Psychology (with integrated foundation year)

Explore human behaviour and develop valuable graduate skills with our Psychology degree, accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
This course provides an engaging exploration of human behaviour, cognition, advanced research methods, and hands-on experiential problem-based learning. You will explore human experience across a range of contexts and lifespans, from understanding the biological basis of behaviour to questioning the impact of social media on child development.
Your journey begins with an introductory foundation year, designed to develop your skills, confidence, and core knowledge in a supportive environment. This year helps you build strong academic foundations, ensuring you’re fully prepared to progress smoothly into the undergraduate degree.
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.
Our software and equipment for collecting experimental data includes the Biopac data acquisition system, MindWave Neurosky headsets, which are used to study and analyse brainwave patterns, and E-prime software for designing and running psychological experiments.
Lectures and seminars are taught by passionate academics, all of whom are researchers and practitioners, which allows you to benefit from their expertise and cutting-edge research. Our lecturers will get to know you individually to ensure you get the most out of your degree and feel supported throughout.

Module Examples

• Essential University Skills

• Contemporary Issues and the Media

• Psychology in Action

• Introduction to Data Analysis

• Introduction to Psychopathology

• Development, Brain and Cognition

• Research Methods and Statistics

• Social and Community Psychology

• Individual Differences: Abilities, Personalities, and Measuring Differences\

• Psychological Literacy and Careers\

• Counselling and Coaching Psychology

https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/psychology-with-integrated-foundation-year/

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.