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Psychology (4 year sandwich) at Aston University, Birmingham - UCAS

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2024 - 2025
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Aston University, Birmingham has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework.These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

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Course summary

Our four year BSc (Hons) Psychology course with integrated placement year 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. This academic discipline encompasses a wide range of topics including: how changes in the brain influence behaviour, why false memories occur, why people behave differently when they are in a group, how language influences thinking, how we learn to understand other’s intentions, how psychological distress can be alleviated, why we identify with some people and not others, how subconscious processes influence our behaviour, and how our thinking develops as we grow from children to adults. By choosing to study at Aston you will gain a degree accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), have the opportunity to complete a career-enhancing placement in the UK or internationally, and be taught by leading experts from a range of specialist psychological fields. Key course benefits:

  • Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and confers eligibility for the Graduate Membership of the BPS, which is vital for students who wish to ultimately train as a professional psychologist (clinical, educational, forensic, occupational etc) . It is also the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
  • 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).
Placements Studying Psychology at Aston provides the opportunity to take a psychology or a related professional placement year in the UK or overseas. Taking a placement year gives you valuable life experience in the context of working alongside professionals in a working environment and helps you to develop new skills and abilities. They are both personally enriching and highly valued by future employers. Recent students at Aston have completed a range of fascinating placements, both in the UK and abroad. For example:
  • undertaking a study exchange in South Australia
  • being a research assistant in neuropsychology in Brazil
  • being a special constable in the police force
  • offering mental health support and counselling for a social support charity
  • shadowing clinical psychologists in an NHS trust
All students will receive specialist support and supervision for their specific placement. There is an overall placement tutor for the year group, and students are also allocated an individual placement tutor. Students who enter placements in the NHS may be required to pay for DBS checks and occupational health checks. We no longer offer a Foundation Programme. If you select Year 0 on your application form, this will be amended to Year 1 at the admissions review stage.

Modules

Year 1 Studying the key topics that will form the basis of your psychology education, you’ll learn how to articulate your gained knowledge of core theories and concepts and discover more about the possible graduate career pathways open to you. Core modules: Key Skills in Psychology I, Key Skills in Psychology II, Biological and Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Social Psychology, Foundations of Contemporary Psychology, and Introduction to Clinical Psychology. In addition you will select two optional modules. Year 2 Build on the core grounding you gained in your first year, as well as being introduced to exciting new subject areas such as lifespan development and cognitive neuropsychology. You’ll gain communication and critical thinking skills, along with developing your ability to use a wide range of statistical and qualitative research methods.Core modules: Research Methods and Data Analysis, Applied Psychology and Professional Skills, Social Psychology, Brain and Behaviour, Lifespan Development, Individual Differences and Personality, Cognition and Cognitive Neuropsychology. In addition, you will select one optional module. Placement year Your opportunity to gain valuable career boosting experience by setting your studies in a real-world context of a working environment alongside professionals. Final year You will select and complete eight specialist modules that fit your interests, and conduct a research project in a specialist area of your choice with support from our expert psychology staff. For more information, please visit our website.

Assessment method

You will encounter a variety of learning opportunities, including: lectures practical sessions interactive workshops and tutorials group work. At university, there is a much stronger emphasis on private reading and independent study than at school or college. However, we are here to support you in making this transition and to help you manage your learning. For example we set out your work for the year in an online student guide, which 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. You will be assessed throughout the course. A wide range of assessments linked to learning outcomes are used, including: 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

How to apply

31Jan

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:
C801
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-bsc/

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
79%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
93%
Go onto work and study

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 £20700 Year 1

Additional fee information

The placement fee is £1250 for Home/UK students and £2,500 for International students. For Home students: Tuition fees for UK/Home students may change in line with government policy. When undertaking a placement year, a placement year fee applies. For International students: The International students fee is a fixed annual fee for the duration of the Programme, except whilst on placement when a placement year fee applies **The latest information relating to EU students and tuition fees for 2024 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.
Psychology (4 year sandwich) at Aston University, Birmingham - UCAS