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Psychology

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,B,C

112-120 points from 3 A levels.

112-122 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.

Cambridge Pre-U score of 54-56.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

7 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English, Mathematics and Science/7 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English, Mathematics and Science.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

29 points from the IB Diploma. 655/754 at Higher Level - 29 points from the IB Diploma. 664 at Higher Level.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H3

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

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

DDM-DMM

112-120 Tariff points.

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112-120

112-120 points from 3 A levels, or equivalent.

112-120 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 2 A levels, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Sandwich | 2024

Subject

Psychology

**This is a Connected Degree**
Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

**Overview**
On this BSc (Hons) Psychology degree, which is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), you’ll study the mind and behaviour, examine how people think, act and feel.

- Access specialist psychology equipment and facilities including an observation suite, toddler and infant laboratory, psychophysiology laboratory, and digital analysis and video editing suite

- Use our motion capture studios, which feature the latest Vicon optical system, to explore the mechanics and perception of human movement

- Have the chance to study abroad or take part in a year-long work placement, boosting your employability prospects after the course

- Create your own bespoke final year by choosing the subjects and specialisms that most interest you from a fully optional module list

- Be inspired by regular one-on-one tutorials with experienced psychology practitioners involved in research, including the Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology and the Dog Cognition Centre

- Become eligible to apply for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (with a 2:2 or higher)

**Accredited by:**
This degree confers eligibility for Graduate Membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Graduate Basis for Registration.

**Careers and opportunities**
When you graduate, you’ll be ready to continue your training to become a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol).

On the course, you'll be able to customise your final year to your own preferred field of study and choose modules that lay the groundwork for a professional specialism.

After completing your BSc (Hons) Psychology, the next step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist would be a Masters in your chosen specialism, such as MSc Forensic Psychology, MSc Health Psychology or MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology.

**What can you do with a psychology degree?**
As a Chartered Psychologist, areas you could specialise in include:

- clinical psychology

- sports psychology

- counselling psychology

- educational psychology

- forensic psychology

- occupational psychology

The transferable skills you'll learn are also in demand in other fields, such as:

- teaching (with additional training)

- social welfare

- police work

- research

- marketing

**Graduate roles and destinations**
Roles our previous graduates have gone on to work in, include:

- assistant psychologist

- lecturer in policing

- domestic abuse worker

- wellbeing lead

- occupational therapy support officer

- head of learning and professional development

- HR director

- National Crime Agency (NCA) officer

They've gone on to work in the following organisations:

- Mind

- Care UK

- Department of Health and Social Care

- Ministry of Defence

- The Home Office

- Office for National Statistics

- Metropolitan Police

- EMEA at Michael Kors

**Placement year**
You'll be able to increase your chances of landing your ideal job after your degree by taking an optional work placement year between your second and third years. A placement year gives you the opportunity to apply your knowledge in a real workplace, boosting your employability and making you stand out to employers.

You can work for a company or organisation here in the UK or overseas, or you could go independent by setting up and running your own business with other students.

Previous students have completed placements in the following organisations:

- Great Ormond Street Hospital

- Mind

- Solent NHS Trust

- GlaxoSmithKline

- Microsoft

- IBM

Modules

Year 1

Core modules in this year include:

Animal Behaviour - 20 credits
Applying Psychological Research Skills - 40 credits
Exploring Psychology - 40 credits
Perspectives in Psychology - 20 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 2

Core modules in this year include:

Biological and Cognitive Psychology - 20 credits
Individual Differences and Psychometrics - 20 credits
Professional Development and Employability - 20 credits
Psychological Research Methods - 20 credits
Quantitative Data Analysis - 20 credits
Social and Developmental Psychology - 20 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

Placement year (optional)

Optional modules in this year include:

Psychology Sandwich Year Study Placement - 120 credits
Psychology Sandwich Year Work Placement - 120 credits
Psychology Final Year Work Placement - 120 credits

Year 3

Optional modules in this year include:

Applications of Sport and Exercise Psychology - 20 credits
Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology - 20 credits
Cultural Psychology - 20 credits
Educational Psychology - 20 credits
Exploring Data for Psychology - 20 credits
Introduction to Teaching - 20 credits
Issues in Clinical and Health Psychology - 20 credits
Language and Communication - 20 credits
Neuroscience - 20 credits
Occupational and Organisational Psychology - 20 credits
Perspectives on Legal Psychology and Forensic Psychology - 20 credits
Psychology Research Project - 20 credits
Psychology Research Project Extended - 40 credits
Psychology Work Placement - 20 credits
Social Construction of Disability - 20 credits

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through written examinations, practical reports and essays, poster presentations, oral presentations, self-led research project.
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

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
£9,250
per year
International
£19,200
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:

University of Portsmouth

Department:

Faculty of Science and Health

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

82%
Staff make the subject interesting
94%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
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

82%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
88%
Course specific equipment and facilities
81%
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?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
22%
Male students
78%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
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.

£20,000
high
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
60%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
13%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Teaching and educational 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.

£19k

£19k

£25k

£25k

£27k

£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.

Explore these similar courses...

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Lower entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 112-128

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here