About Psychology Bsc (hons) in University of Northampton

Our Psychology Subject Group has considerable experience of offering the BSc (Hons) in Psychology. The Psychology course is embedded within a highly flexible modular system, enabling you to choose modules from a very wide range of options.

Psychology is concerned with understanding people’s actions and mental experiences. The aim of the course is to explore the nature of human behaviour and experience and the various ways in which they can be studied. The course focuses upon the major issues and methods of enquiry in current psychology and considers the applications of psychology to problems of modern life in work, education, physical and mental health and crime

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

You will learn new ways of understanding how and why people think and act as they do. This course will also equip you with transferable critical and analytical skills that will enhance your employability. Studying Psychology offers you considerable flexibility and choice within a supportive environment, through teaching staff and your personal academic tutor.

At the University of Northampton, you will benefit from studying Psychology modules which are applied, providing valuable work-based learning skills and links to Changemaker. You will have access to excellent facilities and resources for research in areas such as social, cognitive, biological, developmental and personality psychology.

Our Single Honours psychology degree course allows you to understand and analyse human behaviour, thought and emotions, from many different psychological perspectives. The course provides you with useful experience, especially if you are intending to work in a range of career areas both in and outside of psychology, such as educational psychology, clinical psychology, teaching and research

Schedule

If you are studying this course full-time you will take 120 credits worth of modules for each stage for three years. Some modules are mandatory whilst others are selected from a range of options. In stage one important core ideas, evidence and methods are introduced. This basic knowledge is built upon in stages two and three to foster an advanced understanding of topics.

Stage one

In stage one, six compulsory modules permit an excellent grounding in psychology. In one of these modules, you will explore the many ways that psychology is applied to real-world problems, developing your research, thinking and communication skills. You will also be introduced to the major approaches to understanding the mind and human behaviour through studying social, cognitive, biological and developmental psychology. Another module enables you to acquire skills in the design and execution of a range of psychological research methods, the analysis and interpretation of data and report writing. Other modules allow you to develop intra and inter-personal skills, as well as build on your psychological literacy using psychological skills and knowledge to solve real-world problems, whilst interacting ethically and responsibly with others.

Stage two

During the second stage, you will take modules in Social and Developmental Psychology; Cognitive and Biological Psychology; as well as Personality Psychology, and Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology, covering the key areas and debates within the discipline. There are also modules to expand your knowledge of quantitative and qualitative psychological research and data analysis through carrying out independent and group projects. You can also choose to study The Human Animal, The Psychology of Well Being and The Psychology of Learning and Teaching in Educational Settings.

Stage three

In stage three, you have the opportunity to specialise in areas of interest and as potential career preparation. You will have the chance to select from a range of advanced Psychology modules including Forensic Psychology, Educational Psychology, The Psychology of Mental Health and The Psychology of Health amongst other applied psychological specialisms such as Applying Positive Psychology and Lifespan Development. There are also modules reflecting the research expertise of our staff, for example Psychology of Spirituality, Religion and Wellbeing, Neuroscience of Mind, Parapsychology and Anomalous Experiences and Applying Positive Psychology. You will take an empirical dissertation on a subject of your choice with one-to-one guidance from a psychology lecturer. The dissertation allows you to immerse yourself in a topic of your choice, subject to staff approval, and to put into practice your research skills that you have acquired throughout the course.

Methods of Learning

Teaching methods on the BSc (Hons) Psychology include an innovative, active blended approach to learning which makes the acquisition of knowledge more dynamic and flexible for students than ever before. This involves face-to-face seminars, tutorials, practical or laboratory workshops and computer assisted learning. Independent and group work will be supplemented with online seminars, self-directed learning and virtual tasks. You are encouraged to actively engage and participate with your course material both online and in class discussions to further enhance your learning and will be expected to complete independent study alongside attending your classes. Practical work represents an important component of the Psychology course in each of your three years of study. Throughout the course, you are exposed to different research approaches, and will develop an ability to apply both quantitative and qualitative techniques to research questions. We have extensive online resources that support face-to-face contact in class.

You are taught by experienced, well-qualified staff that are experts within their disciplines. Staff in the Subject Group are active researchers, producing research that is nationally and internationally recognised.

Assessments

A variety of assessment strategies are used at each level to ascertain your level of competence in a range of academic and transferable skills. These strategies include essays, practical reports, multiple-choice tests, oral presentations, time-constrained essays, seen and unseen examinations, critical reviews, group project work, patchwork blogs, audio-visual presentations, and reflective reports.

Careers

Psychology is applied to many professional contexts. The work-based elements of this programme provide valuable careers based skills. As well as our annual Psychology Careers Event, at the University of Northampton we also offer other volunteering opportunities through our Changemaker Hub, Employability Plus recognition, STEAM Opportunities and support from our careers team.

Upon completion of this course, and depending on degree classification, you can progress to postgraduate training to obtain British Psychological Society (BPS) ‘chartered’ status (GBC) as a counselling, clinical, educational, occupational, health or forensic psychologist. You could pursue a career as an academic psychologist, conducting research and teaching in higher education.  More information about Psychology careers can be found on the BPS website.

It is widely acknowledged by employers that psychology degrees provide an excellent grounding for a diverse range of non-psychological careers. Our graduates are employed in education, the health service, the police force, human resources management, marketing, the civil service, broadcasting, social work and many other professions.

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

In addition to the standard entry requirements, applicants require GCSE Mathematics at grade C or above. Equivalences are not accepted, apart from Access applicants who must take 12 credits of Maths Level 2 or 9 credits of Maths Level 3 as part of their Access course.

Typical offers are BBC at A Level or DDM at BTEC.

For more more information on how to make an application, please visit our How to Apply page.

If you are an International student and would like information on making an application, please see 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