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Psychology and Sociology

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

BBB in any three A Levels. BBC in any three A Levels plus grade B in either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). BCC in any three A Levels for Contextual Offer students (more details https://www.aston.ac.uk/undergraduate/contextual-offer-aston-ready). Excluded Subjects: The following subjects will not be considered as one of the core three A Levels; General Studies, Critical Thinking and Citizenship Studies. We welcome applications from students who have tried to improve their examination grades by taking resits and only your latest grades will be accepted. We treat these applications in exactly the same way as other applications.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15,P:0

We accept the QAA recognised Access to HE Diploma which must consist of 45 credits at Level 3. You must obtain a minimum of 30 distinction and the rest must be at merit or distinction. Please note that we do not accept the English and Maths components within the Access qualification and you must meet the GCSE entry requirements.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Five GCSEs all at grade C/4 and must include Maths and English Language. Please note we do not accept Key skills or Functional skills in place of these.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

32 points overall and must include grades 6 5 5 in three Higher Level subjects. You must also have Standard Level grade 5 in both Mathematics and English Language. Or 29 points overall, with three Higher Level subjects at 5 5 4. You must also have Standard Level grade 5 in both Maths and English Language for Contextual Offer students (more details https://www.aston.ac.uk/undergraduate/contextual-offer-aston-ready).

Pearson BTEC 90-Credit Diploma (QCF)

DD

With this BTEC you must also achieve grades BB in two A Level subjects.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DD

With this BTEC you must also achieve a grade B one A Level subject.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

D

With this BTEC you must also achieve grades BB in two A Level subjects.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D

With this BTEC you must also achieve grades BB in two A Level subjects.

T Level

D

We accept grade Distinction in any of the below subjects: • Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction • Digital Production, Design and Development • Education and Childcare • Building Services Engineering for Construction • Onsite Construction • Digital Business Services • Digital Support Services • Health • Healthcare Science • Science

UCAS Tariff

120

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Sandwich | 2024

Subjects

Psychology

Sociology

Our four-year joint honours BSc (Hons) Psychology and Sociology degree with integrated placement year will enable you to explore some of the biggest topics in the world today, from gender, race, and sexuality, to how we behave as a society. If you want to study a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited degree and are curious about understanding human behaviour and cognition, as well as how people and society operate, studying Psychology and Sociology at Aston University is for you.

Psychology is a fascinating subject that aims 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. Whilst psychology focuses on understanding behaviour at an individual level, sociology focuses on how individual life experience relates to social problems, how they are reinforced by class, race, religion, and gender as well as how they perpetuate inequalities. Unequal life chances are produced and reproduced in education, health and the media and reflect on many aspects of our lives, from racism, sexuality, and crime to global issues such as migration and climate change. Psychology and Sociology are, therefore, an ideal combination of complementary disciplines.

**Key course benefits:**

- Psychology graduates have gone on to secure work in organisations such as the BBC, HSBC, Jaguar Land Rover, local Government, PwC, private care companies, and the NHS.

**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.**

Modules

Year 1
Discover core approaches in psychology such as cognitive and social, as well as fundamental aspects of sociology like social theory. Core modules: Key Skills in Psychology I, Key Skills in Psychology II, Biological and Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Social Psychology, Introduction to Social Theory, and Becoming a Social Scientist.

Year 2
Continue your education into these two complementary areas and gain further skills and knowledge into conducting and analysing research. Core modules: Research Methods and Data Analysis, Applied Psychology and Professional Skills, Individual Differences, Health and Personality, Cognition and Cognitive Neuropsychology, and Advanced Social Theory. In addition, you will choose from a selection of modules. For more information, please visit our website.

Placement year
Gain valuable career boosting experience by setting your studies in a real world context of a working environment alongside professionals. Placements can be taken in the UK, EU or internationally.

Final year
You will complete modules such as Health Policy Bodies, Power and Resistance Work and Organisations and Society.

For more information, please visit our website.

Assessment methods

Our close employer links and focus on practical experiences to transfer to the workplace means you’ll get a blend of learning and teaching experiences that will equip you for your career.

You’ll learn from experts in both psychology and sociology; meaning you’ll get a true blend of both subjects, allowing you to apply the theories and practices from one discipline to the other.

You will encounter a variety of learning opportunities, including:

lectures
practical sessions
interactive workshops and tutorials
group work

There is a much stronger emphasis on reading and on your own private, independent study than at school or college. To help you manage your learning, we set out your work for the year in an online student guide. This includes full details of all modules including week-by-week lecture breakdowns, reading lists and all coursework assignments for the year with the relevant deadlines.

You will be assessed throughout the course using a wide range of methods linked to learning outcomes, including:

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

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
International
£20,700
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Aston University, Birmingham

Department:

School of Psychology

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

78%
Psychology
64%
Sociology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Psychology (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

75%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
74%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
67%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
15%
Male students
85%
Female students
77%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
C

Sociology

Teaching and learning

74%
Staff make the subject interesting
74%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
58%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

65%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
66%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

96%
UK students
4%
International students
19%
Male students
81%
Female students
78%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Psychology (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,500
high
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
52%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

13%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
12%
Childcare and related personal services
11%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.

Sociology

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
94%
med
Employed or in further education
45%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

16%
Public services and other associate professionals
12%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
9%
Customer service occupations

We have quite a lot of sociology graduates, although numbers fell last year. But graduates still do pretty well. Most sociology graduates go straight into work when they complete their degrees, and a lot of graduates go into jobs in social professions such as recruitment, education, community and youth work, and housing. An important option for a sociology graduate is social work - and we're short of people willing to take this challenging but rewarding career. Sociology is a flexible degree and you can find graduates from the subject in pretty much every reasonable job — obviously, you don't find many doctors or engineers, but you do find them in finance, the media, healthcare, marketing and even IT. Sociology graduates taking further study often branch out into other qualifications, like teaching, law, psychology, HR and even maths, so don’t think a sociology degree restricts you to just one set of options.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Psychology (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£25k

£25k

£26k

£26k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Sociology

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£24k

£24k

£27k

£27k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
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Lower entry requirements
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Psychology with Sociology
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Nearby University
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here