Course summary
Our four year BSc (Hons) Psychology and Business Joint Honours course with integrated placement year will enable you to benefit from a unique mix of expert teaching, and real world placement opportunities that will help you to develop the skills and insight needed for a variety of careers. Psychology is a fascinating subject that aims to understand why people behave in the way that they do, by considering the complex interplay between biological, psychological, environmental, cultural, and social influences on behaviour. Studying psychology at Aston University will provide you with the basis for understanding why people act in certain ways, and insight into methods of changing their behaviour. Studying business will provide you with breadth of business knowledge including the functions of management and science of decision-making. Psychology and Business are an ideal combination of complementary disciplines, with Psychology providing you with an understanding of the foundations of human behaviour, which can then be applied to Business contexts, such as managing and motivating the workforce, making effective business decisions, and communicating effectively with customers. Likewise, studying Business will enable you to understand psychological knowledge and theories in the context of a real-world setting. Accredited as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS). This accreditation is the first step you’ll need to become a Chartered Psychologist if you wish to take this path. This means that, not only will you have the right preparation and knowledge, but the right accreditations for a successful career as a psychologist too. On successful graduation from the course (this includes the completion of a work placement, appropriate choice of final year modules, and payment of the appropriate membership fee) you will also be eligible to become an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and be permitted to use the letters Assoc. CIPD after your name. Studying psychology and business at Aston gives you the opportunity to complete a professional placement year, in the UK, or even overseas. Taking a placement year gives you valuable life experience in the context of working alongside professionals in a working environment. You will gain genuine practical work experience that is invaluable in developing an appreciation of issues such as office politics, which cannot be replicated in the lecture room. Such an experience is both personally enriching and valued by future employers. Key course benefits:
- This course is one of only a few undergraduate degrees in the UK to offer both a professional psychology and business accreditation: British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
- Our integrated placement year will give you the opportunity to gain valuable real-wold experience, setting your studies in the context of a working environment, designed to boost your future employment prospects. Placements can be taken in a psychology or related professional setting in both the UK and abroad.
- Aston is ranked 2nd in the UK for Health Professions (Guardian University Guide, 2022).
- In the Top 25 in the UK graduate prospects for Psychology (Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2022).
- Ranked in the Top 15 in the UK for Psychology graduate salaries one year after graduation (Longitudinal Graduate Outcomes data, 2021).
- Learn in a research rich environment. Aston is ranked in the Top 10 for research quality in Psychology (Complete University Guide 2022).
Modules
Year 1 Study a mixture of key psychology and business topics from biological and social psychology, to organisational behaviour and accounting for business. Core modules: Key Skills in Psychology I, Key Skills in Psychology II, Biological and Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Social Psychology, Introduction to Organisational Behaviour, Introduction to Marketing Management, Introductory Accounting for Business, and Introduction to Human Resource Management (HRM). Year 2 Expand on the knowledge you gained during your first year and delver deeper into a range of specialist areas across the two specialties. Core modules: Research Methods and Data Analysis, Applied Psychology and Professional Skills, Individual Differences, Health and Personality, Cognition and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Employee Resourcing, Psychology and Work, Developing Creativity, and Effective Teamwork. Placement year The integrated placement year is an exciting opportunity to gain valuable career boosting experience. You’ll be able to apply what you have learnt so far and set your studies in a real world context of a working environment alongside professionals. Final year In addition to completing your final year project, you will study a series of core modules as well as getting the opportunity to select from a range of optional modules in both psychology and business topics. Core modules: Final Year Project, Social Psychology, Lifespan Development, Strategic HRM, and Employment Law for HRM. For more information, please visit our website.
Assessment method
Our close employer links and focus on practical experiences to transfer to the workplace means you’ll get a blend of learning and teaching experiences that will leave you well quipped for your future career. You will encounter a variety of learning opportunities, including: lectures practical sessions interactive workshops and tutorials group work. There is a much stronger emphasis on reading and on your own private, independent study than at school or college. To help you manage your learning, we set out your work for the year in an online student guide. This includes full details of all modules including week-by-week lecture breakdowns, reading lists and all coursework assignments for the year with the relevant deadlines. Each year of study is worth 120 credits, with each credit equivalent to 10 learning hours. The learning hours may include but are not limited to lectures, seminars, tutorials, lab sessions, practicals, online activity, reading, other independent study, reflecting on assignment feedback, field trips and work placements. You will be assessed throughout the course via wide range of assessments linked to learning outcomes. These include: class tests/end of year examinations (unseen essay, short answer or multiple choice questions) essays research reports (group or individual) presentations statistics assignments oral presentations.
Professional bodies
Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.
- British Psychological Society
- Personnel and Development, Chartered Institute of
How to apply
25Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- CN81
- Institution code:
- A80
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
Admissions Review Process Whilst the grades listed here are our entry requirements, we understand that predicted grades are only an estimate. We will therefore consider applicants with predicted grades that fall below these entry requirements if the application is of a high standard (however, initial offers will not be lower than stated above). The information contained on this website details the typical entry requirements for this course for the most commonly offered qualifications. Applicants with alternative qualifications may wish to enquire with the relevant admissions teams prior to application whether or not their qualifications are deemed acceptable. For less commonly encountered qualifications this will be judged on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the academic admissions tutor. Offerholders Visit Days Once you have received an offer, you will be invited to an Offerholders Visit Day to discover more about the course and Aston University.
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/psychology-and-business-bsc/
Unistats information
Operated by the Office for Students
Student satisfaction
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The student satisfaction data is from students surveyed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| England | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
| International | £20100 | Year 1 |
Additional fee information
For Sandwich courses the placement fee is £1250 for Home/UK students and £2,500 for International students.
* Please note that the tuition fees stated are for 2023 entry. 2024 tuition fees are presently unavailable and will be published on this website at the earliest opportunity.
**The latest information relating to EU students and tuition fees for 2023 can be found on the UCAS website at: https://www.ucas.com/finance/finance-international-and-eu-students.
***The United Kingdom government has confirmed that European Union (EU), other European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals commencing academic courses in England from August 2021 will no longer be eligible for home fee status.
^^Tuition fees for students are reviewed annually and may increase in subsequent years in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI) to take account of the University’s increased costs of delivering the Programme. Any such increase shall always be in accordance with the law.
Provider information
Aston University, Birmingham
Aston Triangle
Birmingham
B4 7ET