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Psychology

Entry requirements


From a minimum of 2 A Levels

Accepted when studied alongside other Level 3 qualifications

Access to HE Diploma

M:45,P:15

Pass in Access course with 60 credits overall including 45 Level 3 credits passed with a minimum of Merit.

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Grade 4 / C in Maths and English.

HNC (BTEC)

P-D

HND (BTEC)

P-M

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29-31

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

D*D*

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DMM

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)

D*D*

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DMM

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D*D*

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112-128

From a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent qualifications such as BTEC Extended Diploma or OCR Extended Diploma. For detailed information on accepted qualifications, please view our Course Entry Statement (https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/documents/course-entry-requirement-statement.pdf) Solent University is a proud champion of widening participation. For further information about our contextual offer, please visit our website (https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/what-next/contextual-offers)

This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Psychology

Psychology is a popular subject because it has relevance to so many areas of everyday life. It is of interest to anyone who wants to understand what causes certain elements of human behaviour and how knowledge of that behaviour can be applied. As a psychology student here at Solent you will explore how people act and interact, both as individuals and in groups, while analysing the thoughts and feelings that underlie specific behaviours.

The curriculum will see you exploring key areas of psychological study including education; crime; sport and exercise; social behaviours; therapy and counselling. You’ll also carry out intensive study of scientific approaches to psychology. These topics, which include research methods, problem solving and manipulation of data, provide useful tools for careers in healthcare, law enforcement, finance, research and IT.

This British Psychology Society accredited degree emphasises the practical application of psychology, with real-world assessments integrated throughout. You’ll also have the option to undertake work-based learning as part of your studies. To reflect the wide range of careers that are open to graduates, the course can be tailored with optional modules that suit your specific ambitions.

As you learn, you’ll benefit from access to Solent’s dedicated psychophysiological recording equipment, eye-tracking facilities and psychology labs. The teaching team, made up of academics with extensive industry and research experience, will guide you as apply your newly founded research skills to a range of experiments and projects. This hands-on training eventually leads to a final applied psychology project, acting as the perfect springboard into graduate employment or further study.

Psychology at Solent is accredited by the British Psychological Society. Students benefit from access to dedicated computing facilities, specialist software, psychophysiological recording equipment, eye-tracking apparatus and a range of experiment spaces.

**What does this course lead to?**
Psychology graduates are well placed for a range of essential roles in mental health support, therapy, counselling, social work, research and criminal justice. Graduates would also be able to continue their studies, moving onto higher level degrees or working towards chartered psychologist status.

**Who is this course for?**
Solent’s psychology programme is ideally suited to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds. Candidates should be interested in human behaviour and aspiring to a career where that interest can be put to use. This may be in social work, psychological practise, the justice system or any of the many other relevant sectors.

Modules

YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Thinking and Writing Psychologically
Beginning as a Researcher
Perspectives within Psychology
Developing as a Researcher
Current Issues in Psychology
Psychology and Social Change

YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Behaviour and the Brain
Individual Differences and Social Psychology
Psychological Research Training
A Flourishing Life
Psychological Research in Action
Community Psychology

YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Applying Psychology to Professional Practice
Applied Psychology Research Project

YEAR 3 OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Cognition and Consciousness
Conceptualising Psychopathology
Quality Stats: An Assortment of Advanced Analytical Methods
Behaviour Change
Cyberpsychology
Animal Behaviour
Mindfulness-Based Practice and Approaches
Issues in Educational Psychology
Critical Psychology
Issues in Forensic

For specific module information, please visit the course page.

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed using a blend of practical assessment (presentations) exams and coursework, with the majority of the final grade being determined by coursework elements.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,125
per year
International
£16,125
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

Extra funding

Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries

The Uni


Course location:

Solent University (Southampton)

Department:

Department of Social Science and Nursing

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.

63%
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

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
72%
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

75%
Library resources
81%
IT resources
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
52%
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?

86%
UK students
14%
International students
25%
Male students
75%
Female students
71%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
E

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.

£16,618
low
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
12%
Childcare and related personal services
10%
Welfare and housing associate professionals

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

£21k

£21k

£26k

£26k

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