Psychology
Aston University, Birmingham
UCAS Code: C800 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
ABB in any three A levels. BBB in any three A levels plus grade B in either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). BBC in any three A levels for Contextual offer students (more details https: //www2aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextuaI-offer). Excluded Subjects: We welcome the following subjects as an additional A level, but not as one of the core three A levels - General Studies, Critical Thinking, Citizenship Studies. We welcome applications from students who have tried to improve their examination grades by taking resits and only your latest grades will be accepted. We treat these applications in exactly the same way as other applications.
Access to HE Diploma
We accept the QAA-recognised Access Diploma which must consist of 45 credits at Level 3. You must obtain a minimum of 30 distinction and the rest must be at merit or distinction. Please note that we do not accept the English and Maths components within the Access qualification and you must meet the GCSE entry requirement.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
Five GCSEs which must include Mathematics and English all at grade C/4. Please note we do not accept Key skills or Functional skills in place of these.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
32 points overall and must include grades 6, 5, 5 in Higher Level subjects. You must also have Standard Level grade 5 in both Mathematics and English Language. Or Or 29 points overall, three Higher Level subjects at 5 5 4. You must also have Standard Level grade 5 in both Maths and English Language for contextual offer students (more details https://www.aston.ac.uk/undergraduate/contextual-offer-aston-ready).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
With this BTEC you must also achieve a grade B one A Level subject.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
With this BTEC you must also achieve grades BB in two A Level subjects.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Psychology is a fascinating subject that aims to understand why people behave in the way that they do, by considering the complex interplay between biological, psychological, environmental, cultural, and social influences on behaviour. This academic discipline encompasses a wide range of topics including: how changes in the brain influence behaviour, why false memories occur, why people behave differently when they are in a group, how language influences thinking, how we learn to understand other’s intentions, how psychological distress can be alleviated, why we identify with some people and not others, how subconscious processes influence our behaviour, and how our thinking develops as we grow from children to adults.
Studying psychology at Aston University will provide you with the basis for understanding why people act in certain ways, and insight into methods of changing their behaviour.
By choosing to study at Aston you will gain a degree accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), have the opportunity to complete a career-enhancing placement in the UK or internationally, and be taught by leading experts from a range of specialist psychological fields.
There is a huge demand across a range of industries for graduates with a specialism in psychology, as it provides a wide range of transferable skills such as the ability to problem solve, to answer complex but important questions, to communicate effectively, critical analysis, writing, and research. Graduates from across our suite of psychology courses go onto a variety of different careers. Some choose to use their British Psychological Society (BPS) accreditation to continue their studies post-graduation, working towards a career in occupational, educational or clinical psychology. Many graduates also go into careers such as human resources, organisational development, marketing, business, or the creative industries.
**Key course benefits:**
- Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and confers eligibility for the Graduate Membership of the BPS, which is vital for students who wish to ultimately train as a professional psychologist (clinical, educational, forensic, occupational etc) . It is also the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
- Aston is ranked 2nd in the UK for Health Professions (Guardian University Guide, 2022).
- Ranked in the Top 15 in the UK for Psychology graduate salaries one year after graduation (Longitudinal Graduate Outcomes data, 2021).
- Top 25 in the UK for graduate prospects in Psychology (Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2022).
- Learn in a research rich environment. Aston is ranked in the Top 10 for research quality in Psychology (Complete University Guide 2022).
- Set your studies in the real-world context with an optional placement year in the UK or abroad.
Modules
Year 1
Studying the key topics that will form the basis of your psychology education, you’ll learn how to articulate your gained knowledge of core theories and concepts and discover more about the possible graduate career pathways open to you. Core modules: Key Skills in Psychology I, Key Skills in Psychology II, Biological and Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Social Psychology, Foundations of Contemporary Psychology, and Introduction to Clinical Psychology. In addition you will select two optional modules. For more information, please visit our website.
Year 2
Build on the core grounding you gained in your first year, as well as being introduced to exciting new subject areas such as lifespan development and cognitive neuropsychology. You’ll gain communication and critical thinking skills, along with developing your ability to use a wide range of statistical and qualitative research methods.Core modules: Research Methods and Data Analysis, Applied Psychology and Professional Skills, Social Psychology, Brain and Behaviour, Lifespan Development, Individual Differences and Personality, Cognition and Cognitive Neuropsychology. In addition, you will select one optional module. For more information, please visit our website.
Placement year (optional)
Placement year (integrated into the 4 year BSc): Your opportunity to gain valuable career boosting experience by setting your studies in a real-world context of a working environment alongside professionals.
Final year
You will select and complete eight specialist modules that fit your interests, and conduct a research project in a specialist area of your choice with support from our expert psychology staff.
For more information, please visit our website.
Assessment methods
You will experience a wide range of high quality learning experiences from informative large-scale interactive lectures, to smaller group sessions such as tutorials, where you will discuss the course material with your tutors and peers, and labs, where you will learn key practical skills for psychological research.
We utilise a wide range of assessments linked to learning outcomes such as: class tests/end of year examinations (unseen essay, short answer or multiple choice questions), essays, research reports (group or individual), presentations, statistics assignments, and oral presentations.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Aston University, Birmingham
School of Psychology
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Psychology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£24k
£27k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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