BSc in Psychology

4 years full-time with integrated placement year or 3 years full-time.

UCAS Code: C800 and C801

Typical offers:
A Levels: AAB-ABB
IB: 33-34 points
BTEC, Access & other: Access to Science or Social Science considered on an individual basis from mature applicants (21+) only.

BTEC National Certificate & BTEC Level 3 Diploma: Applied Science or Social Science DD plus A Level at grade A, (excluding General Studies).

BTEC National Diploma & BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma: Applied Science or Social Science DDD.

Specific subject requirements:
A/AS level: Science subject(s) welcomed but not essential. General Studies not accepted as part of the offer.
GCSE: English, and two sciences or double award science, grade C, and Maths grade B.

Tuition fees: £9,000 (£1,000 during placement year) for UK/EU students. (2013).  More on fees

It is a broad degree with an emphasis on human behaviour. Our programme will provide you with the following aspects:

• Broad intellectual training
• A thorough grounding in theory and research in contemporary psychology and an introduction to areas  of practice

• High-level practical and research experience
• Specialist skills and expertise

The degree programme integrates theoretical psychology, techniques of psychological investigation and the major areas of applied psychology. In the first two years you will focus on theoretical aspects and develop your expertise in a broad range of research methodologies. In your final year you will concentrate on the practical application of psychological principles.

Download the course flyer PDF >

Professional accreditation

Completion of this programme will grant you eligibility for Graduate Membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS) . This recognition is vitally important for careers in professional psychology.

Psychology students take 120 credits of modules per year, 60 in each semester. Each 10 credit module comprises 100 learning hours and has up to three contact hours per week. The course comprises of lectures, tutorials, seminars, practical classes and independent study.

Year 1

• Approaches to Psychology

• Psychology and the Brain
• Abnormal Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology Ia and Ib
• Developmental Psychology
• Research Methods and Statistics
• Psychology Practicals

Year 2

• Individual Differences and Psychometrics
• Cognitive Neuropsychology
• Social Psychology II
• Language and Communication
• Psychological Research Methods
• Developmental Psychology II
• Cognitive Psychology IIa and IIb
• Ageing
• Advanced Statistics

Year 3 - Optional placement year

See placement year section or find out more about the Aston placement year.

Final year

Compulsory module:

• Final Year Project

Optional modules:

• Health Behaviours
• Psychology of Illness
• Models of Psychotherapy
• Mind and Brain
• Psychology of Eating 
• Neuropsychiatric Disorders
• Psychology and Work
• Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs
• Psychosis
• Understanding Language Impairments
• Psychopharmacology
• Individual Differences in Learning
• Cognitive Neuroscience of Affective Disorders

We use a range of assessment methods and most modules are assessed with a combination of coursework and an end of year examination. Coursework includes essays, research reports of individual and group research projects, statistics assignments and class tests with short answer or multiple-choice questions. Students also make short oral presentations.

As a student you are taught through lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical classes but there is a much stronger emphasis on reading and on your own private, independent study than at pre-degree level. To help you manage your learning, we set out your work for the year in an online student guide. This includes full details of all modules including week-by-week lecture breakdowns, reading lists and all coursework assignments for the year with the relevant deadlines.

For further information, see the programme specification (PDF).

Personal development

Psychology students have the opportunity to take an additional university qualification – the University Certificate in Personal and Professional Development, in parallel with their degree and at no extra cost. This optional qualification can enhance students’ CV writing and interview skills, help to identify strengths, weaknesses, career preferences, and prepare students’ placement portfolio.

During this degree, our students acquire the following skills:

• Analytical
• Communication
• Handling data and information  
• Effective team working
• Problem solving and reasoning

Teaching staff

Psychology at Aston has over 40 teaching and research staff and is part of The School of Life and Health Sciences

• Dr Richard Cooke, Programme Director 
• Dr Nathan Ridout, Admissions Tutor 

Information on other Psychology staff >

Research profile

Psychology staff undertake cross-disciplinary health research and are based in the School of Life & Health Sciences. The exceptional quality of research in the School of Life and Health Sciences (LHS) has been confirmed in the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) results – with research in Allied Health Professions and Studies ranked 3rd out of 63 UK higher education institutions. 85% of our research was rated as being internationally recognised, internationally excellent or world leading, with 88% of staff submitted. 

Psychology staff are based in a number of research groups and centres across the school, with interests in neuroscience and neurodevelopment, ageing, cognitive and affective neuroscience, neuroimaging – including neuroimaging of clinical populations, health and lifespan development and sensory and perceptual systems.

Further details can also be found on individual staff web pages. Our broad range of research interests both informs our teaching and provides a vibrant research culture and top-class facilities for our final year projects.

The sandwich placement year is an opportunity for you to set your studies in context by taking a psychology or related professional placement - usually in the UK or abroad.  This may be paid employment, although research, clinical and forensic placements are usually unpaid.

Recent examples of placements include NHS Health Trusts, Aston Villa Football Club, British Energy, the Civil Service, Corus, Ford, University research (UK, US, Australia and Singapore) the Home Office, Marks and Spencer and the Prison Service. All students will receive specialist support and supervision for their specific placement. There is an overall placement tutor for the year and all students are allocated an individual placement tutor.

Please note that students who enter placements in the NHS may be required to pay for CRB checks and occupational health checks.

Find out more about placement years in the School of Life & Health Sciences.

Hear from one of our students - watch a short video.

Our emphasis on applied and human psychology provides an excellent springboard for careers across professional psychology including clinical, occupational, health, forensic and educational psychology. The Psychology degree also prepares students for many careers in government and business - for example advertising, management consultancy, human resources management or teaching.