With so many aspects of life involving psychology in some way, studying this subject will be both interesting and useful. The knowledge and experience gained may lead towards one of the traditional fields of professional psychology (such as clinical psychology, educational psychology or occupational psychology), provided you undertake an accredited course; or into other diverse areas of work which draw upon psychology in varying degrees - education, social work, health, administration, market research, ergonomics, human resource management - anywhere where experience of seeking to understand human beings in a systematic way can be put to use. At Chester we pride ourselves on being student focused, both in terms of our approachability and also in involving students in our on-going evaluations and reviews of the programme. We also have a thriving student Psychology society who organise a regular programme of social and academic activities. Features: A particular strength of our Psychology course is the emphasis on finding out through practical activity and the applied nature of many of our assessments. You can expect extensive experience in planning, carrying out, analysing and reporting studies with people - interviewing, survey, observation, and experimentation - acquiring a range of valuable transferable skills. Our staff have a wide range of experience in applied areas of Psychology, as well as the core areas of Psychology you may have previously studied. Taking Psychology as a combined honours programme with another subject allows you to keep your studies broad. Our combined honours degrees are approved as conferring eligibility for Graduate Basis for Charterships (GBC) with the British Psychological Society, which is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist, if a prescribed set of options within the degree programmes has been followed. the final year dissertation has been passed and at least a 2ii degree classification obtained. In this case, you would undertake the core modules that the students on the single honours programme undertake and would take two modules in your other subject in your final two years. If you do not wish to acquire GBC then your course becomes more flexible, we ask only that you take some core Psychology in your second year to give you a fuller range of options in your final year. More details can be found on the module page.

* Why study this course? With so many aspects of life involving psychology in some way, studying this subject will be both interesting and useful. The knowledge and experience gained may lead towards one of the traditional fields of professional psychology (such as clinical psychology, educational psychology or occupational psychology), provided you undertake an accredited course; or into other diverse areas of work which draw upon psychology in varying degrees - education, social work, health, administration, market research, ergonomics, human resource management - anywhere where experience of seeking to understand human beings in a systematic way can be put to use. At Chester we pride ourselves on being student focused, both in terms of our approachability and also in involving students in our on-going evaluations and reviews of the programme. We also have a thriving student Psychology society who organise a regular programme of social and academic activities. Features: A particular strength of our Psychology course is the emphasis on finding out through practical activity and the applied nature of many of our assessments. You can expect extensive experience in planning, carrying out, analysing and reporting studies with people - interviewing, survey, observation, and experimentation - acquiring a range of valuable transferable skills. Our staff have a wide range of experience in applied areas of Psychology, as well as the core areas of Psychology you may have previously studied. Taking Psychology as a combined honours programme with another subject allows you to keep your studies broad. Our combined honours degrees are approved as conferring eligibility for Graduate Basis for Charterships (GBC) with the British Psychological Society, which is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist, if a prescribed set of options within the degree programmes has been followed. the final year dissertation has been passed and at least a 2ii degree classification obtained. In this case, you would undertake the core modules that the students on the single honours programme undertake and would take two modules in your other subject in your final two years. If you do not wish to acquire GBC then your course becomes more flexible, we ask only that you take some core Psychology in your second year to give you a fuller range of options in your final year. More details can be found on the module page. Programme Structure: Please note that the following modules are subject to change. Level 4 (Year 1): At level 4, you will take two psychology core modules: Core topics in Psychology and Research Methods and Skills (see module descriptions below). You will also take three modules from your other subject. Core Topics in Psychology: This module provides an introduction to the major topic areas of psychology: psychobiology, cognitive psychology, intelligence, social psychology, developmental psychology, and individual differences. The major different theoretical approaches and perspectives within each topic area will be explored. The research and perspectives of well-known theorists, past and present, will be presented. Research Methods and Skills: This is an introductory module that gives a grounding in psychological research methods, study skills and statistics. Weekly lectures cover the theoretical aspects and these are supplemented by small group practical workshops. These include laboratory classes, skills workshops on information retrieval, learning styles, note taking and report writing, and self-reflective exercises where the student is encouraged to gauge their own progress. Assessment is by coursework and a final examination. History and Applications of Psychology: This module has been designed to encourage awareness of the historical developments of psychological practice and to outline the development of psychology in relation to philosophy, science and the social sciences, and introduces different perspectives on psychological issues. Students get to explore some of the more contemporary applications of psychology across a range of different themes and the associated ethical and professional issues that they raise. Psychological Well-Being: This module introduces the complementary fields of clinical and health psychology as a basis for further study in these areas further on in the degree course. While primarily lecture-based, there are also small group applied sessions. Applications of Psychology in Education: This module focuses on the diverse applications of psychology in education, including developmental issues, approaches to teaching and learning, and motivation. In addition, it focuses on student diversity, including issues such as ethnicity, disability and special educational needs. The module also considers psychology’s contribution to Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education, including issues such as children’s nutrition, substance abuse and bullying. Psychology and Lifestyle: This module will provide students with an awareness of how psychology is relevant and applicable to various aspects of work, family and the community through exploring key areas within leisure psychology, consumer psychology and environmental psychology. Through discussions of contemporary issues, the module illustrates the application of psychology to a wide variety of careers in addition to careers within the field of psychology and also provides students with an awareness of psychological applications to everyday life. Level 5 (Year 2): At level 5, the modules you have to take and your options will differ according to whether you choose to follow the route labelled GBC. Choosing the GBC route means that your degree will be accredited as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for chartered Membership, provided you achieve the minimum standard of a lower second class honours. This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist. If you choose the GBC route, you will take three psychology core modules: Social and Individual Psychology, Understanding the Mind and Becoming a Psychological Researcher (see module descriptions below). You will also complete Work Based Learning or the experiential module in your other subject as well as take two modules from your other subject. If you decide not to take the GBC route for your Combined Honours Degree, you will take one psychology core module among a choice of two core modules: Social and Individual Psychology and Understanding the Mind (see module descriptions below). You will also take one psychology option module among a choice of four modules: Forensic Psychology and Mental Health, Psychology of Parenting, Psychological Therapies and Becoming a Psychological researcher (see module descriptions below) or one of the psychology core modules. In addition, you will take a further option from psychology or from your other subject, two modules from your other subject and Work Based learning or the experiential module in your other subject. Understanding the Mind: This module includes the development of the study of perception, memory, language, intelligence and problem solving. Specific topics include: attention, models of visual perception, the study of memory (including everyday memory and computational models of learning and memory), language understanding, models of speech production, models of reading and dyslexia, theories of intelligence, models of problem solving and general issues in cognitive psychology such as the relationship between cognition and emotion, and cognition and self. Social and Individual Psychology: This module covers two key areas in the British Psychological Society (BPS) core curriculum: social and personality psychology. It aims to critically explore social psychology and personality in terms of definitions, methodology, historical and contemporary theories, issues and applications, and to develop an understanding of the interaction of personal and social influences on behaviour. Examples of typical topics covered include conformity, attitudes, social cognition, self and social identity, group behaviour, pro- and antisocial behaviour, love and attraction, personality measurement, development and variation in personality, cross-cultural and cross-species personality, emotion and motivation. Becoming a Psychological Researcher: In this module, students will learn about some of the key methods used by psychologists to study people. It will focus on experimental, survey and qualitative methods and will be delivered via lectures, workshops and hands-on exercises. But becoming a psychological researcher is not just about data collection, it also requires analytical skills. Hence, the other main strand of this module will address a range of quantitative and qualitative approaches to data analysis. After completing the module, students will be equipped with the confidence and competence to design their own studies and analyse the data generated, as well as become more skilled critical consumers of published research in the psychological literature. Forensic Psychology and Mental Health: This module introduces the area of forensic psychology and mental health. It includes the methods used in forensic psychology, theoretical approaches to the criminal and criminal behaviour, offender profiling, the psychology of evidence (including eyewitness testimony), young offenders, concepts of abnormality and offending, classification and diagnosis of mental disorders in offenders, mood and anxiety disorders, developmental disorders and psychosis. Psychology of Parenting: The quality of parenting is an important issue, and this module looks at the theoretical and empirical basis for ideas about how parenting can be improved and the factors that can contribute to difficulties. It considers social learning theory, cognitive and attachment theory perspectives, the effects of parental depression, and the assessment of ‘competent’ parenting. Introduction to Psychological Therapies: This module examines how current psychological therapies have been influenced by psychological theory. It investigates the theoretical context of how various psychological therapies (e.g. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (C.B.T.) and Humanistic therapy) have been used to effectively treat mental health problems, whilst also examining other mental health issues. The module is delivered via lectures and workshops and also specialist guest lectures (e.g. from Clinical Psychologists and Art Therapists) to deliver a more applied learning experience into this interesting area of mental health research. Work Based Learning This seven-week experiential module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop and apply the necessary skills required by employers. It involves students undertaking a five-week placement in a job that may potentially be related to their future career and focuses on enhancing students’ reflective skills. Students determine their own learning objectives in conjunction with the placement provider which they work towards during their placement. The module focuses on facilitating the development of transferrable skills such as teamwork, reflection and negotiation as well as improving interpersonal skills such as communication to enhance students’ prospects of employability upon completion of their degree. Level 6 (Year 3): At level 6, if you choose the GBC route, you will take three psychology core modules: Developmental Psychology, Themes in Biological Psychology and Research Dissertation (see module descriptions below). You will also take two modules from your other subject. If you decide not to take the GBC route for your Combined Honours Degree, you will take two, three or four of the following psychology option modules: Health Psychology, occupational Psychology, Clinical and Counselling Psychology, Animal Psychology and Understanding Developmental Disorders (see module descriptions below) as well as four, three or two modules from your other subject. The number of modules you take from psychology and your other subject will depend on how you decide to split your degree between psychology and your other subject. Research Dissertation: This module aims to give experience of independent supervised empirical research and to consolidate and extend expertise in research methods. The module involves gaining experience in literature searches, preparing a short research proposal, preparing an application for ethics approval, preparing and delivering a short presentation, gathering data, undertaking appropriate analysis and preparing a final report. Developmental Psychology: The Developmental Psychology module explores key areas such as the development of attachment, self-awareness, social relations, and cognitive and language development from birth through the lifespan. We consider how social, psychological and cultural factors (for example, risk and resilience) impact on developmental processes. The application of Developmental Psychology to real life is key and so part of the coursework requires an analysis of an in-depth case study. Biological Psychology: Biological psychology examines the biological underpinnings of behaviour. It is a rapidly developing area of psychology that borders on a range of other disciplines and often borrows from these, making for an interesting interdisciplinary approach (e.g. psychiatry, medicine, genetics, cognitive science, neurology, clinical psychology, biology, evolution science, affective science, etc.). This module will sample from this rich and exciting area of research, by exploring seven themes in biological psychology in some depth: drugs and addiction, brain change: nature – nurture, hormones and behaviour, learning and memory, emotion, social functioning, and consciousness and control. To ensure that you can benefit from this material, we start off with an account of basic findings and techniques in biological psychology, and explain the development of ideas. Health Psychology: This module looks at the contribution psychology makes to the field of physical health and illness. This includes: the role of psychology in the aetiology of disease, exploring health related behaviour, examining the link between stress and ill health, determining psychological reactions to diagnosis and treatment, and analysing the ‘processes’ of health care, such as communication between healthcare professionals and patients. Occupational Psychology: Occupational psychology is one of the exciting and wide ranging areas of applied psychology. The world of work and organisations is a dynamic and rapidly changing one. Technological, economic, social and political changes occurring around the globe mean that the nature of work, how we work and where we work are not what they were even ten years ago. These changes impact on organisations, and the groups and individuals who work within them. This module aims to provide students with an introduction to the current theories, methods and debates in applied psychology, and encourage students to critically evaluate psychological methods and approaches in occupational psychology. The module also provides students with an opportunity to carry out some applied work in an organisation of their choice. Clinical and Counselling Psychology: This module aims to introduce students to the in-depth study of psychological abnormality. It involves an exploration of why people behave, think and feel in unexpected, sometimes bizarre, and often self-defeating ways. There are many misconceptions about psychological abnormality including how to define it and how best to explain it, and these and other pertinent issues will be examined from a critical perspective throughout the module. Animal Psychology: Animal psychology spans an interdisciplinary field that blends psychological and biological approaches to the study of animal and human behaviour. As such, it is relevant to many sub-disciplines of psychology including development, individual differences, learning, physiology, motivation and social behaviour. Understanding Developmental Disorders: This is a multi-disciplinary approach covering clinical, educational and social models of specific developmental disorders. The module will cover some of the problems of identification, with an interrogation of the efficacy of DSM and ICD classifications, as well as assessment and intervention issues. Psychological models of three classes of disorder (1) language and reading difficulties, (2) autistic spectrum disorders, (3) attentional and conduct disorders will be covered in depth. In addition, students will have the opportunity to study disorders such as dyscalculia, disorders of motor function, and the effects of a sensory impairment on learning. Next: Assessment Assessment methods for modules vary but mostly include both coursework and examinations. Coursework methods of assessment include essays, reports, individual and group presentations, multiple-choice tests, book reviews, case studies, etc. Next: Careers The course will prepare you for a wide range of jobs including: Jobs directly related to your degree: * Clinical psychologist * Educational psychologist * Further education lecturer or higher education lecturer * Occupational psychologist * Sport and exercise psychologist Jobs where your degree would be useful: * Psychotherapist * Counsellor * Careers adviser/personal adviser * Human resources officer * Retail manager You will be equipped with transferable skills which are valued by employers such as: * communication; * information technology; * handling of data/statistics; * problem-solving; * the ability to work in teams. If you are studying this course on a combined basis you should look at options with both subjects. For further information please visit: www.chester.ac.uk/careers