About Psychology And English (joint Honours) BA (hons) in University of Northampton

This Joint Honours course introduces you to a well-established Psychology course and is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)*, which is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist. This course will help you analyse and understand human behaviour, thought and emotions from many different psychological outlooks. By studying Psychology combined with English, you will get an introduction to a fascinating range of literary texts and periods, which will allow students to develop their skills as a thinker, reader, writer and critic.

*Accreditation applicable to Undergraduate Single Honours Psychology degrees and Joint Honours degrees where Psychology is the major subject.

We will support you to achieve your career and study ambitions, which is why if you complete our Employability Plus Gold programme or Changemaker Gold certificate alongside your studies and if you haven’t secured full-time employment 12 months after graduating* we will secure a three – six month paid internship for you, or support you into postgraduate study.

Course Details

By choosing to study these subjects there is a higher level of flexibility in deciding your future employability pathway. This course is designed to enthuse and inspire you, broadening your knowledge of Psychology whilst fine tuning your understanding of English Literature. Both courses are taught by an enthusiastic and experienced team with substantial research and teaching experience.

You will learn new ways of understanding how and why people think and act as they do. They are also equipped with transferable, critical and analytical skills to enhance their employability. The course offers considerable flexibility and choice, whilst developing  your knowledge with a comprehensive and thorough understanding of English Literature from the performance poetry of the Early Middle Ages to contemporary literature. The aim of this course is to allow students to develop their own research interests through a wide range of optional modules and a final year dissertation. You will develop a critical understanding and high level of professional practice skills in Psychology. In the English section of the course you will engage with texts through extensive reading and studying the intellectual and historical contexts within literature. Ideas can be shared and developed through lectures, seminar discussions and group projects.

Year One

You will be introduced to the core disciplines that underpin the academic analysis of both subjects.

Psychology modules introduce the major approaches to understanding human behaviour: social, cognitive, biological and developmental, and personality psychology. You will acquire skills in the design and execution of a range of psychological research methods, the analysis and interpretation of data and report writing. In addition to the core modules, you can take other first year Psychology modules exploring the many ways that psychology is applied to real-world problems and developing your research, thinking and communication skills.

For the first year of BA English we offer three modules to Joint Honours students in which the foundations of your degree are laid. These modules are:

• Contemporary Shakespeares, where you will encounter the Bard in a variety of modern genres including the graphic novel and screen adaptations
• Identity Under Construction: Late Twentieth Century Literature. Here you will explore the development of English Literature from Orwell and the end of the Second World War to the present
• Language and Creativity which examines the English Language in its everyday and creative functions and provides a comprehensive understanding of variation in language across different social and professional contexts

Year Two

In the second year, if you major in Psychology and seek a Graduate Basis for Chartered membership (GBC) and undertake four modules covering, social, developmental, biological, cognitive and personality psychology, plus the key debates within psychology and psychological research methods. But if you minor or joint you can also choose to study Positive Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology and Educational Psychology.

In the second year in English you build on the knowledge you now possess. There are two core modules for BA English:

• Experimental Literature, in which you will read and discuss a broad variety range of literature from the first half of the twentieth century
• Victorian Visions where you will encounter important genres such as poetry, drama and fiction, and writers from Charles Dickens and the Brontës to Oscar Wilde

There is also a wide range of optional modules* in which you can read and discuss a diverse range of literature according to your interests, including:

• Sex, Sexuality and Twentieth-Century Fiction
• From Blade to Book: Early English Literature
• From Fairy Tale to the Contemporary Child Hero
• Contemporary American Fictions: Slavery, Sci-Fi and Serial Killers

Year Three*

In your final year, you will specialise in areas of interest and potential career preparation. There are Psychology modules in each of the applied psychological professions such as forensic psychology and clinical psychology. Psychology majors typically undertake an empirical dissertation with one-to-one guidance from a Psychology lecturer. The dissertation allows students to immerse themselves in a topic of their choosing, subject to staff approval, and to put into practice the research skills they have acquired through the course.

In your final year you will be required to take a combination of the following BA English modules. The core modules are:

• Early Modern Literature: Page, Stage and Screen which provides new perspectives on that period, from Renaissance Sexualities to Visions of the New World
• Satire and Revolution: Re-Reading Eighteenth Century Literature which focuses on the long eighteenth century, a period of intellectual and cultural progress, but also of wicked wit and violence

The optional modules* include:

• Contemporary Women’s Writing
• Gothic Worlds 1750-1900
• Adaptations
• Writing Town and Country
• Celebrity, Publicity and American Literature

* Modules are run depending on student numbers and staff availability

Opportunities Abroad

There are opportunities for international study visits and exchange as part of the second year for the Education Studies element.

Assessments

There are a variety of assessment formats including essays, practical reports, presentations, time-constrained essays, multiple-choice tests, group project work, analysis and reflection.

Scholarships

EU and International Scholarships

We’re committed to offering the opportunity to study in the UK to the best and brightest students from around the world.

Sir Thomas White Scholarship

The Sir Thomas White scholarship will support and acknowledge an academically gifted student, with the proviso that the selection panel is confident that there is…

TD Lewis Scholarship

The T D Lewis Scholarship provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students with financial awards of up to £1,000.  This scholarship is awarded on educational excellence…

The Chancellor's Fund

The Chancellor’s Fund is a bi-annual fund providing students with awards of between £100 and £1,000. You must be a current student to apply.  The…

Wilson Endowment Scholarship

The Wilson Endowment Scholarship provides a £1,500 scholarship to undergraduate students from the Northamptonshire area. The endowed scholarship was donated in memory of Mr Lynn Wilson,…

Entry Requirements

General entry requirements apply. A typical offer would be BCC at A Level or DMM at BTEC.

If you are a Home or EU student and would like more information on making an application, please visit our How to Apply page.

English Language Requirements

All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:

• IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with a minimum of 5.5 in all bands
  for study at undergraduate level.

For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.

University of Northampton Highlights

Institute Type	Public
Campus Setting	Urban
Number of Staff	1,611
Number of Students	11,984
Number of International Students	1000
Graduation Employment Rate	95%
Student Satisfaction Rate	89%
Academic Programs Offered	Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Mode of Programs Offered	Full time, Part time and Distance
Medium of Instruction	English
Average Tuition Fee for International Fee	GBP 12,000 - GBP 15,000
Proficiency Test for English Language	IELTS, TOEFL iBT or Pearson PTE
Financial Aid	Scholarships, Funds and Loans

University of Northampton Average Tuition Fees And Other Expenses

For all the prospective candidates for the institute, an estimated cost of living in the UK is as cpmipield below.

University of Northampton Tuition Fee

The tuition fee varies from one course to another. Following are some of the popular courses along with the tuition cost:

University of Northampton Undergraduate Courses 

Course	Fee
BA and BSc Degrees	GBP 12,900
BSc Podiatry / BSc Occupational Therapy	GBP 13,900
BSc Nursing	GBP 15,750
Sandwich / placement Year	GBP 1,000

University of Northampton Graduate Courses 

Course	Fee
MA or MSc Degrees	GBP 13,750
MBA	GBP 14,750

University of Northampton Cost of Attendance

Basic list of expenses apart from tuition fee are as follows:

Type of Expenditure	Cost (in GBP, per week)
Accommodation (includes basic facilities)	130 to 300
Food	36 to 52
Mobile phone	4 to 14
Travel	Around 17
Books and supplies	Around 11
Clothing and personal care	16 to 26
Entertainment	Around 29

University of Northampton Application Process

Basic Admission Requirements

1. Certified transcripts of high school/college/university
2. One reference required
3. Statement of Purpose depicting the interest of the applicant in the chosen course
4. MBA applicants must also have a proof of work experience
5. Arts and design applicant must also submit their portfolio 

The outcomes of the English proficiency tests taken by all of the international applicants. IELTS, TOEFL iBT, and Pearson PTE are acceptable tests. The minimal IELTS scores needed to get admitted are as follows:

Academic Programs	Minimum Score
Undergraduate	6.0 overall and not less than 5.5 in each section
Postgraduate	6.5 overall and not less than 5.5 in each section
Research	7.0 overall and not less than 6.5 in each section

Additional Requirements

1. An overseas student who has been accepted must pay the GBP 5,000 deposit fee before the university would issue them a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies).
2. Other documents for the visa application process are:

• Passport
• UK visa history form
• Proof of financial support