Students preparing for their graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral

Psychology with Studies in Europe - BSc (Hons)

UCAS code C881

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2017

Psychology is the study of people: how they think, act, react and interact. Psychologists scientifically study all kinds of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivations underlying behaviour. By collecting information about what people do, think, perceive and feel, psychologists answer questions about human behaviour, cognition and development.

Overview

The Psychology programmes at Kent give you a broad background in practical applications, experimental and other methodologies, information technology and theory construction, and also allow you to follow specialist interests at Stage 3. All your work will help you to demonstrate transferable skills valued by employers. 

Watch the School video to find out what it's like to be a Kent Psychology student. 

Psychology with Studies in Europe is a four-year programme. You spend your first two years and your final year (Stages 1, 2 and 3) at Kent and the third year (Stage A) studying at one of our partner universities in Europe.

Independent rankings

Psychology at Kent was ranked 12th in The Complete University Guide 2017. In the National Student Survey 2016, 93% of Psychology students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.

For graduate prospects, Psychology at Kent was ranked 2nd in The Guardian University Guide 2017. Kent was 4th in the UK for the percentage of Psychology students who found professional jobs after graduation in 2015 (DLHE).

Course structure

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

In Stage 1 you take three compulsory psychology modules: Introduction to Biological and General Psychology, Introduction to Social and Developmental Psychology, and Psychology Statistics and Practical. You also take modules in your chosen language (French, German, Italian or Spanish), or if you have registered to spend a year in Finland, Poland or Turkey you take modules in European politics and economics.

In Stage 2 you take five core psychology modules required for professional recognition by the British Psychological Society, a double module in Study Skills, and further modules in your chosen language or in European politics and economics.

In Stage A (Year Abroad) you spend a year at one of our partner universities in Europe.

In Stage 3 you carry out a research project in psychology and take three further compulsory psychology modules. You also choose two optional modules in psychology, allowing you to follow specialist interests and benefit from staff research expertise.

Year abroad

Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally.  You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.

You spend a year degree between Stages 2 and 3 studying at one of our partner universities in Europe. For a full list, please see Go Abroad. Places are subject to availability, language and degree programme.

You are expected to adhere to any academic progression requirements in Stages 1 and 2 to proceed to the year abroad. If the requirement is not met, you are transferred to the equivalent three-year programme. The year abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not count towards your final degree classification.

Teaching and assessment

Modules are taught by weekly lectures, workshops, small group seminars and project supervision. The Psychology Statistics and Practical modules include laboratory practical sessions, statistics classes, computing classes and lectures in statistics and methodology.

Most modules are assessed by examination and coursework in equal measure. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks and, where appropriate, the marks for your year abroad or placement count towards your final degree result.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • meet the needs of those contemplating a career in the psychological professions, as well as those motivated by an intellectual interest in psychology
  • attract candidates from a variety of educational backgrounds
  • provide an understanding of the principal perspective in psychology (for example, social, cognitive, and biological)
  • introduce students to a range of theoretical and methodological approaches
  • enable students to study chosen areas of psychology in depth
  • cover the foundations of psychology to provide entry into the British Psychological Society
  • provide teaching which is informed by current research and scholarship and engages with work at the frontiers of knowledge
  • enable students to manage their own learning and carry out independent research
  • develop critical, analytical and problem-solving skills that can be applied within non-applied psychological and extra-psychological settings
  • develop skills appropriate for graduate employment, both in the psychology professions and other fields
  • extend students' knowledge and experience of psychology within the context of another university and country.

The French, German, Italian or Spanish tier of the programme aims to:

  • provide students with sufficient fluency in French, German, Italian or Spanish to study psychology at another European university.

The English tier of the programme aims to:

  • provide students with knowledge of Europe to enhance their studies at another European university.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • psychology statistics, practical experimentation and research
  • cognitive and social development
  • interpersonal and group behaviour
  • cognition and cognitive neuropsychology
  • personality and individual differences
  • philosophical and theoretical issues in psychology
  • the relationship between psychology and allied disciplines
  • different frameworks in psychology and levels of description and explanation
  • psychology in a European context 
  • linguistic expertise if taking the French, German, Italian or Spanish tier of the programme.

Intellectual skills

You develop intellectual skills in:

  • critical reflection
  • oral discussion
  • written analysis and interpretation
  • critical evaluation and exposition of ideas
  • development of writing and reading skills
  • time management and preparation
  • self-reflection and development, responding to feedback from different sources (for example staff and peers, information technology)
  • clarity in thinking, critical thinking, problem identification.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in:

  • conducting an empirical study, under supervision
  • the design and conduct of psychological research
  • evaluating and selecting frameworks and methodologies for exploring issues in psychology
  • using the major analytic techniques employed by psychologists
  • employing the inferential method of science (deductive methods, single case methods, semiotics)
  • psychological statistical methods and their interpretation
  • the use of psychology-oriented software applications (for example, database programmes, experiment generators, statistical packages)
  • disseminating psychological information to appropriate bodies.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in:

  • communication – how to organise information clearly; respond to written sources; present information orally; adapt style for different audiences; use images as a communication tool
  • numeracy – how to make sense of statistical materials; integrate numerical and non-numerical information; understand the limits and potentialities of arguments based on quantitative information
  • information technology – how to produce written documents; undertake online research; communicate using email; process information using databases
  • working with others – how to define and review the work of others; work co-operatively on group tasks; understand how groups function
  • improving own learning – how to explore personal strengths and weaknesses; time management; review your working environment (especially the student-staff relationship); develop specialist learning skills (for example by taking a foreign language); develop autonomy in learning
  • problem solving – how to identify and define problems; explore alternative solutions and discriminate between them.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

  • government administration
  • social welfare
  • the Home Office
  • the probation service
  • teaching
  • special needs work
  • NHS and health charities
  • social work
  • public relations
  • marketing
  • publishing.

Many continue their studies at postgraduate level to qualify as a:

  • clinical psychologist
  • educational psychologist
  • forensic psychologist
  • neuropsychologist
  • occupational psychologist.

Help finding a job

The University has a friendly Careers and Employability Service, which can give you advice on how to:

  • apply for jobs
  • write a good CV
  • perform well in interviews.

Work experience

The School of Psychology has valuable links with educational establishments, hospitals and prisons in the area, offering you the possibility of both visits and work placements. We also offer a Research Experience Scheme that gives you a taste of working within a research environment.

Career-enhancing skills

Studying for a degree is not just about mastering your subject area. Employers also look for a range of key transferable skills, which you develop as part of your degree.

These include:

  • computing skills
  • writing and presentation skills
  • analytical and problem-solving skills
  • the ability to respond to challenges.

You can also gain extra skills by signing up for our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Professional recognition

The programme is accredited by the British Psychological Society as conferring eligibility for Graduate Membership with Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (provided you graduate with at least second class honours and pass your final-year research project). 

This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist, which is important if you want to work within the NHS or a local education authority.

Independent rankings

For graduate prospects, Psychology at Kent was ranked 2nd in The Guardian University Guide 2017. Kent was 4th in the UK for the percentage of Psychology students who found professional jobs after graduation in 2015 (DLHE).

According to Which? University (2017), the average starting salary for graduates of this degree is £18,000.

Entry requirements

Home/EU students

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice. 

It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.

New GCSE grades

If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.

Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement
A level

AAB including French or German grade at B for some variants excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking

GCSE

Mathematics grade C, plus Italian/Spanish/Finnish/Polish/Turkish versions grade B or AS level in a modern European language other than English

Access to HE Diploma

The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. 

If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma)

The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further advice on your individual circumstances.

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall or 17 points at HL with Mathematics 4 at HL or SL and a relevant language A1/A2/B at 4/5/5 HL or SL A1/A2/B at 5/6/6 SL

International students

The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.

If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.

Meet our staff in your country

For more advise about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events. 

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme. 

General entry requirements

Please also see our general entry requirements.

Fees

The 2017/18 tuition fees for this programme are:

UK/EU Overseas
Full-time

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

UK/EU fee paying students

The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.

In accordance with changes announced by the UK Government, we are increasing our 2017/18 regulated full-time tuition fees for new and returning UK/EU fee paying undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses will also rise from £4,500 to £4,625. This was subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. This fee will ensure the continued provision of high-quality education.

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Fees for Year Abroad/Industry

As a guide only, UK/EU/International students on an approved year abroad for the full 2017/18 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status. 

Please note that for 2017/18 entrants the University will increase the standard year in industry fee for home/EU/international students to £1,350.

General additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

University funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

Government funding

You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.

The Government has confirmed that EU students applying for university places in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will still have access to student funding support for the duration of their course.

Scholarships

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

The scholarship is also extended to those who achieve AAB at A level (or specified equivalents) where one of the subjects is either Mathematics or a Modern Foreign Language. Please review the eligibility criteria.

The Key Information Set (KIS) data is compiled by UNISTATS and draws from a variety of sources which includes the National Student Survey and the Higher Education Statistical Agency. The data for assessment and contact hours is compiled from the most populous modules (to the total of 120 credits for an academic session) for this particular degree programme. Depending on module selection, there may be some variation between the KIS data and an individual's experience. For further information on how the KIS data is compiled please see the UNISTATS website.

If you have any queries about a particular programme, please contact information@kent.ac.uk.