Education & Psychology BA (Hons) (with Foundation Year)
UCAS Code: X3C9|Duration: 4 years|Full Time|Hope Park
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply
About the course
You will acquire knowledge and skills in two dynamic and related disciplines. You will study biological, cognitive, social, personality and developmental aspects of psychology, and have the opportunity to apply psychological theory and research to real-life educational settings.
Successful completion of the programme students will lead to Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society (GBC). GBC provides access to postgraduate training programmes accredited by the Society: GBC is a prerequisite for many BPS-accredited postgraduate and doctoral programmes which lead to full Chartered Psychologist status.
This combined honours degree affords students the opportunity to study psychology even if they do not have a background in science, equipping them with the knowledge and skills for a wide range of professions such as educational or clinical psychology, counselling, research, teaching, healthcare, marketing and human resources.
Some professions, such as clinical and educational psychology, do require postgraduate study in addition to undergraduate degree, before you would be fully qualified in those areas. However, we consider our course to be an excellent preparation for that further study.
Good to Know
Placement opportunities
Course structure
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups of around 15-20 students, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. Our emphasis on individual student attention means that class sizes are small, allowing the tutor to personally support you whenever you need. You will also have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week.
In your first year of study there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 10 teaching hours in your second and third years.
On top of teaching hours, first year students have a fieldwork placement for three days at our Plas Caerdeon facility in North Wales, and will also undertake an observational study over a day at Chester Zoo. Throughout your studies, on top of teaching hours you are also expected to spend a number of hours each week reading, collecting and analysing data, and undertaking assignments through materials on Moodle, our VLE.
Assessment and feedback
There are a number of written assessments to complete throughout the year. These may include individual reports/analyses, group presentations supported by a report, in-class tests, and essays. There will also be two final exams at the end of each year.
Curriculum overview
On this programme you will study how people think, feel and behave. Psychology is based on scientific principles and involves a range of teaching, reading and practical work to investigate how people perceive the world, structure their thinking, solve problems, interact with other people and much more.
In Education you will study a number of contemporary issues in education and society. This will include analysing education policy and practice related to social justice, citizenship, and pedagogy. You will complete a placement and examine your own development as a Hope Education Professional through reflective and critical thinking as you develop your own informed philosophy of education.
Study with us and you will enjoy research-oriented teaching by lecturers with publications in a wide range of national and international journals. Teaching is in classrooms, lecture theatres and state-of-the-art research laboratories. Liverpool Hope's Health Sciences Building includes, a “Child Lab” with full observation equipment, a colour vision lab, an Eye Tracker lab, an EEG lab, an fNIRS lab as well as booths for cognition and perception experiments, and dedicated space and software for proficient transcription. We regularly take our ChildLab out into the community and schools to work with young people and their families.
You will develop comprehensive statistical and qualitative analytical skills during the process of your studies, and alongside this, will be steered from being a dependent learner to an independent learner fully equipped to undertake your own research project / dissertation in your honours year.
Year One
Your first year provides you with an introduction to education policy and investigate the relationship between education, culture and society.
You will study:
Education, Culture and Society
You will investigate social and cultural contexts of education in order to develop a critical awareness of the relationships between education, culture, and society.
Education Policy
Following an introduction to education policy and the nature of the knowledge economy, you will investigate the nature of inclusive policy and practice in informal and formal educational settings.
Education and Social Justice
You will investigate the relationship between local and global inequality and educational outcomes. This will involve analysis of the role of education in both reproducing and tackling inequality and exploration of approaches to correct social injustice.
Year Two
Your second year provides you with the knowledge of different approaches to teaching and learning and develop understanding of professional practice through completing a placement.
You will study:
Education, Culture and Pedagogy
You will study the relationship between education, culture, and pedagogy. Investigating the nature of critical pedagogy, you will explore the contribution of the Frankfurt School, Paulo Freire, and contemporary scholars such as Henry Giroux, bell hooks, and Peter McLaren.
Education and Citizenship
You will study the philosophical foundations of different models of citizenship such as liberalism, republicanism, and cosmopolitanism. Following a historical study of citizenship education, you will then focus on psychological aspects of citizenship education including theory of mind, socialisation, pro-social behaviours, values in education, social identities, and social stereotypes.
Placement
The placement will help you examine your own development as a Hope Education Professional through reflective and critical thinking as you develop your own informed philosophy of education.
Education Research and Enquiry
You will draw upon different disciplinary perspectives to frame creative and challenging research questions and to devise appropriate research designs to investigate education policy and practice.
Year Three
In the final year, you will study:
Knowledge, Truth and Values in Education
You will develop an understanding of notions of epistemology and ontology, addressing key questions such as ‘how do we know?’, and ‘what can we learn?’
Globalising Education Policy
You will consider how to analyse education policies in a globalised world, which is at once local, national, regional, and global. Students will apply a broad range of theoretical and conceptual understanding to complex global educational issues, such as inequality.
The Future of Education
To study the future of education, you will consider contemporary challenges and enduring debates in education such as technological change, globalisation and knowledge economy.
Research Project
In your final year, you will also have the opportunity to conduct a research project in areas of your choice. The research project builds on the skills and knowledge of research and enquiry you have developed during the second year. The research project enables you to apply and further develop this knowledge and understanding of the research process. It also seeks to increase your understanding of the practical and ethical issues that can arise when undertaking research in a variety of fields.
Careers
The programme prepares students for a career in Psychology and Education. The qualification will provide access to a wide variety of careers within and outside of education contexts (formal and informal) equipping students with the knowledge and skills for a wide range of professions such as educational or clinical psychology, counselling, research, teaching, healthcare, marketing and human resources.
Enhancement opportunities
Work Placement Opportunities
Students will be provided with the opportunity to connect their academic learning with the practice of education by conducting a placement in a professional setting with a school, community organisation, charity, museum or other relevant organisation.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for 2021/22 are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study, meaning that your fees will likely increase with each year of study.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our funding page to find out more.
Course combinations
With Foundation year, this degree is only available to study as a Single Honours course.