Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

The overarching aim of the BSc Psychology programmes and the specialist pathways is to provide a comprehensive and coherent understanding of key and cutting-edge aspects of psychological science. Within this general aim, curriculum content reflects the need to meet the programme standards for the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and to: 

• equip students with the intellectual, practical and transferable skills for careers in which psychology provides a relevant foundation;
• develop a range of research skills to enable students to investigate human experience and behaviour and deploy these skills in the conduct and reporting of an independent piece of research;
• foster in students a constructive, critical approach to the evaluation of psychological theory and research, and to relationships between psychology and its cognate disciplines in both academic and applied settings;
• enable students to develop and sustain arguments and solve problems through a conceptually and empirically grounded understanding of psychological topics, and to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to different audiences; and
• promote and provide students with a multi-disciplinary educational experience.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external and internal reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

• British Psychological Society GBC curriculum
• Framework for Higher Education Qualifications
• The subject benchmark statement for Psychology

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: 

K1 - Social psychology: e.g. social cognition, attribution, attitudes, group processes, intergroup relations, culture, close relationships, social constructionism, self and identity, and leadership

K2 - Cognitive psychology: e.g. attention, perception, learning, memory, thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, metacognition, language, consciousness and cognitive neuropsychology

K3 - Individual differences and personality: e.g. personality, psychometrics, intelligence, cognitive style, emotion, motivation, mood, positive psychology, physical and mental health, and diversity

K4 - Developmental psychology: e.g. typical and atypical development across the lifespan, attachment, social relationships, cognitive and language development, and cultural development

K5 - Biological psychology: e.g. biological bases of human and non-human animal behaviour, hormones and behaviour, behavioural genetics, neuroscience, typical and atypical neuropsychology, comparative and evolutionary psychology

K6 - Conceptual and historical issues in psychology: e.g. the study of psychology as a science, social and cultural construction of psychology, conceptual and historical paradigms and models, political and ethical issues in psychology, and integration across multiple perspectives

K7 - Research methods: e.g. research design including qualitative and quantitative methods, ethical considerations, generating hypotheses and research questions, the nature and appropriate analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, psychometrics and measurement techniques, conducting and reporting an empirical project

K8 - The major career pathways through which psychological skills can be professionally developed (including clinical, counselling, health, educational, industrial/organisational, and academic psychology) and the role of psychology in researching, defining and promoting both physical and mental health and wellbeing

Additional Learning Outcomes associated with each programme or specialist pathway include:  

Psychology with Criminology

K9 - The main theoretical approaches within criminology, the debates related to the biological and social/contextual bases of behaviour as well as an understanding of the nature of crime and how relevant agencies and agents respond to it 

Psychology in Education

K9 - The study of learning from a variety of theoretical perspectives, related empirical evidence and the psychological and social factors which influence learners and learning

Sport and Exercise Psychology 

K9 - Methods, theories and empirical findings related to the study of participants in sport and exercise contexts and the role of cognate areas of sport science in influencing the professional work of the practitioner 

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to: 

C1 - Apply and integrate multiple perspectives to psychological issues, recognising that psychology involves a range of research methods, theories, evidence and applications

C2 - Identify and evaluate patterns in behaviour, psychological functioning and experience whilst recognising the inherent variability and diversity of psychological functioning and its significance

C3 - Employ evidence-based reasoning and examine practical, theoretical and ethical issues associated with the range of methodologies

C4 - Critically evaluate psychological theory and research as well as reason scientifically, understand the role of evidence and make critical judgements about arguments in psychology

C5 - Demonstrate systematic knowledge and critical understanding of several specialised areas and/or applications and how a range of influences on psychological functioning are conceptualised across the core areas

C6 – Critically evaluate the merits and limitations of a range of research paradigms, research methods and measurement techniques, including statistics and probability 

Additional Learning Outcomes associated with each programme or specialist pathway include: 

Psychology with Criminology

C7 - Critically evaluate competing explanations for criminological and social problems and apply criminological theory and research to questions in criminology 

Psychology in Education

C7 - Critically evaluate competing explanations for differences in learning outcomes and apply psychological findings to learning contexts within or beyond the classroom

Sport and Exercise Psychology

C7 - Apply knowledge of a range of psychological approaches to an understanding of human behaviour in sport and exercise contexts and identify the role of cognate disciplines of sport and exercise science in informing practical work with sport and exercise participants

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to: 

P1 - Demonstrate substantial competence in research skills through a range of practical activities involving the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data using a variety of psychological tools, including specialist software, laboratory equipment and psychometric instruments

P2 - Pose, operationalise and critique research questions

P3 - Present and evaluate psychological research findings

P4 - Competently initiate, design, conduct and report on an empirically-based research project under appropriate supervision, and recognise its theoretical, practical and methodological implications and limitations

P5 - Apply ethical and safety principles and approval procedures to personal study, particularly with regard to the research project, demonstrating awareness of the ethical context of psychology as a discipline in practice

P6 - Apply psychological knowledge ethically and safely to real world problems 

Additional Learning Outcomes associated with each programme or specialist pathway include: 

Psychology with Criminology

P7 - Analyse and assess criminological findings methodologically and use appropriate analytical methods and research tools in relation to criminological and social problems 

Psychology in Education 

P7 - Analyse and assess psychological findings relevant to educational settings and design an empirical investigation to answer a specific research question relevant to the study of learning 

Sport and Exercise Psychology

P7 - Collect and interpret data when studying participants in various sport and exercise contexts and demonstrate effective interpersonal skills when working with sport and exercise clients

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to: 

T1 - Communicate ideas and research findings by written, oral and visual means

T2 - Interpret and use numerical, textual and other forms of data

T3 – Demonstrate good computer literacy both in facilitating their own learning and in the analysis and presentation of ideas and research findings

T4 - Solve problems by clarifying questions, considering alternative solutions and evaluating outcomes

T5 - Show sensitivity and take account of contextual and interpersonal factors when working in groups and teams

T6 - Undertake self-directed study and project management in order to meet desired objectives and take ownership of their own learning and reflect on and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses for the purposes of future learning

T7 - Draw valid conclusions from various types of evidence related to real-life settings and deploy critical judgement in recognizing the role played by psychological factors  

4. Programme structure

Students must take a total modular weight of 120 credits in each Part with a modular weight of 60 credits in each semester. 

4.1 Part A 

Semester 1

Compulsory Modules

The following are compulsory for all students across all Psychology programmes and specialist pathways. 

Students are required to confirm their chosen programme/pathway. The modules associated with each programme/pathway are outlined below: Psychology (4.1.1), Psychology with Criminology (4.1.2), Psychology in Education (4.1.3) and Sport and Exercise Psychology (4.1.4). 

4.1.1    Psychology 

Semester 2

Compulsory modules 

Optional modules

Students are required to select one 20 credit module from the following: 

4.1.2    Psychology with Criminology  

Semester 2

Compulsory modules 

4.1.3    Psychology in Education 

Semester 2

Compulsory modules 

4.1.4    Sport and Exercise Psychology 

Semester 2

Compulsory modules 

4.2 Part B

Students must take a total modular weight of 120 credits in Part B with a modular weight of 60 credits in each semester. The modules associated with each pathway are outlined below: Psychology (4.2.1), Psychology with Criminology (4.2.2), Psychology in Education (4.2.3) and Sport and Exercise Psychology (4.2.4). 

4.2.1 Psychology

Semester 1

Compulsory modules 

Optional modules

Students on this programme should choose 20 credits from the following modules: 

Semester 2

Compulsory modules 

Optional modules

Students on this programme should choose 20 credits from the following modules: 

4.2.2     Psychology with Criminology

Students on this pathway are required to take the following compulsory modules. Students are required to take these modules in order to qualify for fast track Probational Office Training PQuiP.  

Semester 1

Compulsory modules 

Semester 2

Compulsory modules 

4.2.3     Psychology in Education

Students on this pathway are required to take the following compulsory modules.  

Semester 1

Compulsory modules 

Semester 2

Compulsory modules 

4.2.4     Sport and Exercise Psychology

Students on this pathway are required to take the following compulsory modules with a choice of 20 credits in Semester 2.  

Semester 1

Compulsory modules 

Semester 2

Compulsory modules 

Optional modules

Students on this pathway should choose 20 credits from the following modules: 

4.3     Part C  

Students must take a total modular weight of 120 credits in Part C with a modular weight of 60 credits in each semester. The remaining Part C modules associated with each pathway are outlined below: Psychology (4.3.1), Psychology with Criminology (4.3.2), Psychology in Education (4.3.3) and Sport and Exercise Psychology (4.3.4). 

4.3.1     Psychology 

Semesters 1 and 2

Compulsory module   

Optional modules

Students should choose a further 80 credits (two modules in semester 1 and two modules in semester 2) from the list of optional modules outlined in 4.3.5.

4.3.2     Psychology with Criminology

Semesters 1 and 2

Compulsory module  

Semester 1

Compulsory module 

Semester 2

Compulsory module 

Optional modules

Students on this pathway should choose a further 40 credits of optional modules (one module in semester 1 and one module in semester 2) from those outlined in 4.3.5.

4.3.3     Psychology in Education

Semesters 1 and 2

Compulsory module  

Semester 1

Compulsory module 

Semester 2

Compulsory module 

Optional modules

Students on this pathway should choose a further 40 credits of optional modules (one module in semester 1 and one module in semester 2) from those outlined in 4.3.5.

4.3.4     Sport and Exercise Psychology 

Semesters 1 and 2

Compulsory module  

Semester 1 

Compulsory module 

Semester 2

Compulsory module 

Optional modules

Students on this pathway should choose a further 40 credits of optional modules (one module in semester 1 and one module in semester 2) from those outlined in 4.3.5.

4.3.5     Part C – Optional Degree Modules 

Students should choose from the following optional modules such that they are taking a total of 120 credits in Part C with 60 credits in each Semester: 

4.4       Part I (4-year/8-semester programme only) 

Part I (for programmes with DPS or DIntS only)

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

In order to progress from Part A to Part B, from Part B to C, and to be eligible for the award of an Honours degree, candidates must satisfy the minimum credit requirements set out in Regulation XX and Regulation XI for programmes with DPS/DInts (if applicable).

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the purposes of Final Degree Classification

Candidates' final degree classification will be determined on the basis of their performance in degree level Module Assessments in Parts B and C.  The percentage mark for each Part will be combined in the ratio Part B 40%: Part C 60% to determine the final percentage mark.