Aston Diploma in Psychology

Key information

Duration of programme: Within 1 year (full or part-time)
Start date: October (part-time), January (part-time) and May (full-time).

October - June

January - September

May - September

The deadline for the May intake is Friday 26th April and all supporting documents must be submitted by Friday 3rd May.

The deadline for the October intake is Friday 30th August and all supporting documents must be submitted by Friday 13th September.

Distance learning available: This programme is only offered by distance learning.

Please note that this is not a conversion course. It does satisfy the criterion of 60 credits prior study of Psychology required for entry onto Graduate Diploma in Psychology (conversion course). Entry onto a Graduate Diploma in Psychology also requires successful completion of an honours degree.

Intake: 20 per year.

Fees for 2012/13 entry:

UK/EU students: £1,385
International students: £5,280.

Fees for 2013/14 entry:

UK/EU students: £2,100

International students: £2,100

Application & contact:
Apply for this course online

Please note you will be required to send in via the postal system certified copies of your degree certificate and passport. You may wish to arrange for these to be certified before applying.

LHS Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0) 121 204 4161
Fax: +44 (0) 121 204 4187
Email: lhspgt@aston.ac.uk

Programme outline and modules

The programme consists of three 20 credit modules*:

Research Methods & Statistics – an introduction to research design and methodologies, descriptive and inferential statistics
Introduction to Psychology I – an introduction to the major schools of thought in psychology and to developmental psychology in particular.
Introduction to Psychology II – an introduction to social, cognitive and biological psychology.

*Modules are also offered separately as Aston Certificates for those who already have some psychology credits but lack the required 60 credits for entry onto a conversion programme. The fee for each 20 credit module is £462 (2012/3) for Home/EU students and £1,760 for International students . If you wish to apply just for one or two modules, please apply on-line for Aston Diploma in Psychology and mention in your personal statement about how many modules you would like to study.

Entry requirements

Applications are considered on an individual basis, but applicants without an honours degree would be expected to have three good A Levels or equivalent (typically A Levels grades BBB) and GCSE English, grade C, and Mathematics grade B.

Alternatively, students must possess a good honours degree (minimum 2:2) from a UK or overseas institution in any subject and GSCE Mathematics (grade C or above)

International students whose first language is not English must demonstrate a satisfactory command of English language. They should meet our minimum English language requirement by taking one of the following tests:

IELTS. Minimum requirement - 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each area.
TOEFL IBT. Minimum requirement - 100 overall, (21 in listening and writing, 22 in reading and 23 in speaking).
Pearson Academic. Minimum requirement - 61 overall, 59 in each area.

We do not accept a Password test.

Learning, teaching & assessment

The programme is delivered by the virtual learning environment, Blackboard, and includes:

Powerpoint presentations with accompanying audio commentary by the lecturer
Self assessment quizzes and exercises
Recommended reading (usually available electronically)
Discussion boards
Video

Assessment is via continuous assessment through coursework (e.g., online quizzes and essays). There are two assessments per module which have a set deadline. There is no requirement to be logged on the system at a specific time; however you will need to ensure you meet the deadlines which have been set.

Career opportunities

The programme is designed specifically for those who wish to pursue a career in professional psychology, but who lack the necessary psychology background required for a psychology conversion programme such as the Graduate Diploma in Psychology.

Personal development

By successfully completing the programme, students will acquire the following:

Good oral and written communication skills
The ability to undertake self-directed study and project management
Competence in the use of information technology for word processing, data handling, communication and information gathering.

Facilities & equipment

As a web-based programme, students will need premium Broadband access to the Internet in order to make full use of video and audio material and electronic library resources.