Psychology

The Aston BSc (Hons) Psychology degree is designed to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of psychology and the practical skills necessary to excel professionally.

By choosing to study at Aston University you will gain a degree accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), have the opportunity to complete a career-enhancing placement in the UK or internationally, and be taught by leading experts from a range of specialist psychological fields.

The BSc (Hons) Psychology degree at Aston University will equip you with the skills, insights, and confidence required to understand why people behave in the way that they do by considering the complex interplay between biological, psychological, environmental, cultural, and social influences on behaviour.

The course covers a wide range of topics including how changes in the brain influence behaviour, why false memories occur, why people behave differently when they are in a group, how language influences thinking, how we learn to understand other’s intentions, how psychological distress can be alleviated, why we identify with some people and not others, how subconscious processes influence our behaviour, and how our thinking develops as we grow from children to adults.

Key course benefits

• Professional accreditation: This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and your first step towards becoming a chartered psychologist.
• Excellent student experience: 90% student satisfaction ratings for teaching on course (NSS 2025). Triple Gold for Teaching: We’re rated Gold across all categories in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF, 2023).
• Future career: Our graduates have secured work in top organisations such as the BBC, HSBC, Jaguar Land Rover, PwC, local government, and the NHS.

Facilities

Psychology students have access to a range of specialist facilities that reflect the hands-on learning within the field. In these settings, you gain practical experience alongside like-minded students, with workshops and lectures guided by industry professionals and expert technicians.

Psychology specialist facilities:

• An observation suite (with covert audio-visual recording).
• Equipment and tools for psychophysiological measurements, such as eye tracking and motion capture.
• Experiment labs for cognitive experiments.
• Larger labs for focus groups and audience-based experiments.

This course is also offered as a four-year course with a placement year.

We no longer offer a Foundation Programme.

Course Modules

Year 1

• Key Skills in Psychology

• Key Skills in Psychology II

• Introduction to Clinical Psychology

• Developmental and Social Psychology

• Biological and Cognitive Psychology

• Foundations of Contemporary Psychology

Plus two optional modules from:

• Psychological Interventions

• Myth-busting in Psychology

• Social Responsibility in Psychology

Year 2

Research Methods and Data Analysis

Applied Psychology and Professional Skills

Social Psychology

Brain and Behaviour

Lifespan Development

Individual Differences and Personality

Cognition and Cognitive Neuropsychology

Plus select one optional module from:

Psychology and Wellbeing

Neuroscience in the Real World

Year 3 - placement Year

Placement year - This module aims to provide a framework for students on placement (including working or studying abroad, working or volunteering in the UK in a variety of contexts) to demonstrate the learning they have achieved through their placement experiences and relate these to future employment opportunities.

Final Year

• Final Year Project

Plus select six optional modules from:

• The Developing Brain

• Addiction and Impulsivity

• Families and Wellbeing

• Living with long-term health conditions

• Clinical psychology of intellectual disability

• Psychotic and affective disorders

• Neurodiversity

• Eating behaviour

• Language learning and loss

• Perceiving people

https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/psychology-bsc/september-2027

Our BSc (Hons) Psychology curriculum utilises a range of different assessment types and the assessment strategy reflects the national educational requirements in the Framework for Qualifications of Higher Education (FHEQ).

You will be assessed throughout the course. A wide range of assessments linked to learning outcomes are used, including:

• class tests/end-of-year examinations (unseen essay, short answer or multiple choice questions)
• essays
• individual research reports
• presentations (group or individual)
• statistics assignments

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• British Psychological Society