Psychology with Foundation Year

If you're looking to take your first steps in a psychology-related field, our BSc (Hons) Psychology with Foundation Year is a great place to start. This course offers a strong focus on applied learning to provide you with real world skills to enhance your employability.

You will develop evidence-based knowledge of current psychological theories and issues and discover how they can be applied to everyday life as well as a professional setting. You will also build skills in scientific reasoning, learn to understand the role of evidence and make critical judgements in psychological arguments.

The degree programme is designed so that the Foundation Year focuses on developing the key skills required to study at degree level and covers the same six modules as on our law and business degrees. The modules covered will initially enhance your communications skills, digital and information literacy and ability to think critically. You then have the added flexibility of switching your degree programme if another discipline captures your interest, subject to availability and entry requirements.

Why study BSc (Hons) Psychology with Foundation Year with us?

• Cross-subject optional modules: In Year 3, you will be able to choose from optional modules in our other subject areas of law, criminology and policing. These will help you build transferable skills valuable to employers.

• Work-based learning module: In your final year, you will spend at least 40 hours volunteering at an organisation of your choice to apply the psychological principles you have learned on the course.

• Quality Teaching: This course has been designed to align with the QAA Statement for Psychology (The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education), ensuring you’ll receive high quality teaching, equipping you with the skills and knowledge to succeed.

• Learn from experienced lecturers: In our Psychology at ULaw module, you will explore the specialisms of your lecturers and their unique journeys through the field of psychology.

• Multiple study options: Choose from studying online or at our Leeds campus.

• Practical learning: We keep class sizes small so we can personalise teaching to your unique career goals.

• Award-winning Employability support: From day one to beyond graduation, you will have access to 1:1 support from our experienced Employability Service.

• Employability Skills: Develop a range of employability skills including critical thinking, data analysis and teamwork in addition to understanding human behaviour and group dynamics. These skills can lead to a variety of careers in not only psychology, but also in education, human resources and people management, marketing, and data analytics.

The programme is seeking BPS accreditation and once achieved, students will be able to apply to BPS for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, which is the first step to becoming a Chartered Psychologist.

On an accredited course students get free membership to the BPS in the first year.

Course Modules

All modules are 20 credits unless stated

Foundation Year

In Term 1 students study;
• Communication Skills
• Digital and Research Skills
• Sustainabilty and Society

In Term 2 the students will study;
• Foundation Year Project
• Core Concepts of Psychology
• One option from the following: Core Concepts of Business; Core Concepts of Computer Science; Core Concepts of Criminology or Core Concepts of Law.

Options available are indicative and available subject to numbers and the campus chosen. Students will also complete the Shaping Skills for Success programme.

Year One

• The Psychology of Mental Health
• Understanding the Person
• Academic and career success
• Research Methods Design
• Brain and Behaviour
• AI literacy for the future professional

Year Two

• Neuroscience of Behaviour
• Lifespan Development
• Personality & Individual Differences
• Mixed Methods Research
• Social & Critical Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Year Three

• Work Based Learning module (20 credits 2 semesters)
• Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Dissertation (40 credits, 2 semesters)

Optional module (pick 2):
• Health psychology
• Mental health & mental capacity law (law)
• Gender, sexuality and crime (criminology)
• Public protection: understanding abuse and risk (policing)
• Evolution of the prison system (criminology)
• Urban criminology (criminology)
• Migration (criminology)
• Cyberpsychology
• Occupational & Organisational psychology
• The Psychology of consumer behaviour
• Human Rights law (law)
• Family law (law)
• Media, crime and control (criminology)
• Zemiology: social harms (criminology)
• Cybercrime (criminology)
• Terrorism (criminology)
• Forensic and criminal psychology (policing)