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BSc (Hons) Psychology

UCAS CODE: C800 (Full-Time) or C804 (Foundation Year)
TARIFF: 104 - 128 (Full-Time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)
  • Study Mode: Full Time
  • Location: High Wycombe
  • Duration: Three or Four Years
  • Start Date: September 2024

You can also study this course:

Places available to start April 2024.

Learn new skills and build your confidence on our psychology course. You can take advantage of specialist equipment such as virtual reality where you can measure our response to fear. Gain the space and opportunity to achieve new goals for yourself on our psychology degree course.

Our lecturers are all current psychologists themselves, so you'll leave BNU with new perspectives, ideas and skills to explore a range of exciting new career paths in psychology. 

This course is accredited by the BPS (British Psychology Society).

I have always loved psychology and the course gives us lots of freedom to explore our ideas. The option to choose modules lets me study exactly what I love. The facilities are really great; the library and other course-related facilities are super accessible to students.
Emma Frasier Mills
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Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

As one of our students you'll learn what it takes to be a professional psychologist. With plenty of opportunity to master different types of psychology, you can shape your future career with our optional module system, so you have freedom to choose what topics you want to study. All of our modules are taught by experienced psychologists.

With an amazing student community, free societies and a passionate teaching team there are plenty of reasons to pick BNU as your first choice. University is not just about learning, its about finding out who you are as a person. Our Student Union was ranked No.1 in the UK*, and we scored No.1 in the UK for student satisfaction*, with 94% of psychology students expressing positivity across 7 key themes*. *(NSS 2023)

Upon graduation from a BPS accredited course, you’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) and from there you can take steps towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist with the BPS. This is a widely recognised accreditation and is essential for some roles in psychology. 

Due to a shared first year across all our psychology courses, switching to any of them is no problem. You can choose to stay on BSc (Hons) Psychology or switch to BSc (Hons) Counselling Psychology, BSc (Hons) Psychology and Criminology, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Psychology, BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology, and BSc (Hons) Psychological Studies, after your first year in any.

Why study Psychology?

Whether you’re simply fascinated by psychology, or you have your sights set on becoming a professional psychologist, gaining a psychology degree can be your best way forward. A psychology degree gives you a strong foundation for a variety of careers, utilizing your knowledge of human behaviour and societal trends. You could go into a range of careers from marketing to business, research, social or health care roles and jobs which require knowledge of human behaviour.

You can expect to build a deep understanding of yourself and how we operate within our social structures, develop your analytical mind, nurture your curiosity, and understand communication and relationships.

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I cannot fault the quality of teaching, it’s excellent. The lecturers do all they can to support students. They are well experienced, kind, passionate, supportive and always available to help students in any way they can. The lectures and seminars are well prepared and delivered. I am enjoying my course, my time at BNU and the whole learning environment.
Homaira Merzai
Homaira Merzai

What facilities can I use?

All the facilities you need on our psychology degree course are provided in our psychology lab space. This is a section of the university dedicated to psychology. It contains virtual reality, a counselling room with a see through screen so you can observe sessions, eye trackers with various scenarios, items to test reaction time, biopac to test our physiological reaction and more. 

Our lab facilities include a dedicated space for psychology students and staff to carry out research and teaching. This includes our:

  • psychology laboratory (this houses five experimental cubicles)
  • psychology simulation and observation suite
  • psychology seminar room

We also have access to computer labs for teaching students how to use specialist software packages for data analysis, such as SPSS.

What will I study?

This is the core psychology course which will enable you to gain knowledge of all the various disciplines of psychology. This course focuses on research methods, behaviour, society, environment, cause, effect and applying psychology. 

As part of studying psychology at BNU you will share your first year with the other psychology courses and afterwards you can choose to continue this course or transfer onto one of the other courses if you prefer one topic over another. You’ll get the chance to understand your personality and how learning can be applied to real scenarios. Understand the necessary framework needed to practice psychology at a professional level.

Understand the important key aspects of mental health, wellbeing, and performance, regarding yourself and those around you. We want you to ask questions of us, develop your core skills, build your analytical mind, and more. When you graduate from BNU you will have gained the mindset you need to be empowered and confident in your future. You will have gained a good understanding of those fields of Psychology which excite you, inspire you, and motivate you to push boundaries.

This course offers you the skills and framework needed to become a chartered psychologist with the BPS. You’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) and from there you can take steps towards becoming a chartered psychologist with the BPS.

If you choose to become chartered with the British Psychological Society (BPS) you can go on to practice psychology as a scientist, analyst, researcher, commentator, advisor or as a clinician. 

How will I be taught and assessed?

This course is accredited by The British Psychological Society (BPS), which means certain modules are incorporated into the course which you must pass to achieve the Graduate Basis for chartered membership. 

Upon graduation, you’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) and from there you can take steps towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist, which is a highly desired accreditation.

There are many ways you can be assessed, and assessments are designed to help you learn and identify certain areas you need to improve. We use a variety of assessment techniques to look at your ability and areas you may need support with. You must pass the module assessments to progress with the course. Some of the methods we use are:

  • exams
  • presentations
  • group work
  • projects
  • labs
  • coursework
Lectures and seminars are always very informative, interactive and with plenty of open discussion between students and the lecturers. They are always very supportive of ideas and opinions as well as with our work, through punctual turn arounds on assignments and quick responses through emails.
Emily Cranshaw

BSc (Hons) Psychology Programme Specification

What are the course entry requirements?

A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 104 - 128 (Full-Time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)

UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application.

For this course, you'll need at least two A-levels and a GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4.

For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year; find out more.

Modules

This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.

This course has Opportunity modules.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers. Find out more.

What are the tuition fees

Home

Home, Academic Year 2024 - 2025

£9,250 per year

International

Overseas/International, Academic Year 2024 - 2025

£15,150 per year

Additional course costs and financial support

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.
You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

Questions about fees?

If you have any questions about the fees above, contact our Enquiries team by calling 0330 123 2023 or emailing advice@bnu.ac.uk.

What are my career prospects?

With such a strong academic grounding, as well as the transferrable skills you’ll develop along the way, you are well-placed to succeed wherever you go.

There are many options to explore with your psychology degree; it’s the first step to starting postgraduate study in a more focused area like clinical, educational, forensic, counselling, health, cognitive neuropsychology, and sports psychology.

Or perhaps you’d prefer to dive right into the world of work and explore a career in health, education, local government, or the infinite possibilities available to you in the private and public sector. You could become a teaching assistant, learning support assistant or mental health support specialist.

Graduates can choose to continue their studies at BNU and study a postgraduate course, such as our MSc Applied Positive PsychologyMSc Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education, or even the MSc Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

There are numerous opportunities which your degree could help to open. Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in psychology, clinical psychology, forensic psychology, therapy, nursing, and private and public businesses.

The course seemed very open and I knew it would keep my options open to then specialize later rather than specializing early and therefore restricting my options later in my career.
Piers Bowden
Piers Bowden
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BSc (Hons) Psychology
BSc (Hons) Psychology with Foundation Year