Kingston University
UCAS Code: C891 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Equivalent of 64 UCAS points from an Access course in a related subject. Applicants under 21 years will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
UCAS points from a minimum of 2 A-Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications.
About this course
**Reasons to choose Kingston**
- The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
- Upon graduation, you will be in an excellent position to pursue further training and education in careers such becoming a counsellor or therapist.
- This degree also prepares you to pursue postgraduate training in clinical or counselling psychology or any chartered psychology degree.
- The option of a one-year paid work placement in the application of psychology will boost your employability further.
- You will have a personal tutor and a small tutor group of peers that you meet with regularly to support your transition to university and your academic success.
**About this course**
This dynamic degree explores the complexities of the human psyche, arming students with the tools to make a positive impact on emotional wellbeing. You will study key counselling approaches such as person-centred, cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic therapies.
While developing an understanding of common and complex mental health disorders, you will also develop key counselling competences such as communication and listening skills, empathy, self-awareness, establishing boundaries and working ethically within a therapeutic setting.
Taught by specialised academics and qualified counsellors, you will also develop a core understanding of the fields of cognitive, biological, developmental and social psychology, as well as transferable skills in experimental design and statistical analysis.
A combination of Psychology with Counselling can be recognised as a real asset by employers because these subjects develop knowledge and people skills that are invaluable when working with individuals and teams. Upon graduation you will be eligible to apply for postgraduate training or studies. For example, a Doctorate in Counselling or Clinical Psychology which will lead to Chartered Psychology Status.
**This course is offered with a Foundation Year in Social Sciences**
This foundation year is taught at the University giving you a taste of academic life in a supportive environment. The year gives you the academic and technical preparation for undergraduate study in a wide range of social sciences subjects. Lectures, labs and tutorials will give you a broad understanding across subjects including economics, criminology, sociology and psychology.
**Future Skills**
Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.
As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.
At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.
**Career opportunities**
Mental health problems are a significant and growing issue, with an estimated one in four people experiencing mental health problems at some point in their lives.
The importance of counselling to the wellbeing of individuals and society is increasingly recognised. This has led to an increased demand for mental health services, and a corresponding increase in the number of job opportunities available for graduates in this field.
Graduates may work in the charity and care sector, advocacy and victim support services, National Health Service or as mental health support workers.
In addition, graduates are well placed to pursue postgraduate education such as the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Counselling psychology to become a Chartered Psychologist. Further training and education can lead to Chartered Psychology status in other areas (e.g. Health, Forensic, Educational), or becoming a counsellor, a psychological wellbeing practitioner, a teacher or an HR Professional.
Modules
Example modules:
- Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy in Practice
- Personal Development and Therapeutic Process
- Mental Health in Counselling and Psychotherapy
**For a full list of modules please visit the Kingston University course webpage.**
Assessment methods
Assessment typically comprises exams (e.g. test or exam), practical (e.g. presentations, performance) and coursework (e.g. essays, reports, self-assessment, portfolios, dissertation).
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Kingston University
Department 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)
Counselling
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
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 (non-specific)
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.
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Psychology (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
£23k
£25k
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.
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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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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