UDPSYCGY - BSc Psychology
Course Specification
Validation status | Validated | |||||||||||
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Highest award | Bachelor of Science | Level | Honours | |||||||||
Possible interim awards | Bachelor of Science, Diploma of Higher Education, Certificate of Higher Education, Bachelor of Science | |||||||||||
Total credits for course | 360 | |||||||||||
Awarding institution | London Metropolitan University | |||||||||||
Teaching institutions | London Metropolitan University | |||||||||||
School | School of Social Sciences | |||||||||||
Subject Area | Psychology | |||||||||||
Attendance options |
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Course leader |
About the course and its strategy towards teaching and learning and towards blended learning/e-learning
The BSc Psychology course provides a specialist programme which enables students to acquire and develop knowledge in each of the core areas of the discipline, along with a wide range of academic and transferable skills.
The teaching and learning strategies employed across the programme are designed :
- stimulate students’ interest in all aspects of behaviour;
- provide an appropriate intellectual challenge at BSc level whilst enabling students to gain the relevant knowledge and skills across the discipline of Psychology
and
- promote students’ self management of the learning process with a view to future training and continuing professional development.
Factors influencing the choice of teaching and learning strategy include the need to:
- enhance students’ communications and IT skills relevant to Psychology;
- develop students’ research skills and their ethical awareness;
- develop students’ problem solving skills;
to respond to variation in students’ learning styles and preferences
and
- to support learning for students in both full-time and part-time mode.
Module teams will ensure that there are opportunities for students to:
- be actively involved in their own learning;
- develop and test psychology-related hypotheses;
- work to deadlines and balance conflicting pressures;
- use appropriate resources and technology available;
- review, evaluate and reflect on their work
and
- to work with others and develop team-working skills.
As well as access to the University wide learning facilities, sychology students will also have access to their own dedicated research laboratories and specialised project support equipment (such as Psychometric tests, Psychophysiological measuring equipment etc).
Course aims
This course aims to provide a specialist programme in Psychology that meets the requirements of the British Psychological Society (BPS) for Graduate Membership and the Graduate Basis for Chartership (a prerequisite for progression to Chartered Psychologist status). In order to achieve this, the programme is designed to ensure that students develop a thorough understanding of the core areas in Psychology (biological, cognitive, developmental, social, individual differences and research methods), are aware of the conceptual and historical context for current theory and knowledge within each of these areas and have an opportunity to choose from a range of different areas of advanced study of psychological theory and application. The teaching, learning and assessment strategy is designed to enable students to develop and demonstrate competency in a wide range of academic and transferable skills within the context of the discipline which will also be invaluable in future employment or training.
Course learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
On completing this course, students are expected to:
- Have acquired knowledge and understanding of the broad areas that constitute psychology as an academic discipline (biological bases of behaviour, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology, individual differences and research methods);
- Understand and be able to explain the empirical basis of psychology and the different approaches that can be adopted in the investigation of human behaviour;
- Understand the ways in which psychological theory is applied in practice and in real world settings
and
- Understand the ethical issues and responsibilities associated with the study and practice of psychology.
Students are also expected to have developed higher order skills which are reflected in their ability to:
- Carry out independent scholarly and empirical research to apply psychological methods, theories and principles to understanding and explaining human behaviour;
- Demonstrate the intellectual skills required to evaluate psychological theory and research, and develop coherent and persuasive arguments about psychology and its application
and
- Demonstrate self-awareness and metacognitive skills including organisation of information, problem solving, communication and decision making .
The overall curriculum is designed to develop students’ transferable graduate skills, along with subject specific skills which will underpin further training and professional practice in psychology.
Key/transferable skills including employability and professional practice
The key transferable skills developed through this programme are the ability to:
- Think critically and evaluate the validity of conclusions based on argument;
- Communicate effectively orally and in writing in a style appropriate to the context;
- Use IT appropriately to search for, analyse and present information;
- Work independently;
- Work as part of a team
and
- Seek out and respond to advice appropriately.
Subject specific practical skills
The subject specific skills developed through this programme are the ability to:
- Use IT to access sources of information and to work with discipline based software;
- Summarise numerical data and test statistical hypotheses using appropriate techniques;
- Apply suitable tools to the analysis of data, interpret the output from analyses appropriately, extract key information from the output and present it in the required style for publication in the psychological literature;
- Communicate complex psychological ideas and analysis;
- Design, plan, organise and deliver an individual research project
and
Interact with research participants appropriately and in accordance with professional guidelines.
Principle QAA benchmark statements
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Subject-benchmark-statement-Psychology.pdf
Assessment strategy
A range of assessment methods will be used in the BSc, with the choice of assessment instrument chosen to test the specified learning outcomes. Overall the strategy is to promote students’ written, oral and research skills within the context of their understanding of psychological theory. At Level 4 assessments seek to encourage students to assimilate and describe theory. At Level 5 assessments require students to critically evaluate the knowledge and theories they have encountered. Students at this level are also required to produce research reports including data analysis and interpretation. At Level 6 assessments test students’ critical knowledge of applied areas of psychology and their ability to be independent researchers.
The course team aims to provide feedback on written (non exam based) work within a three week period from the submission date.
Assessment is the responsibility of the academic staff delivering the module. Assessment is part of the learning process and confirms the outcomes of the learning process. As such, the assessment process is used to provide an insight into learning problems and to thus trigger remedial action. It also provides feedback on curriculum design and delivery and, via the ongoing iterative process of module monitoring, makes a significant contribution to the continued development and improvement of the courses.
Organised work experience, work based learning, sandwich year or year abroad
The programme includes a 15-credit core employment module [PC5050] taken at Level 5. The aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to develop their understanding of the relevance of psychological theory and empirical research to employment issues. Through engagement with a work-based project undertaken as part of a work based experience, this module aims to provide students with the opportunity to explore the application of their knowledge of the psychological material encountered within the curriculum to a question of relevance to their work experience host, and also to develop their skills in time and project management. This module further aims to develop students’ employability skills through the provision of taught sessions of various aspects of employability (e.g., effective self-presentation) and through an assessment pattern designed to develop students’ abilities in effective oral presentation, written communication, and reflective learning.
Course specific regulations
Students taking 15 credit modules at Level 6 must ensure a balanced programme of studies across both semesters [e.g. 15 credit in autumn semester and 15 credit is spring semester].
At level 5 Prerequisites at level 4 are required for the following modules:
Level 5 Module
PC5001 Research Design and Data Analysis in Psychology
Level 4 Prerequisite
PC4008 Experimental Psychology and Research Methods
Level 5 Module
PC5005 Individual Differences and Social Psychology
Level 4 Prerequisite
PC4006 Personality and Social Psychology
Level 5 Module
PC5006 Developmental Psychology & Cognition
Level 4 Prerequisite
PC4007 Cognitive and Developmental Psychology
Level 5 Module
PC5051 Psychobiology and Evolutionary Psychology
Level 4 Prerequisite
PC4005 Study Skills and Introductory Biopsychology
At level 6 Prerequisites at levels 4 and/or 5 are required for the following modules:
Level 6 Module
PC6P01 Psychology Project
Level 4/5 Prerequisites
PC5001 Research Design and Data Analysis in Psychology
Level 6 Module
PC6005 Clinical Neuroscience
Level 4/5 Prerequisites
PC5051 Psychobiology and Evolutionary Psychology
Level 6 Module
PC6050 Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology
Level 4/5 Prerequisites
PC5001 Research Design and Analysis in Psychology
Level 6 Module
PC6051 Forensic Psychology
Level 4/5 Prerequisites
PC5005 Individual Differences and Social Psychology
PC5006 Development Psychology and Cognition
Level 6 Module
PC6054 Counselling Psychology
Level 4/5 Prerequisites
PC5005 Individual Differences and Social Psychology
Level 6 Module
PC6055 Psychology of Learning and Education
Level 4/5 Prerequisites
PC5006 Cognitive and Developmental Psychology
Level 6 Module
PC6057 Cultural and Social Psychology
Level 4/5 Prerequisites
PC5005 Individual Differences and Social Psychology
Modules required for interim awards
The following modules are core-compulsory to gain a BSc Psychology and eligibility for Graduate Membership of the British Psychological Society, and the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC):
PC4005 Study Skills and Introductory Biopsychology
PC4006 Personality and Social Psychology
PC4007 Cognitive and Developmental Psychology
PC4008 Experimental Psychology and Research Methods
PC5001 Research Design and Data Analysis in Psychology
PC5005 Individual Differences and Social Psychology
PC5006 Developmental Psychology & Cognition
PC5051 Psychobiology and Evolutionary Psychology
PC6P01 Project
Students must comply with the British Psychological Society's ethical standards in any course-related activity or assessment. These are covered in the following key documents
http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf
http://www.bps.org.uk/system/files/Public%20files/inf206-guidelines-for-internet-mediated-research.pdf
Failure to comply with appropriate ethical standards, including failure to follow the University’s or School of Psychology’s specific procedures for gaining ethical approval, will result in an allegation of academic misconduct.
Arrangements for promoting reflective learning and personal development
Progress with the development of graduate skills will be articulated to students as they progress through the programme through feedback from tutors and peers enabling them to reflect on their achievement based on the evidence available. At each level identified modules (PC4008, PC5001 and PC6P01) will contain activities and opportunities for students to reflect on their learning process and personal development. Within PC4006, PC5005 and PC6P01 students will have a learning manager allocated. The learning manager will provide guidance and support for creating an independent learner. Other modules will also provide opportunities for this process, e.g. PC4005 provides study skills and reflective practice at the start of their course. Other activities outside of the academic aspect of university life will also contribute to aspects of the development of graduate skills. Students will be encouraged to develop their personal portfolio, to critically review their learning experiences, to set their future personal and academic goals and to evaluate their progress towards these goals.
PDP will be embedded within each module with students given time to reflect on their learning. In PC4005 students will reflect upon and develop their use of oral and written communication skills, skills in identifying, analysing and evaluating information and interpersonal skills. Students will begin to draw up a profile of personal and professional skills, attributes and achievements. At level 5 students have a 15 credit module (PC5050) which provides them with key employability skills and work based experience and learning opportunities. In the final year project (PC6P01), supervisors will initially assist supervisees with the clarifying of the terms of the project, and ethical considerations as well as establishing a timetable for the research and subsequent meetings, directed background reading as well as report format and writing and statistical analysis.
Arrangements on the course for careers education, information and guidance
Students are made aware of the range of careers available to them as psychology graduates from the early stages of the course, but they are also encouraged to keep an open mind to all possibilities until they have gained more knowledge about the different areas of the discipline. In Level 5, via PC5050, students receive a series of career talks presented by professional psychologists working in different specialisms – e.g., Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, Forensic Psychology. These professionals not only provide information about the training paths, but also give an insight into their day-to-day working lives. Prior to making choices about optional modules in 6, students are also given a presentation by the relevant module leaders to explain how particular modules can help to advance their knowledge and link to particular career options and also act as a ‘taster’ for a specialism (e.g., Counselling Psychology, Forensic Psychology).
Other external links providing expertise and experience
All students are eligible for student membership of the BPS and are encouraged to join. This membership provides them with more general information about the psychology community, student conferences, work experience opportunities, further training and careers advice. The School also hosts a number of external speaker events to which all students are invited, along with the specific expertise and advice relating to careers in psychology which is provided throughout their course and embedded within PC5050 (see Section 25)
Professional Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) accreditations & exemptions
This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society, and is the first step towards training as a professional psychologist.
Career opportunities
As your degree will be accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), you'll be able to progress on to postgraduate training to achieve Chartered Psychologist status.
Possible specialist areas include clinical psychology, counselling psychology, forensic psychology, educational psychology, health psychology and occupational psychology.
You'll also develop transferable skills such as report writing, teamwork, time management organisation, IT and numeracy skills, which are valued by employers in a wide range of industries. For example, our graduates have gone on to work as a Support Worker at Creative Support, Trainee Mental Health worker at Highgate Mental Health Centre NHS and Sales Negotiator at Reids of Mayfair.
Entry requirements
In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:
- a minimum of grades BCC in three A levels or minimum grades BC in at least two A levels in academic or business subjects (or a minimum of 104 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma/Diploma; or Advanced Diploma; or Progression Diploma; or Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits)
- English Langauge and Mathematics GCSE at grade C (grade 3 from 2017) or above (or equivalent)
Applicants with relevant professional qualifications or extensive professional experience will also be considered on a case by case basis.
Entry from appropriate foundation and access courses will also be considered.
If you don’t have traditional qualifications or can’t meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing the BSc Psychology Extended Degree.
All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.
Official use and codes
Approved to run from | 2013/14 | Specification version | 1 | Specification status | Validated |
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Original validation date | 01 Sep 2013 | Last validation date | 01 Sep 2013 | ||
Sources of funding | HE FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND | ||||
JACS codes | C800 (Psychology): 100% | ||||
Route code | PSYCGY |
Stage 1 Level 04 September start Offered
Code | Module title | Info | Type | Credits | Location | Period | Day | Time |
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PC4005 | Study Skills and Introductory Biopsychology | Core | 30 | |||||
PC4006 | Personality and Social Psychology | Core | 30 | |||||
PC4007 | Cognitive and Developmental Psychology | Core | 30 | |||||
PC4008 | Experimental Psychology and Research Methods | Core | 30 |
Stage 1 Level 04 January start Not currently offered
Code | Module title | Info | Type | Credits | Location | Period | Day | Time |
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PC4005 | Study Skills and Introductory Biopsychology | Core | 30 | |||||
PC4006 | Personality and Social Psychology | Core | 30 | |||||
PC4007 | Cognitive and Developmental Psychology | Core | 30 | |||||
PC4008 | Experimental Psychology and Research Methods | Core | 30 |
Stage 2 Level 05 September start Offered
Code | Module title | Info | Type | Credits | Location | Period | Day | Time |
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PC5001 | Research Design and Data Analysis in Psychology | Core | 30 | NORTH | AUT+SPR | THU | PM | |
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PC5005 | Individual Differences and Social Psychology | Core | 30 | |||||
PC5006 | Developmental Psychology and Cognition | Core | 30 | |||||
PC5052 | Psychobiology | Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | MON | PM | |
MN5W50 | Creating a Winning Business 1 | Alt Core | 15 | NORTH | SPR | FRI | PM | |
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PC5050 | Psychology and Employment | Alt Core | 15 | NORTH | AUT+SPR | MON | PM |
Stage 3 Level 06 September start Offered
Code | Module title | Info | Type | Credits | Location | Period | Day | Time |
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PC6P01 | Psychology Project | Core | 30 | NORTH | AUT+SPR | WED | PM | |
PC6005 | Clinical Neuroscience | Option | 30 | |||||
PC6006 | Clinical and Health Psychology | Option | 30 | |||||
PC6009 | Special Topics in Personality and Social Psycho... | Option | 15 | NORTH | SPR | TUE | AM | |
PC6050 | Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology | Option | 15 | NORTH | AUT | FRI | PM | |
PC6051 | Forensic Psychology | Option | 15 | NORTH | SPR | MON | PM | |
PC6054 | Counseling Psychology | Option | 15 | NORTH | AUT | WED | AM | |
PC6055 | Psychology of Learning and Education | Option | 15 | |||||
PC6056 | Work Psychology | Option | 15 | NORTH | AUT | THU | AM | |
PC6058 | Evolutionary Psychology | Option | 15 | |||||
PC6060 | Cognition and Emotion | Option | 15 | NORTH | AUT | MON | PM |