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Psychology with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


Normally we require 15 credits at level 2 and 45 at level 3 from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalent

UCAS Tariff

64

This must include at least 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications excluding general studies For example: •CC at A Level •MPP in BTEC Extended Diploma. •A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels and EPQ.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Other options

5 years | Sandwich including foundation year | 2024

Subject

Psychology

**Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information.**

**This course is moving into one of our new buildings at City campus. Teaching will mainly be delivered at our Collegiate campus until December 2024 while we get our new facilities ready. From January 2025 you will study in brand new facilities at City campus.**

**Course Summary**

- Prepare for the degree with an extra foundation year at the start.

- Progress to a degree that is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)

- Develop your knowledge and scientific understanding of the core areas of psychology.

- Gain experience in real-life settings through work placements.

Fascinated by human behaviour, curious about thoughts and intrigued by feelings? This is the course for you. It examines what drives us, from brain physiology to learning, genes, environment, social groups, and individual differences in personality and motivation.

**How You Learn**

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

This foundation year is an entry route if you do not meet the entry requirements for our BSc (Hons) Psychology course, if you are not yet ready for degree-level study, or if you are returning to study and would like to spend time getting up to speed with the demands of learning before embarking on a degree.

You will share the foundation year with other Psychology, Sociology, Politics, Applied Social Science, Law, Criminology and Policing foundation students, before moving on to your degree.You are taught by academics with specialist knowledge and expertise in a range of areas including social psychology, forensic psychology, developmental psychology, health and work psychology.

**Applied Learning**

Following completion of the foundation year, and in progressing onto the BSc (Hons) Psychology degree, you will have a range of opportunities available to you to apply your learning.

**Work Placements**

You will have the opportunity to arrange a work-placement in your third year of the course. Examples of settings include schools, mental health organisations, police and other legal services.

Organisations currently offering placements include St Anne's Mental Health Service, The Hesley Group autism care provider, Sheffield Children's Hospital (NHS), Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Drug and alcohol service (RDASH), Sheffield MENCAP, City Hearts human trafficking support service and Cavendish Cancer Care.

There are opportunities to study abroad at one of our partner universities with the possibility of funding through the Erasmus+ programme (until 2023) or the Turing Scheme.

**Study Abroad**

You can study abroad for one semester in your third year at one of our partner universities. Examples of our current partner institutions include Georgia Southern University in the US, Trent University and Carleton University in Canada, Queensland University of Technology, LaTrobe University and Deakin University in Australia, University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, Tallinn University in Estonia, the University of Warsaw in Poland, and Aahus University in Denmark.

**Networking Opportunities**

You attend lectures from visiting guests such as clinical psychologists, police officers, prison officers, forensic psychologists, health psychologists and speech and language therapists.

We also hold recruitment presentations from psychology-specific employers. Recent guests have included the Cambian Group, Civil Service, Good Days Project and Hesley Group.

Modules

Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

**Year 1**

**Compulsory modules**

Introduction To The Psychological, Political, Legal, Criminal Justice And Sociological Sciences
The Practice Of Psychology

**Year 2**

**Compulsory modules**

Academic Development And Personal Tuition
Cognitive Processes And Psychobiology
Developmental And Social Psychology
Psychological Research And Design
Psychological Well-Being And Individual Differences
Psychology Practicals And Statistics
Research Participation

**Year 3**

**Compulsory modules**

Applications Of Psychology
Processes In Psychology
Research Methods Training

**Elective modules**

Animal Psychology
Applied Child Psychology
Applying Psychology
Disorders Of Language And Reading
Holistic Perception
Holistic Wellbeing
Introduction To Counselling And Psychotherapy
Psychology In Everyday Life
Psychology Of Art, Communication And Well-Being
Psychology Of Sport And Performance
Witnesses And Victims: Forensic Psychology In Practice
Work Placement (Psychology)

**Year 4**

**Optional modules**

Placement Year

**Final year**

**Compulsory modules**

Psychology Research Project And Personal Tuition

**Elective modules**

Addictive Behaviours
Atypical Child Development
Clinical Psychology
Counselling And Psychotherapy (Theoretical Perspectives)
Death, Dying And Bereavement
Eating Behaviours
Evolutionary Psychology
Forensic Psychology
Health Psychology
Healthy And Clinical Ageing
Language And Speech
Language Learning
Neuropsychology
Organisations Work And Psychology
Parapsychology: Sceptics And Believers
Perspectives On Gender
Psychology In Critical Historical Context
Sleep And Circadian Rhythms
Social And Affective Neuroscience (San)
The Psychology Of Education
The Psychology Of Peace And Conflict
The Psychology Of Racism
The Psychology Of Sexuality And Gender
Weapons Of Influence

Assessment methods

Coursework | Practical | Exam

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,655
per year
International
£16,655
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Scholarships, discounts and bursaries may be available to students who study this course.

The Uni


Course location:

Sheffield Hallam University

Department:

College of Social Sciences and Arts

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.

81%
Psychology

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

85%
Staff make the subject interesting
89%
Staff are good at explaining things
82%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
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

86%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
70%
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?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
20%
Male students
80%
Female students
82%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
D

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.

£16,084
low
Average annual salary
94%
med
Employed or in further education
21%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Caring personal services
14%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
11%
Other elementary services occupations

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.

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.

£17k

£17k

£22k

£22k

£23k

£23k

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.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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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