Course content
The course emphasises the application of psychological knowledge to everyday life and experience. We will teach you about the relevance of a broad range of psychology to a wide range of contemporary issues, and you will learn through a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials, debates and practicals.
As well as subject skills and knowledge, you will develop highly transferrable skills that are valued by employers in communication, problem solving, interpersonal skills, numeracy, teamwork, critical thinking, computing and independent learning.
A crucial part of becoming a psychologist is learning to understand, conduct, and analyse scientific research. As with all high-quality undergraduate psychology degrees, this means our courses feature modules that focus on teaching these skills. Practical experience with industry-standard SPSS statistics software teaches students to answer a wide variety of research questions by interrogating complex datasets. We take great care in closely guiding students through this learning process (via small group teaching, group work with peers, support clinics and step-by-step guides) supporting our students in preparation for the increasingly data-driven world.
Professional body accreditation
Accredited against the requirements for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
We continuously update our course modules to ensure our curriculum reflects the latest industry trends and insights. Our module content is refined in collaboration with professional and regulatory bodies and partners.
As such, this course is currently undergoing re-accreditation with The British Psychological Society (BPS), with confirmation expected before September 2027.
Modules
The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module where available.
Growing And Changing
The module will introduce you to aspects of development and change over the lifespan. You will explore key developmental stages for example infancy and adolescence and will consider some of the issues that arise from current psychological research in this field. Teaching sessions will focus on cognitive and social development in childhood, adulthood and old age. You will be introduced to appropriate methodologies in psychology across the lifespan.
Module code: PSYC40631
Becoming A Researcher 1
How do you go from questions about human behaviour to providing scientific explanations? In this module, you will learn the core skills that underpin psychological research. Through lectures, hands-on workshops and guided activities, you will design studies, collect data, and analyse results using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Youll explore how statistics helps us to understand real-world outcomes, how to uncover deeper meaning from interviews and texts, and how ethical and open-science principles shape high-quality research.You will put your knowledge to use in a research project, where you will complete a mini quantitative project and design a qualitative follow-up study. The module will not only equip you with practical quantitative and qualitative research skills, but with an understanding of what valid scientific investigation, analysis and conclusions look like and the confidence to apply this understanding to the information (and disinformation) we encounter every day.
Module code: PSYC40628
Foundations In Psychology
Are you ready to gain insights into the fundamental concepts, principles and classic theories that inform some of the core areas in modern psychology? In this module you will be introduced to some of the key psychological perspectives to provide you with a foundation that you can continue to build on throughout your future studies.
Module code: PSYC40629
Applying Psychology
How can psychology help you understand and solve real life challenges? In this module, you will explore the applications of core areas in psychology including social psychology, psychobiology, individual differences, developmental and cognitive psychology. You will engage with contemporary debates with topics refreshed regularly to reflect the forefront of the discipline. You will learn about their contextual and historical influences, and gain experience using psychological experiment and survey design tools. This module equips you with the knowledge and skills essential for understanding and evaluating real-life issues and questions from a psychological perspective.
Module code: PSYC40627
Steps To Success 1
This module will be the start of your PDP and career planning process and you will track your development as you proceed through your degree. On this module you will learn and reflect on your academic and digital skill development and the module will act as one of the main academic mentoring support mechanisms at Level 4. Personal development sessions will help you to connect your studies with future vocations, as you will assess your current skills and identify skills for further development based on your identified career plans. Your skills analysis will then be used to enable you to plan future careers pathways that fit your skills set and interests and from this you will explore opportunities that will help you proceed in one of your identified career directions.
Module code: PSYC40835
Contemporary Issues In Psychology
Psychology sits at the heart of understanding the complex issues shaping our world today and this module brings those challenges into focus. You wont just learn about contemporary problems; youll discover how psychological theory and research can be used to understand and address them. This module shows how psychology can make a tangible difference in everyday life - for example, by exploring designing dementia-friendly environments to tackling cyberbullying, and from understanding rising mental-health needs to using technology to enhance wellbeing.Along the way, you'll build key knowledge and skills that will elevate your studies and future employability- this may include critical thinking, clear communication, and real-world problem-solving. This is your chance to explore the cutting edge of psychology and learn how to apply it where it matters most.
Module code: PSYC50837
Developmental And Biological Psychology Across The Lifespan
The module takes a life-span perspective covering a range of typical and atypical developments from prenatal to ageing. You will learn about cognitive, emotional and socially typical and atypical development. Special attention will be given to the biological underpinnings of typical and atypical development.
Module code: PSYC50839
Steps To Success 2
This module will continue your personal development planning (PDP) and career planning process, and it will act as one of the main support mechanisms in Level 5. You will receive support from your academic mentor and the University careers team to put your action plan into place by engaging in a real-world, tutor-approved personal development opportunity such as volunteering, work experience or completion of a short course . You will continue to work on your three identified life/career plans by pinpointing gaps in your knowledge/skills and preparing an action plan to achieve these. By the end of this module, you will be able to reflect on your 3 life plans and be able to assess your next steps.
Module code: PSYC50843
Psychology Option Choice 1
What do you find fascinating about Psychology? In this module, you will be given the exciting opportunity to shape and personalise your learning by specialising in a distinct area of psychology. This could include understanding how psychology can be applied to a range of contemporary real-world issues, or working with a research active member of staff to gain real-world experience of psychological research, for example. With different areas of specialism to choose from, the module topics will reflect contemporary developments in the field and expertise of staff.
Module code: PSYC50842
Becoming A Researcher 2
How do psychologists explore, analyse and understand patterns of behaviour? In this module you will continue to advance your knowledge of quantitative research methods in psychology and apply these to topics within the area of psychology. This module will also introduce you to the theoretical underpinnings of qualitative research approaches and provide you with experience of conducting and analysing qualitative research.
Module code: PSYC50835
Society And The Mind
Learning about psychology is one thing but learning how to use psychology is quite another! In this module you will explore how key theories and ideas in social and cognitive psychology are used to tackle important issues in society. For instance, what tools does psychology offer us for combating prejudice and discrimination? How can we use psychological theory to prevent fatalities in car accidents? You will have the opportunity to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will not only help you understand how and why we behave as we do but will be key for employability following your degree.
Module code: PSYC60840
Psychology Project
The Psychology Project is an exciting opportunity for you to apply understanding of psychological theory and research methods to answer a specific research question of your choice. During the module, you will become an expert by considering the previous research relating to the topic that you are interested in, this will lead to your development of your research question and choice of methods. With support, and once ethical approval has been gained you will then carry out your project. With the support of your supervisor and some taught sessions you will develop advanced skills in literature searching, research design and planning, data collection, data analysis, research reporting and in reflecting on the research process.
Module code: PSYC60839
Psychology Option Choice 2
In this module, you will be given the exciting opportunity to shape and tailor your learning by specialising in two distinct areas of psychology. With a choice of specialisms this module allows you to explore topics and become an expert in areas of contemporary developments in the field and expertise of staff.
Module code: PSYC60838
Applying Psychology In The Contemporary World
Can you spot psychology in the real world?This module explores how psychological theory and research are applied across a variety of everyday settings and situations. You will examine the evidence underpinning different areas of psychology and discover how psychological insights are used - sometimes subtly - by audiences outside the discipline.Topics vary each year, but indicative content includes exploring how physical spaces are designed to influence behaviour and emotion, or the techniques companies use to persuade us to buy their products.This module will help you develop the skills to identify, understand, and critically evaluate the many real-world contexts in which psychological theory is applied.
Module code: PSYC60833
Steps To Success 3
This module will act as one of the main support mechanisms in Level 6. You will be assigned a L6 supervisor/academic mentor who will support you in further developing your career/life plans. You will be supported in working on a series of tasks designed to help you in preparing for graduation; example tasks include developing a CV, personal statement and graduate LinkedIn profile. Tasks might vary each year to reflect the employability and graduate needs of our students. University Careers sessions will be provided in taught sessions to help you prepare for graduation and your future plans.
Module code: PSYC60841
Progression routes to masters