Psychology (with integrated foundation year)

Are you fascinated by what makes people tick, the human mind and debating psychological ideas? On this psychology degree with a foundation year, we’ll guide you through a vast range of contexts and lifespans – from the biological basis of behaviour to questioning contemporary issues.

This foundation year will help you on your way to achieving our full BSc (Hons) Psychology, accredited by the British Psychological Society, designed to give you the knowledge and expertise that allows you to kickstart a successful career. What’s more, our psychology courses are ranked 1st in the North West and 11th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2023 Results).

Course Overview
If you are passionate about pursuing a career in psychology but do not have the required qualifications for direct entry, this psychology foundation degree offers a supportive alternative route into higher education.

In years two to four, half of your course will be practical, focusing on research techniques, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods, data handling and analysis skills, laboratory reports and communication skills. You’ll learn from industry-expert tutors through lectures and seminars. You’ll be encouraged to engage in career-enhancing voluntary work, giving you hands-on experience.

You will be eligible to apply for Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS). The skills, knowledge and understanding you gain from this psychology degree course will help you access a range of rewarding professions.

On this course you will

• Study psychology at the University of Cumbria, with the opportunity to explore and apply psychological literature to current issues, contexts and experiences.

• Be taught and given high-quality support and guidance by our lecturing team, who are active in research and practices.

• Learn valuable transferrable skills in research, which are highly sought after by employers.

• Develop your knowledge and build a solid foundation of the core skills needed to progress from your foundation year onto the full psychology degree course.

• Be able to shape your degree experience to your interests and career goals, allowing us to help you to reach your ideal future career.

What you'll learn
In year one, you are encouraged to reflect on your skills development in learning and personal contexts so you develop your ability to make appropriate choices and decisions. Challenging and authentic tasks will be used to stretch your capabilities in real-world learning and assessment resulting in a deeper approach to learning.

In years 2-4, you will study five key themes within psychology:

• The contextualised bio-psychosocial nature of human development and experience

• Ethical decision making and professional values

• Gathering and analysing evidence using robust, population relevant and ethical research techniques

• The pivotal role of academic, professional and graduate skills

• Experiential problem-based learning

Year 1

• Essential University Skills 1

• Essential University Skills 2

• Contemporary Issues and the Media

• Families, Communities and the Criminal Justice System

• Professional Practice in the Community

• Mental Health and Wellbeing

Year 2

• Psychology in Action

• Introduction to Psychological Research Methods

• Introduction to Data Analysis

• Perspectives in Psychology

• Professional and Academic Skills

• Introduction to Psychopathology

Year 3

• Research Methods and Statistics

• Development, Brain and Cognition

• Research Methods in Applied Psychology Settings

• Work Experience

• Negotiated Learning

• Social and Community Psychology

Year 4

• Critical Psychology

• Individual Differences: Abilities, Personalities and measuring differences

• Dissertation

• Psychological Literacy and Careers

• Counselling and Coaching Psychology

Assessments will support the development of skills, offer feedback and mark areas for improvement.

Assessment styles include:

• Academic essay
• Case analysis
• Literature review
• Research reports (qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods)
• Reflective Accounts (debates, meetings, research techniques)
• Portfolio of analyses (qualitative and quantitative exercises)
• Academic Poster and conference-style presentation
• Web page design/ podcast production
• Dissertation
• Problem-based learning activities
• Intervention design and evaluation
• Psychometric report
• Psychometric practical skills assessment
• Oral Presentation conference style
• Online assessment
• Academic debates
• Research proposal
• Objective tests

In your second year, several modules involve a portfolio assessment model which enables you to develop and evidence a range of skills critical to success in years 3 and 4.

In each module, you have the opportunity to engage in summative and formative assessments. Summative assessment refers to work submitted for module and programme credit and is used to assess whether you have achieved the relevant learning outcomes in a module. Summative assessment is captured in the overall mark awarded for each module. Formative assessments occur in each of the modules to scaffold future summative assessments.