Psychology BSc(Hons)

Course structure

Modules generally involve weekly lectures followed by seminars or practical sessions. These run alongside structured learning activities and independent study.

You will study all the major branches of psychology: developmental, cognitive, social and biological.

Year 1 introduces you to psychology and its key areas such as developmental, applied, wellbeing and society. You will learn the foundations of research, which you will later apply to your own research project.

Year 2 covers the BPS curriculum in more depth. You will also have the option to take a community placement, putting theory in to practice and making key contacts in the sector.

In your final year, you will conduct research on an area of personal interest for your empirical dissertation and you will be able to choose from a number of options informed by your future career ambitions.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up-to-date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you will be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.

Year 1

In your first year, you will be introduced to various aspects of psychology.

Modules

• Psychology and Society

  This module will introduce you to the social history of psychology, and seeks to embed psychology within the social and historical contexts of its development, critically exploring how these contexts have shaped the aims, methods and outcomes of psychological theory and research.

  The module will introduce you to key issues, debates and approaches in psychology, as well as help you to develop essential skills for higher education study, including reflexive learning, critical analysis, team working and independent study.

• Introduction to Applied Psychology

  You will be introduced to the basic approaches and theories within psychology and consider issues of application in the field.

• Introduction to Psychological Research Methods

  This module will introduce you to the range of research methods used in psychology and will enable you to develop the skills necessary to collect and analyse quantitative data. It also provides an introduction to qualitative data collection and analysis.

• Developmental Psychology

  The module will introduce you to key theories and topics in child development and lifespan development. You'll examine issues from infancy through middle-childhood to adulthood to explore how people develop through time. The module provides an historical, biological, social and cultural context for studying child development, and life-span development to help you frame the theoretical perspectives presented.

• Contemporary Social Inequalities

  This module will provide you with the theoretical and conceptual tools to confront normative/normalising explanations of difference and inequality. You'll understand the ways that ‘differences’ and inequalities are formed and their consequences for everyday lived realities.

• The Psychology of Wellbeing

  This module will introduce you to the notion of psychological well-being and you'll consider research that highlights the social and psychological factors that can lead to happy and fulfilling lives. This domain is often associated with ‘positive psychology’ but in this module you will be developing a critical stance that goes beyond this perspective accommodating social, cultural, environmental and political determinants of wellbeing, life satisfaction and quality of life.

Year 2

You will build upon the skills and knowledge you have acquired in your first year. You can choose to take a community placement which runs throughout the year, giving you a sustained period of work with a community organisation to help increase your employability while you study. There’s also the opportunity for international study through our exchange programme.

Core modules

• Psychology of Security
• Psychology, Mental Health and Distress
• Psychology, Cognition and Social Worlds 
• Psychology, the Body and Individual Differences
• Psychological Research Methods

Options*

• Community Engagement: Theory Into Practice (placement)
• Community Participation and Development (placement)
• Critical Analysis
• Childhood, Psychology and Society

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

In your final year you will complete a dissertation project that will reflect your particular interest in the subject. To help you produce the best dissertation possible, you will have additional access to the lab facilities and support from our technicians.

You will also choose option modules that will allow you to further specialise in the areas that interest you the most.

Modules

• Psychology dissertation

Options*

• Forensic Psychology
• Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Childhood
• Cyberpsychology 
• Ecopsychology
• Critical Community Psychology
• Critical Addiction Studies 
• Developing a Therapeutic Relationship 
• Mental Disorder and Anthropology 
• Sexualities
• Psychology of Poverty
• Psychology of the Real World

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Facilities

Our multi-purpose Psychology Resource Laboratories have a range of high-tech facilities including:

• an applied cognition lab
• a creative methods lab for interactive experiments and focus groups
• experimental booths for one-to-one computer-based experiments
• mobile eye tracker, eye-tracking glasses and psychophysiology measuring kit.

You will also benefit from an open-access teaching space and a dedicated psychology technician who will support your experiments.

Take a virtual tour of our psychology labs and follow our psychology lab blog run by our technicians.

Placement

In your second year the Community Engagement option module offers the opportunity to engage with a local not-for-profit organisation and gain valuable hands-on experience. It is a great opportunity to develop your vocational skills and gain practical work experience while contributing to the wider community. 

You will spend around 50 hours volunteering with the organisation. This will be supported and underpinned by organisational training, tutor support and by in-class teaching covering theories of community engagement, organisational structure and culture, and reflective learning. 

We will help you find a placement that is right for you from the range of local organisations who choose to work with our students.

The module features guest lectures delivered by external speakers drawn from the wider community. You will also produce a portfolio where you will reflect on your experiences and learning, with reference to practice examples and reflective theory.

Meet the team

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Course fees

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Applied Social Science are listed here.

• For some assessments you may be required to print large format posters for presentations at a cost of £5–£10 per poster.
• Most coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes and should budget up to £100 for printing.
• Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £100 to buy your own copies.
• Some courses include an optional placement module for which students will need to cover the costs of travel to and from the placement and DBS checks as required.
• For the Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counselling PGDip and Psychotherapeutic Psychodynamic Counselling PGDip, the following course-related costs are not included in the tuition fee:
  • Supervision fees: £1,170 for each full year. Estimated based on £45 per hour with fortnightly meetings. In some agencies, supervision will be provided at no cost. Where students have to pay, the cost will only begin when supervision begins.
  • Personal counselling/therapy: £2,000–£2,800 over the course. Estimated based on £40 per hour.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2020–21.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Maps