicants will need to have previously studied the equivalent of at least 60 credits of psychology at the undergraduate level(level 4 or above; level 7 in Scotland). If you haven’t done 60 credits or more of psychology study, you can usually do a bridging or access course (often a certificate in psychology) first.
A small number of conversion course providers also welcome applicants who have completed a Society‑accredited programme and therefore are already eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership. They typically offer their courses in more specialist areas that may offer interesting further study opportunities for psychology graduates.
How can I check the accreditation status of a degree when applying for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership?
If you’re unsure whether your degree will give you eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, you need to check whether your degree was accredited for your intake year.
Please note:in order to gain eligibility for the GBC, you need to achieve an accredited award, follow any specified pathway detailed on the results page of the search, and gain a 2:2 or above if you started after September 2006.
You must also pass the psychology project in order to be eligible for the GBC.
Following a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Society and the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), those eligible for Graduate Membership of the PSI after having gained an academic award accredited by the PSI are also eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society.
I have a third class degree, would I be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered membership (GBC)?
If you started your degree from 2006 onwards and have obtained a third class, unfortunately you would not be eligible for the GBC and would need to undertake a conversion course.
If you started your degree from 2006 onwards and have obtained a third class, unfortunately you would not be eligible for the GBC and would need to undertake a conversion course.
What does the Graduate Basis for Chartered membership (GBC) mean?
The GBC is a society standard in psychology. It demonstrates attainment of knowledge of core psychology subjects at a standard not less than a UK Bachelor Honours Lower Second Class level.
The GBC provides a basis for progression to society‑accredited postgraduate professional training in psychology for training to become a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol).
#J-18808-Ljbffr