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Psychology BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: C800

Untangle behaviour. Unravel mysteries of the mind. Study the science of the brain on this course and achieve a BSc (Hons) Psychology degree accredited by the British Psychological Society.

Overview

Course length: 3 years full-time
Start dates: September 2024
September 2025
Location: Edge Hill University
Example offers: BBB-ABB (A Level) or DDM (BTEC) View full entry criteria
Subject(s): Psychology
Faculty: Arts and Sciences
Department: Psychology
A lecturer addresses a classroom of students in the Law and Psychology building.

Psychology puts every aspect of the brain and our behaviour under the microscope – how we learn, interact and use body language. Accredited by the British Psychological Society, our BSc (Hons) Psychology degree is designed to help you explore concepts and theories of the mind.

You’ll investigate different areas by asking why. Why do mental illnesses occur? Why do we use substances? And we’ll also ask how. How does memory affect our ability to recall a crime? How do you apply psychological theories to the real world?

Developing research skills is vital too. We’ll help you explore the latest methodologies. At the same time, you’ll develop career skills in creativity, critical thinking and communication.

Outside the lecture theatre, look out for exciting opportunities to work with our experts on their latest research projects. Your psychology degree will be taught by experts who are carrying out world-leading research in their field.

Our student-led psychology society brings together people who share a love for the subject. Attend their social events, benefit from peer mentoring and networking opportunities, and hear from unique speakers from across the UK.

British Psychological Society logo

Course features

  • International students can apply

  • Professional accreditation

  • Sandwich year option available

  • Studying abroad option available

Ruby Isserlis psychology

This degree has given me valuable knowledge of the subject area of psychology as well as the ability to think critically and think of ways to answer the still unanswered questions.

Ruby Isserlis

BSc (Hons) Psychology

View student profile
Maddison Barnes holding her BSc (Hons) Psychology dissertation

In a fiercely competitive graduate employment market, any additional experience and recognition I can obtain will help me stand out from the crowd. The placement opportunity has helped me gain experience of working in a professional manner and will allow me to stand out from other candidates when applying for professional roles in the future.

Maddison Barnes

BSc (Hons) Psychology

View student profile

What you'll study

Understanding how theory and research relates to psychology in the real world will be an important part of your first year on our BSc (Hons) Psychology degree. You’ll look at the biology of the brain and how its characteristics influence our perceptual and cognitive abilities, as well as our behaviour.

We’ll also teach you about different areas including developmental and personality psychology. To support your future, you’ll complete a module designed to boost your academic, personal, and interpersonal skills.

Compulsory modules:

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Essential Skills in Applied Psychology
Introduction to Cognitive & Biological Psychology
Introduction to Personality, Social & Developmental Psychology
Investigating Psychology 1
Investigating Psychology 2
Real World Psychology

You’ll take a closer look at the four different areas of psychology – social, developmental, biological and cognitive. You’ll learn how psychology can be applied to occupational, clinical, educational, health and forensic settings.

Building on what you learnt in Year 1 of your degree, we’ll help you become confident in psychological research methods and data analysis. You’ll also have the chance to work alongside a member of staff on their current research project.

Compulsory modules:

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Applying Psychology
Biological Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Research Methods & Data Analysis
Social Psychology

Design, carry out and present your own research project on a topic that reflects your interests and ambitions for your dissertation. As well as exploring personality and individual differences in human behaviour, you’ll also shape your study with optional modules in specialist areas of psychology.

To prepare you for leaving university and taking the first steps in your career, we’ll provide you with opportunities to reflect on your academic, personal and professional development.

Compulsory modules:

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Dissertation
Personality and Individual Differences
Reflections & Future Directions

Three of:

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Applying Psychology to Lifestyle Behaviour
Applied Psychopharmacology
Clinical Psychology and Mental Health
Cognitive Neuroscience
Evolutionary Psychology
Forensic Psychology: Eyewitnesses and Suspects
Foundations for Learning
Learning to Thrive
Mind, Brain & Behaviour: The Foundations of Psychological Explanation
Psychology and the Virtual World
Psychology in the Courtroom
Psychology of Substance Use
Psychology Work Placement
Research Technologies and Tools
Social Neuroscience
Special Educational Needs
Student Motivation and Engagement
Work Psychology

Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.

How you'll study

Our teaching methods vary from traditional style lectures to tutorials, seminars and workshops. There are well-equipped laboratory facilities consisting of IT rooms and research cubicles for conducting experiments. We have a wide range of IT facilities, including experiment generation and statistical packages.

Timetables for your first week are normally available at the end of August prior to enrolment in September. You can expect to receive your timetable for the rest of the academic year during your first week. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.

How you'll be assessed

Understanding how theory and research relates to psychology in the real world will be an important part of your first year on our BSc (Hons) Psychology degree, most modules are assessed by a mixture of examination and coursework though some are assessed solely by coursework. Coursework assignments might be essays, research project reports, portfolios, group presentations, posters, or the critical analysis of research papers. In addition, in Year 3 you complete a dissertation.

Who will be teaching you

Understanding how theory and research relates to psychology in the real world will be an important part of your first year on our BSc (Hons) Psychology degree. Particularly in the areas of thinking and reasoning, educational psychology, work psychology, psychological aspects of substance abuse, health psychology, close relationships and the functioning of working memory.

Team members have been published in major national and international peer reviewed journals such as the British Journal of Psychology, Counselling Psychology Quarterly, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology and The Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.

The Department of Psychology operates a research internship scheme where you may have the opportunity to volunteer to assist with staff research across a range of exciting projects. Previous projects have focused on subjects including eye movements and memory, alcohol and inhibition, autistic traits, attentional bias to pictures and words, personality and offending behaviour, behaviour change and food awareness, multiple perspective taking, the neural underpinnings of action simulation, and the question of whether emojis reveal true emotions.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Typical offer 120-128 UCAS Tariff points, for which no specific subjects are required, plus GCSE English and GCSE Mathematics at Grade C or Grade 4 or above (or equivalent).

Please note, for the purposes of studying psychology, level 2 literacy and numeracy qualifications are not considered as equivalent to GCSE Grade C or Grade 4 in English Language and Mathematics.

Example offers

Qualification Requirement
A Level BBB-ABB.
BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) Distinction, Distinction, Merit (DDM).
T Level Overall grade of Merit.
International Baccalaureate (IB) We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points.
Access to Higher Education Diploma 45 credits at Level 3, for example 24 credits at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit or 30 credits at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations.

Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.

If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.

English language requirements

International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.

If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.

How to apply

Apply full-time

Apply online through UCAS

Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.

International

Apply as an international student

Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Did you know?

If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.

Discover our accommodation

Facilities

Law and Psychology buildingThe £6million Law and Psychology building provides contemporary teaching and learning facilities for BSc (Hons) Psychology students in the Department of Psychology and the School of Law, Criminology and Policing.

The three-storey building includes a 250-seat lecture theatre, seminar and tutorial rooms, and social learning areas which encourage a more informal and interactive style of learning. There are also specially designed laboratory and experimental facilities for psychological research.

Where you'll study

Law and Psychology

Learning resources

Psychology resources include state-of-the-art eye trackers, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) methods, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for examining cognitive functioning and brain activity. Other specialist laboratories include a group testing laboratory, bi-directional observation rooms, a ‘bar simulation laboratory’ (for alcohol research), audio-visual suites and dedicated IT facilities equipped with subject specific software installed to support experimental work.

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Full-Time

£9,250

a year

International

£16,500

a year

The University may administer a small inflationary rise in tuition fees, in line with Government policy, in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.

Your future career

Psychology opens up a range of career paths, so there is no typical next step for graduates. Many work in healthcare, but our graduates work across a range of sectors, including education and sport. Their job titles include everything from psychiatric support worker to wellbeing worker.

Because your BSc (Hons) Psychology degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), you’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), provided the minimum standard of a lower second class honours is achieved. This is the first step towards becoming a chartered psychologist.

However, you might decide to kickstart your career as soon you graduate. Many psychology graduates apply their skills to rewarding roles in:

  • the NHS
  • private healthcare providers
  • public health providers
  • local authorities
  • HM Prison and Probation Services
  • civil service
  • schools, universities and colleges
  • social care providers

It’s important to note that if you want to train as a psychologist, you’ll need to undertake postgraduate education. This undergraduate degree is the perfect first step to becoming a chartered psychologist.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Track changes to this course

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