BSc (Hons) Psychology

Our BSc Psychology will give you the skills needed to pursue exciting career opportunities, ranging from clinical psychology and forensics to government policy and elite sports coaching.

Introducing you to key psychological practices, our psychology degree gives you an expert understanding of everything from cognitive and social psychology to biological and developmental psychology. You’ll also gain an in-depth knowledge of human behaviour, which will open up a wide range of career opportunities and specialist study routes.

Our course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), which means you’ll gain Graduate Basis of Chartered Membership once you complete your BSc Psychology. An essential step for qualifying as a psychologist, our course also equips you with a professional skillset that opens up career doors in areas including health, education, forensics, coaching and business.

We’ve got psychology specialist laboratories and counselling practice rooms that, when available to access, will let you develop the practical skills needed to succeed in the field. You’ll be guided by teaching staff who are leading researchers in areas including health psychology, forensic psychology and qualitative research. Even in eventualities where we are unable to be in the laboratory or classroom together, we aim to use virtual tools to help you develop key practical skills.

Between the second and third years of study, you'll be encouraged to undertake an expenses-based year-long work placement. This will give you the chance to apply your knowledge, develop practical skills, and boost the chances of employment after you graduate. A range of established organisations are involved with our placement course, including Great Ormond Hospital School, St Georges Hospital, Priory Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, Institute of Education, University College London, Holloway Prison, and the Metropolitan Police. We also have provisions in place to help you acquire the employment skills you need

We are regularly reviewing and updating our courses to ensure you have the best learning experience. We are taking what we've learnt during the pandemic and enhancing our teaching methods with new and innovative ways of learning. Please regularly check this section of the course page for updates.

You will be taught through a combination of Lectures, Seminars, laboratory practicals, workshops, and tutorials. Lectures allow you to gain and develop knowledge in specific subjects. You can discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures and practicals in smaller seminar groups usually made up of 25 students. In addition, you can arrange one-to-one sessions with your personal tutor or module leader. You will also have access to and use resources to support your learning including; specialist software and dedicated laboratories throughout your course.

During your first year (level 4), your weekly timetable will typically consist of:

When not attending your teaching, sessions mentioned above, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and examinations. Your independent learning is supported by the facilities available including the library and Study Hub, Laptop hire, and online materials in MyUniHub (see student support section below).

Your overall workload will include the activities listed above, and with each credit being completed equating to 10 hours of study time (You will complete 120 credits per level of study, which are broken down into modules of typically 30 credits). While your actual hours may depend on the optional module that you choose (if available), the following information will give you an indication of how much time is allocated to teaching and independent study on your course;

Level 4

22% of your time is spent in timetabled Teaching and learning - typical structure activity:

Level 5

23% of your time is spent in timetabled Teaching and learning - typical structure activity:

Level 6

17% of your time is spent in timetabled Teaching and learning - typical structure activity:

The course will provide you with opportunities to test your knowledge and understanding informally through ‘formative’ assessment. This will be completed before your formal ‘summative’ assessment which will count towards your final marks. Each module normally contains at least one piece of formative assessment from which you will receive feedback from your tutor. Formative assessments are developmental and any grade you receive from formative assessment does not count towards your final marks.

There is formal ‘summative’ assessment as part of the module, usually towards the end of the module. Assessment methods could include practical tests, a range of coursework assignments including essays, laboratory reports, case studies, consultancy reports, portfolios, and your main final year project. The grades from the summative assessments count towards your module mark. Assessments are reviewed annually and may be updated based on student feedback, to suit content or based on feedback from an external examiner.

The balance of assessment will depend on the modules that you complete throughout your course. The approximate percentage of the course which is assessed by coursework is outlined below: