Psychology

The BSc (Hons) Psychology degree at Aston University is a three-year course and 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. This degree is designed to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of psychology and the practical skills necessary to excel professionally.

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.

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.

Key course benefits

• Professional accreditation: This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and your first step towards becoming a chartered psychologist.
• Triple Gold for Teaching: We’re rated Gold across all categories in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF, 2023).
• Excellent student experience: 92.9% of our students felt positive about academic support provided on their course (National Student Survey, 2024).
• Excellent prospects: Ranked 7th in the UK for Graduate Prospects in Psychology (Complete University Guide, 2025).
• 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. If you select Year 0 on your application form, this will be amended to Year 1 at the admissions review stage.

Your UCAS Application: Explain any gaps in your education, list full qualification names, provide an academic reference, and include predicted grades (even if sitting privately). More tips: https://shorturl.at/cNR2e

For a full list of modules and course objectives, visit the course page on Aston University's website: https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/psychology-bsc/

Assessment
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