PTPSYGDL - Psychology for Graduates (by Distance Learning)

This Distance Learning course delivers introductory material in Psychology, equivalent to Level 4 of the single honours BSc Psychology. The audience for the course are graduates from non-psychology disciplines.

The course takes advantage of the University’s virtual learning environment (WebLearn), and staff experience in using this, in order to deliver online material to students. In addition to lecture material, students are able to utilise self-test material to gauge the extent of their learning and to enhance their learning.

The University Certificate in Psychology for Graduates provides a qualification for entry for the MSc Course in Psychology or other specialised Psychology postgraduate courses for graduate students who have not previously studied psychology at degree level. The Postgraduate Diploma provides a qualification which meets the requirements of the British Psychological Society for the Graduate Basis for Chartership (a prerequisite for subsequent progression to Chartered Psychologist status via accredited training in a professional area of psychology).

Specifically, the University Certificate in Psychology for Graduates course aims to:

1. provide graduate students who have not studied psychology at degree level with a programme that ensures they are introduced to, and develop a knowledge of a broad range of areas and approaches in psychology

2. fully utilise the students’ capacity for independent learning acquired from their first degree course.

The following learning outcomes incorporate and depend on systematic understanding of the key aspects of the knowledge base of psychology, including a coherent and detailed knowledge of some specialist areas in depth.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. describe theories and models from the topics of biological psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, individual differences, and social psychology;
2. describe the historical development of theories and perspectives in these areas;
3. explain the relationship of empirical evidence to theories in these areas;
4. explain the rationale behind experimental research methods;
5. conduct some basic statistical analyses;
6. produce a research methods report in the format used by psychology journals.

Module Code

PC4101DL
PC4102DL
PC4103DL
PC4104DL
PC4105DL
PC4106DL

Learning Outcomes LO1 - LO6

This is a Level 4 60-credit pre-entry course for graduates who do not have sufficient Psychology at UG level who wish to undertake the BPS-accredited Masters in Psychology. Final exams are in the university exam periods in January (part-time) and May (part-time and full-time).

The six modules provide an introduction to core BPS knowledge areas: Biological bases of behaviour, Cognitive psychology, Developmental psychology, Individual differences, Social psychology, and Research methods. All modules are delivered entirely online.

The materials include presentation slides with accompanying audio, self-test quizzes, and a textbook that can be accessed online via the library catalogue.
All assessment is online too: most modules have summative short-answer tests during the semester and summative multiple-choice question (MCQ) tests at the end of the semester.

There are formative assessments in the form of mock MCQ tests and in other formats.

The module Research Methods requires to demonstrate their understanding of empirical investigation, and especially data analysis, in two practical reports that follow the format of psychology journal articles.

All modules are core-compulsory for the Psychology University Certificate for Graduates.

The course is a short pre-entry course to be taken by graduate students who will already have developed the attributes of students at this level. The course therefore provides students with the opportunity to learn about the key areas of psychology and to gain 60 credits in order to enter some course that confer the Graduate Basis of Chartership (GBC) by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

This course is suitable as an extension to an existing professional qualification, e.g. teachers who work already in a professional context of a school, or managers who work in HR with a business degree, may want to know more about the psychological processes and motives that underlie human behaviour.

The course is also leading towards a professional pathway as a psychologist by giving access conversion courses conferring the Graduate Basis of Chartership (GBC) by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Graduates of the course can progress to the Psychology PG Dip or Psychology MSc. This will allow you to progress to a postgraduate professional training programme in an area of psychology including forensic, clinical, health, educational, occupational and counselling psychology.

You will be required to have:

• a degree with at least lower second class honours (or equivalent)
• English language and Mathematics GCSEs at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent)

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.