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Psychology

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff

112

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Psychology

Psychology is the study of human behaviour. It explores a wide range of fascinating areas from how we think and how we see other people, to how people develop, how relationships are formed, and how we can help people in distress.

Psychology is useful because no matter what you intend to do in life it will involve trying to understand and help other people. Studying psychology at Birmingham Newman University provides you with a solid grounding in all core areas of psychology, but your degree with us will confer a specialist knowledge of how psychology is applied to the ‘real world’. Many of our lecturers have specialisms in applied psychology, and this gives this degree programme its distinctive approach and appeal.

This programme is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), such that students gaining at least a Lower Second Class Honours Degree are eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the BPS, which means you will have taken your first step towards becoming a professional psychologist.

**Why study this course?**
• A fully BPS accredited course that focuses on applications of the subject
• Delivered by a small and tight-knit group of well qualified lecturing staff
• A new purpose-built building
• Innovative assessments that challenge students to be creative
• A placement scheme that is designed to complement the applied nature of the programme and thus enhance graduate employability

During the first year of study (level 4) students will learn about psychology as an academic and applied discipline. Students will explore what is meant by ‘science’ and in particular, what is meant by evidence, and learn about the principles of research design. In this year students will also be introduced to the core domains of psychology e.g., Research Methods, Social, Individual Difference, Cognitive, Biological and Developmental psychology, students will explore how the core domains help us to understand mind and behaviour in everyday settings.

In the second year of study (level 5), students will gain a deeper understanding of the core domains of psychology, applying the theoretical knowledge to understand real world scenarios. Practicals, workshops and seminars will enable students to have a first-hand experience of engaging with psychological equipment/resources to investigate and understand the applications of psychology to issues within modern life. In this year also, methods of scientific research are explored in further depth in two modules that examine quantitative (statistical) methods and qualitative methods of scientific enquiry. During this year of study SH psychology students will also have the opportunity to study a module that focuses specifically on Applying Psychology to the Real World. In this module, key areas covered will include the various roles a psychologist may have, for example: the psychologist as a researcher, the psychologist as a colleague. In addition, topics such as community psychology, the psychology of ageing, positive psychology, and cognitive psychology will be explored along with specialist applications of these topics for example: exploring ways in which a community psychologist may try to resolve inequalities; the use of interventions to improve daily living for older adults; using positive psychology to improve well-being; attention in relation to driving. Students also undertake their work placement during this academic year, and reflect on aspects of the work using the methods of psychological enquiry they have learned.

In the final year students undertake an empirical dissertation in psychology that spans across the academic year. In many ways this module is the culmination of both the applied and theoretical strands of the discipline that run through the degree programme. Students are guided through all stages of the research process but are expected to generate their own research ideas that relate to the human experience.

Modules

Please refer to the Birmingham Newman University website for details.

Assessment methods

Please refer to the Birmingham Newman University website for details.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Birmingham Newman University

Department:

Psychology

Read full university profile

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.

88%
Psychology

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

86%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

84%
Library resources
95%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
20%
Male students
80%
Female students
55%
2:1 or above
24%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

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.

79%
low
Employed or in further education
26%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

26%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
18%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
14%
Caring personal services

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 (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.

£17k

£17k

£19k

£19k

£22k

£22k

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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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here