Psychology BSc (Hons) (with Foundation Year)
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UCAS Code: C801|Duration: 4 years|Full Time|Hope Park
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Accredited|Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
We provide a number of programmes of study in Psychology, our Single Honours programmes include BSc Psychology, BSc Sport Psychology and BSc Psychology in Education. Combined Honours programmes allow students to combine the core curriculum in Psychology with the core curriculum of many other subjects taught at Liverpool Hope (e.g, Psychology and Criminology, Psychology and Marketing: see the list below for the full range of Psychology Combined Honours courses). Giving our students different options is important to us, and providing a choice of studying Psychology alone or Psychology alongside over thirty other disciplines means students can choose to study Psychology in a way that matches their interests.
Ethical practice and working within a shared set of values is also important to us; our University is committed to serving the common good. We see Psychology as a discipline with the capacity; and responsibility; to make a positive contribution to how people live in everyday life. Through our teaching of Psychology, we strive to enable our students to grow into constructive citizens who are curious about people, and motivated to make a positive difference to the lives of others. Beyond classroom learning, there are opportunities to enrich your chosen programme of study in a way that will help you in developing your psychological thinking. They include going on a placement year, working as a research assistant in a laboratory, travelling to another country as part of Global Hope, or studying abroad.
Our enthusiasm for the discipline is reflected in our consistently high ratings of teaching quality. If our departmental narrative matches with what you aspire to be, then come and study with us at Liverpool Hope University.
Course structure
Teaching on our degree programmes is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars/workshops of smaller groups of around 20-30 students, and tutorials which typically have around 10 students.
If you are studying Psychology as a single degree, then in the first year of study there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week, and around 10 hours of taught classes in your second and third years.
If you are studying Psychology as a combined honours degree (you combine the core part of our Psychology programme with the core part of a second programme), then in your first year of study there are approximately six teaching hours each week for Psychology, and approximately five teaching hours for Psychology in your second and third years.
In addition to in-class hours, you will read relevant texts, and complete assignments, both on your own, and in groups. You also have the opportunity to engage in specific enrichment-related activities including our Global Hope programme, special interest groups, Volunteering, and research internships.
Accreditation
Upon completion of studies, given a degree grade of a 2.2 or above, and achieving a pass grade or above in the final year dissertation project, students are eligible for Graduate Basis of Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS). GBC is important for training and careers in Psychology beyond undergraduate study.
Assessment and feedback
Students complete a number of assessments, including written exams, essays, reports, portfolios, presentations and assessed laboratory work, both individually and working in groups. In the final year all students complete an individual empirical research project (dissertation).
Written feedback is provided for all coursework, along with the opportunity to discuss this with a tutor in more detail.
Curriculum overview
The Psychology curriculum for Combined and Single Honours students is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and confers eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC*) of the BPS. The content orientates students to historical and conceptual issues, the core domains of psychology - biological, cognitive, social, developmental, individual differences, research design and analysis, and a final year empirical project. The learning experience takes place in a supportive and enabling environment, and is underpinned by research-informed teaching that is developed from the expertise of the staff. There is an emphasis on providing student choice and encouraging students to explore their interests. Through the course, students will develop skills in communication, problem-solving/critical thinking, adaptability, initiative, collaboration, creativity, emotional intelligence/empathy, resilience, curiosity, social and cultural awareness, and leadership. The programmes offered by Psychology are founded on a commitment to equality and a belief that education can be individually and socially transformative. They are motivated by the importance of understanding the fundamental challenges in society.
*GBC is conditional on attaining at least an average mark of 50 (2:2) and passing the empirical project (dissertation).
Foundation Year
The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.
Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.
Year One
Your first year introduces key questions in psychology and the debates that surround these questions. It is the starting point for engaging in the curriculum standards indicated by the BPS. You will study:
What is Psychology?
The lecture series explores the historical and conceptual issues underpinning the study of psychology as a scientific discipline.
Individual and Group Perspectives
Lectures explore theories and conceptual issues in social psychology and individual differences, and their relationship to important social issues (e.g., racism, populism, the environment).
Research Design and Analysis 1
In this lecture and seminar series, students develop an understanding of basic research designs, and are introduced to statistical analysis.
Developing a Psychological Imagination
Students engage in a series of structured activities that support their critical thinking, presentation, writing and research skills. These skills are developed in the context of working as an individual and as part of a tutorial group.
Psychology Single Honours students will also study:
Ethical Dilemmas in Psychology
This lecture series explores the history of psychology and ethics in addition to possible future ethical issues for psychology (e.g., through advances in the use of technology).
Psychology and Globalisation
This lecture series considers how Globalisation has affected our understanding of psychological theories and constructs, and informed the methods used in psychological science.
Science, Data, Facts, and Truths
These seminars explore how biases in human thinking and reasoning affect how we think about real-world social problems. Students work together to acquire data in relation to a real-world social problem of their own choosing.
Experimental Programme Design
These seminars give a hands-on introduction to programming psychological experiments.
Reflective Learner in Psychology
Students work in tutorial groups to develop their reflective and interpersonal skills alongside the topics they are encountering across the psychology programme.
Year Two
The second year focuses on cognitive and developmental psychology, and continues the training provided in research design and analysis.
Vision and Cognition
This lecture series explores how our visual and cognitive processing systems influence how we perceive information and how we think about our experiences.
Developmental Psychology
This lecture series examines how humans change cognitively, socially, and emotionally over the lifespan across different experiences and contexts.
Research Design and Analysis 2
These seminars build on the introductory understanding of research design and analysis gained in Year 1. In the seminar classes, students collaborate in small groups to conduct two research studies (one experimental and one qualitative).
Psychology Single Honours students will also study:
Health Psychology
These lectures explore the role of psychology in supporting psychological health. There is a particular focus on evaluating how psychological perspectives can be used to inform health interventions in the workplace.
Educational Psychology
These lectures discuss fundamental issues in educational psychology. Topics include classroom behaviour, young people who are considered to be at risk in education, civic engagement, and thriving neighbourhoods.
Clinical Psychology
These lectures examine psychological models applied to mental health. The curriculum covers classification, assessment and treatment, and focuses on specific diagnoses, such as, anxiety, trauma, stress, PTSD, mood and eating disorders, depression, addiction, psychosis and schizophrenia.
Psychological Interventions
These seminars build on Science, Data, Facts, and Truths from Year 1 and allow students to develop a psychological intervention for an individual, an organisation, or community on a topic of interest.
Applied Psychology Research
These tutorials provide students with an opportunity to develop a research funding proposal for an applied piece of psychological research.
Year Three
In the final year of study there is a focus on biological psychology, motivation and emotion, and delivering an independent empirical research project (dissertation).
Biological Psychology
These lectures explore psychology from evolutionary, genetic, and physiological perspectives.
Motivation and Emotion
This lecture series investigates motivation and emotion from various psychological perspectives (e.g., attitudes and self-concept, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and goal setting).
Research Design and Analysis 3
These lectures and workshops help develop the further skills needed to conduct an independent research project and they support the Dissertation. The course develops enhanced thinking, writing, and presentation skills.
The Research Project: Dissertation
You are guided by a supervisor in Psychology to produce an independent 30-credit dissertation on a topic of your choice. The dissertation is completed following the principles of the Open Science Framework. This final ‘capstone’ piece of work is a synthesis of the skills, values, and philosophy of the degree programme. It is also designed to prepare you for postgraduate study and employment.
Psychology Single Honours students will also study
Future Challenges for Psychology
Psychology will change in the coming years in response to the conditions in which people find themselves. In this course, we return to some important themes previously explored in the curriculum and re-examine them with consideration of a range of forthcoming challenges.
You will be able to select two courses from the following*:
Psychology of Aesthetics and the Arts
This course is an opportunity for you to reflect on the relevance of the psychological function of our everyday perception of the world, both natural and built, which typically involves the experience of beauty and ugliness. The preferences and dislikes that are formed often reflect our identity and determine the choices of individuals and society.
Counselling Theory and Practice
This course introduces students to a range of different counselling theories and tools that can be adapted as appropriate to meet a client’s needs. You have the opportunity to apply basic counselling skills related to Person Centred Therapy and explore the ethical, legal and diversity frameworks which inform current practice.
Psychology of Religion
This course offers a critical scientific approach to the study of the psychology of religion, including the origins of religious belief, the relationship between religion and physical and mental well-being, and the relationship between religion and political violence / terrorism.
Psychology of Peace and Conflict
This course explores how psychologists have contributed both conceptually and empirically to the understanding of war, peace and conflict resolution. In addition, students are introduced to a range of peacemaking strategies and given the opportunity to apply these to conflict situations.
Human Memory
This course deepens your understanding of human memory. It expands on the underlying processes across different contexts, such as, how memory influences eyewitness performance, how memory interacts with technology, how memory changes through ageing, and how memory can explain individual differences in the acquisition of literacy skills.
Communicative Development in Educational Settings
We cover topics, such as, why communication matters, the home learning environment, child directed speech, shared reading, bilingualism, developmental language disorders, story telling, and the role of peers. There is also an opportunity for an immersive experience with psychometric measures that are typically administered by researchers and Educational and Clinical Psychologists.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience explores the structural and functional brain mechanisms associated with information processing during high-level cognitive functions, such as, attention, decision making and consciousness. You have the opportunity to gain experience of how different techniques in Cognitive Neuroscience, especially electrophysiology, contribute to our understanding of the neural basis of cognition.
*Subject to change
Entry requirements
There may be some flexibility for mature students offering non-tariff qualifications and students meeting particular widening participation criteria.
Careers
Successful Psychology graduates are eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (subject to conditions). This is a prerequisite for professional training programmes in Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Occupational Psychology, Educational Psychology, Sport and Exercise Psychology or Forensic Psychology.
In addition, Liverpool Hope Psychology graduates have professional transferable skills that mean you can gain employment in a wide range of careers, in addition to traditional Psychology careers.
Enhancement opportunities
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2024/25 academic year 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.
Additional costs
On top of your tuition fees, you will need approximately £250 for the purchasing of key textbooks. There may also be a cost for any fieldtrips; details of costs will be given to you with plenty of notice.
There is a small cost for student BPS membership, and once you graduate, there is a registration fee and annual fee thereafter for Graduate Membership – full details of costs can be found on the BPS website.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2024/25 are £13,000.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is also available with Foundation Year as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: