BSc Single Honours BA Combined Honours Psychology

Accreditation

The Single Honours programme is accredited as conferring eligibility for graduate basis for British Psychological Society (BPS) registration, provided the minimum standard of qualification of second class honours is achieved. This is the first step to becoming a chartered psychologist. Students must recognise that training in an applied area of psychology is acquired through postgraduate education and supervised practice, not through an undergraduate degree. On completion of this programme students are not qualified to practice as a specialist psychologist without further training in that area of psychology. For further information on the BPS visit www.bps.org.uk

Programme content

Year 1 introduces students to different approaches within Psychology – personality, social, developmental, cognitive, and biological – illustrating how they lead to distinct perspectives on key research questions. Students are also introduced to the methods Psychologists use to answer these questions, gaining hands-on experience of practical work. In Year 2, students examine the approaches in more depth and continue their study of different research methods, exercising greater independence in their practical work. Years 1 and 2 therefore lay the foundations for more specialised study in Year 3, where students may choose which topics to study in greater depth, and where their practical work will culminate in an extended research project in an area of their choice.

Modules include:

Year 1

• Exploring Psychology
• Introduction to Research Methods and Practice

Year 2

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Psychobiology
• Personality and Individual Differences
• Statistics and Applied Statistics
• Qualitative Methods of Analysis
• Conducting Independent Psychological Research

Year 3

• Research Project: Empirical
• Advanced Issues in Developmental Psychology
• Advanced Statistics and Applied statistics
• Gender, the Individual and Society
• Mind, Brain and Cognition
• Conceptual Debates in Psychology
• Topics in Educational Psychology
• Topics in Clinical and Cognitive Neuropsychology
• Topics in Clinical and Health Psychology
• Topics in Consumer Psychology
• Topics in Psychology and Law

Learning and teaching

A diverse range of teaching methods are employed, including laboratory classes, workshops, lectures, seminars, tutorials, guided reading, independent study, student groups, and individual project supervision. These are designed to support students’ progression through the three years of study, from initial support and guidance in Year 1 through to more independent and self-directed study in Year 3.

As students progress, they will be encouraged to take a more critical stance to psychological theories, models, findings and approaches, as well as acquire a diverse range of generic and subject-specific skills and abilities, such as written and oral communication and key IT-related skills, and skills of analysis, interpretation and evaluation.

Erasmus Exchange (optional)
The University has an Erasmus Exchange with the Warsaw School of Psychology in Poland. Students studying Psychology can visit for a semester in Year 2, with much of the cost met by a living allowance granted by the European Union.

Assessment

Consonant with our teaching practice and the range of psychological skills students will develop, students also experience a wide variety of different forms of assessment, including seen and unseen examinations, assessed essays, practical reports, multiple-choice tests, critical evaluations, and assessed presentations. Students also complete a research project at Year 3, normally an independent, empirical project reporting on a substantial piece of research.

Career opportunities

Psychology at Winchester is accredited as conferring eligibility for graduate basis for British Psychological Society (BPS) registration, provided the minimum standard of qualification of second class honours is achieved. This is the first step to becoming a Chartered Psychologist. Graduates wishing to pursue careers in clinical, educational, forensic, health, counselling, or occupational psychology will therefore gain the professional recognition necessary to allow them to continue the required further study and training.

Training in Psychology is widely accepted as providing an excellent preparation for many careers, for instance former students have entered careers in teaching, immigration, probation and human resources.

Graduate Conversion Diploma in Psychology

This course is aimed at existing graduates from all disciplines who are now seeking to pursue a Psychology-related career. The Diploma confers eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) of the British Psychological Society (BPS), provided the minimum standard of qualification of second class honours is achieved. This is the first step to becoming a Chartered Psychologist. Graduates who have previously taken the equivalent of 60 credits in Psychology may proceed immediately to the 1 year full-time/2 years part-time Diploma. Graduates with no previous experience of Psychology proceed to the Diploma after obtaining 60 credits of Psychology in a part-time first year.

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