Psychology in Education BSc (Hons)

Introduction to Psychology in Education

Year one introduces the core areas of psychology and students reflect on a range of issues relating to psychology and education. In the first year you will explore What is Psychology to develop an understanding of the historical and conceptual issues related to psychology as a scientific discipline. Here you will learn how to ask questions and consider whether humans are more than a set of psychological processes.

Following this, we move to Individual and Group Perspectives that develops an awareness of social psychology, personality, and individual differences. You will study topics such as conflict, attitudes, altruism and prosocial behaviour, and discrimination. You will also study Research Design and Analysis, engaging in research and developing key skills around ethical issues, research design, and methods of analysis. Each week you will meet with your personal tutor in small groups, focusing on developing academic and vocational skills such as peer-to-peer learning, communication, literature searching, and reflection.

In this first year we also cover Ethical and Global Issues in Psychology and Education including topics such as morality, acculturation, and globalisation. In tutorials you will apply these topics to the field of education, for example ethical dilemmas in different educational contexts, decolonisation, and how psychology can help to understand global challenges within education. You will have seminars in Thinking as an Educational Psychologist which explore how biases in thinking and reasoning affect behaviour. Working in groups you will acquire data in relation to a real-world educational issue of your choosing and outline possible solutions.

In the second part of the year, you will have the opportunity to tailor your studies by choosing one from a series of options. These may include Contemporary issues in childhood and youth, Education for sustainable development, and Educational pedagogies. 

Explorations in Psychology and Education

Year two focuses on the topics of cognitive and developmental psychology, and on applications of psychology. Students will gain knowledge and awareness of how psychology can be applied to the field of education, covering issues such as inclusion, wellbeing, technology, and life-long learning.

In Vision and Cognition, you will study topics such as visual perception, memory, attention, and language, and in Developmental Psychology you will cover topics such as maturational changes, biological factors in development, and emotional influences through the lifespan. Research Design and Analysis 2 introduces more complex research designs in quantitative psychology and also covers qualitative methods (e.g., observation, thematic analysis) and mixed methods approaches to research. Integral to this is the increased critical awareness of the role of ethics in research.

In the second year, we continue to consider how psychology can be applied to different educational contexts and settings. You will study Educational Psychology which discusses fundamental issues in education such as classroom behaviour, young people who are considered to be at risk in education, civic engagement, and thriving neighbourhoods. You will then select two options from the following*:

- 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.

- Clinical Psychology: These lectures examine psychological models applied to mental health. The curriculum covers classification, assessment, and treatment, and focuses on specific diagnoses including anxiety, trauma, stress, PTSD, mood and eating disorders, depression, addiction, psychosis, and schizophrenia.

- The Psychology of Learning: This part of the course focuses on concepts such as intelligence, creativity, motivation, and memory. Students will develop an understanding of the key components essential for cognitive development and learning.

Education Research and Policy: In this part of the course students will focus on UK policy at all levels of education. Students will be supported to develop a critical understanding of social, cultural, historical, economic, and political forces that shape education policy.

Advanced Studies in Psychology and Education

Year three covers biopsychology, motivations, and emotions, and students choose options based on their interests within psychology and education. Biological Psychology examines psychological functioning at a biological and cellular level and relates this back to societal and individual issues covered in years one and two. The topics covered include brain plasticity, reward circuits, and neuroscientific methods.

In Motivation and Emotion, you learn about the principles and processes associated with motivational goals, such as growth mindsets, social-emotional intelligence, and aggression. You also have the opportunity to explore Future Challenges for Psychology, critically reflecting on the future of the discipline and the challenges (and opportunities) associated with identity and wellbeing, an aging population, increased globalisation, and a warming world.

In the final year all students complete an independent empirical research project, the Dissertation. Here you will explore in-depth an area that you are passionate about and you will be supervised by a lecturer in the School of Psychology. A series of lectures and workshops support the dissertation, helping to further develop the skills needed to conduct an independent research project.

This final year marks the point where students have more ownership over their studies. This will include you choosing to study one from a selection of 12-week Specialist Seminars (topics include Cognition and Wellbeing, Forensic Psychology, Psychology of Addictions, and Perception and Action in Training and Rehabilitation*). You will also choose to study two from a selection of 12-week Options (options include Applied Developmental Psychology, Psychology of Aesthetics and the Arts, Counselling Theory and Practice, Psychology of Religion, Human Memory, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Psychology of Peace and Conflict*).

*Subject to change