Psychology with Clinical Psychology - BSc (Hons)

and Placement Year

Course structure

Duration: 4 years

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.

• Year in industry

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. Our assessment methods are varied and will include, but are not limited to, examinations, written assignments and essays, group work and oral presentations.

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

• provide knowledge about, experience of, and insight into, the use of psychological experience by practising professional psychologists in an applied work setting
• attract and meet the needs of those contemplating a career in psychological professions and those motivated by an intellectual interest in psychology
• contribute to widening participation in higher education by offering a wide variety of entry routes
• provide a sound knowledge and systematic understanding of the principal approaches to psychology and perspectives such as social, cognitive, and biological
• develop a critical awareness and appraisal of the different approaches to psychology and related disciplines, and introduce students to a range of different theoretical and methodological approaches
• offer a range of modules covering the foundations of psychology, as defined by the British Psychological Society, which will enable students who successfully complete them, to obtain exemption from the initial or academic stage of training for entry into the British Psychological Society
• provide teaching informed by current research and scholarship, which requires students to engage with aspects of work at the frontiers of knowledge
• enable students to carry out independent research
• develop students' critical, analytical and problem-solving skills
• provide opportunities for the development of personal, communication, research and other key skills appropriate for graduate employment in the psychology professions and other fields.

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 different levels of description and explanation
• applied and clinical psychology.

Intellectual skills

You gain the following intellectual abilities:

• critical reflection on particular issues
• 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 through feedback from different sources such as staff and peers
• clarity in thinking, critical thinking and problem identification.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in the following:

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

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in the following:

• communication: organising information clearly, responding to written sources, presenting information orally, adapting style for different audiences and the use of images as a communication tool
• numeracy: making sense of statistical materials, integrating numerical and non-numerical information, understanding the limits and potentialities of arguments based on quantitative information
• using IT skills to produce written documents, undertaking online research and process information using databases
• working co-operatively on group tasks and understanding how groups function
• improving students’ learning by exploring personal strengths and weaknesses, time management, developing specialist learning skills such as foreign languages and autonomy in learning
• problem solving, exploring alternative solutions and learning to 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.

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.