Year 1 (national level 4):
Core modules
- Genes to Mind (20 credits)
Consider the relationship between biology and the human mind. Examine how DNA ultimately gives rise to thinking, conscious and complex human beings. Explore genetics and evolution, as well as the core areas of biological psychology, cognitive psychology and individual differences across topics as diverse as addiction, altruism, and sexuality.
- Mind to World (20 credits)
Learn the story of how single units of personhood (or ‘minds’) interact with one another and come together to create societies. Focus on the way in which humans communicate with each other and operate in their social world. Explore the core areas of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology and social psychology across topics such as perception, language, interpersonal relationships, emotion, autism, and psychopathy.
- Foundations of Psychological Research (40 credits)
Take an introductory look at the scientific basis of psychology and its historical context. Learn about a variety of research methods in psychology, and use this knowledge in practical work on a number of research projects in areas such as dark personalities and cognitive development. Acquire knowledge of how the data from psychological research is analysed.
- Academic Mentor 1 (20 credits)
Meet with personal tutors who will act as academic mentors for both group and individual sessions. Develop academic skills (such as essay writing and referencing) and get an introduction to the career landscape for when you graduate.
Optional module - choose one
- Psychology in the Media (20 credits)
Address common misconceptions about psychology and the role of the media in these misconceptions. Examine how the media influences the behaviour of individuals, and the application of psychological theories to understanding why people believe false and sensational claims.
You will have the option to take 20 credits as electives from other subjects across the University.
Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.
Year 2 (national level 5):
Core modules
- Twenty-Four, Seven: Everyday Motivations and Biases (20 credits)
Apply social, cognitive and biological psychology to understanding everyday motivations and biases in, for example, perception and memory. Explore topics including vision and sensory perception, social group processes, aggression, eyewitness testimony and eating disorders.
- Cradle to Grave (20 credits)
Meet a fictional family as you learn about the psychology of the human journey through the lifespan, from parent-offspring conflict in the womb to explanations for ageing and death. Explore topics including attachment, the 'teenage brain' and challenges in adolescence, personality development and cognitive change.
- Psychological Research (40 credits)
Work on a number of research projects across core areas of psychology. Develop more advanced skills in research methods, and gain opportunities to have input into research design as you become more skilled. Learn more advanced data analysis skills and apply these in the research projects.
- Academic Mentor 2 (20 credits)
Meet with your personal tutor to set academic and career goals. Develop graduate skills and take part in workshops designed to enhance your employability.
Optional modules - choose 20 credits
Please note: not all modules will run every year.
- Attraction and Sexuality (10 credits)
Learn about how mate preferences and human sexuality evolved, and how these are manifest in modern men and women. Explore the reasons why men have preferences for female beauty and particular body shapes, and why humans so often engage in infidelity, for example.
- Psychology of Religion (10 credits)
Apply psychology to understanding different aspects of religion, such as morality and belief in life after death. Examine the relationship between science and religion and the origins of religious belief.
- The Science and Psychology of Fiction and Storytelling (10 credits)
Develop a scientific and psychological understanding of an aspect of fiction that interests you. Use an Enquiry Based Learning approach and, at the end of the module, produce a ‘video essay’.
- Anomalistic Psychology (10 credits)
Apply psychology to understand why people have anomalous experiences (such as psychokinesis and out-of-body experiences) and why people believe in anomalous events.
You will have the option to take 20 credits as electives from other subjects across the University.
Final year (national level 6):
Core modules
- Empirical Project (40 credits)
Work with a supervisor to apply what you have learned in research methods modules to your own research project. Report your findings in an extensive research report, and present your project in the form of an academic poster at our poster conference.
- From Lab to Life: Big Issues in Psychology (10 credits)
Engage with some of the ‘big issues’ at the cutting edge of psychology, for example, the place of psychology within the wider field of science, free will, consciousness and the implications of personality disorders for criminal responsibility.
Optional modules – choose 70 credits, at least two 20 credit options must be taken
Please note: not all of these modules will run every year.
- Clinical Neuropsychology (20 credits)
Look at the nature of cognitive and emotional impairments following brain damage in adults. Cover topics including the causes of brain damage in adults, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's Disease, neuropsychological assessment procedures and rehabilitation following brain injury.
- Mental Health and Illness (20 credits)
Explore a number of psychological approaches to mental health problems and the therapies and treatments associated with them. Cover a number of common mental health conditions, as well as the perspectives of users of mental health services. The module will be of interest to you if you are hoping to enter clinical or therapeutic work.
- Environmental Psychology (20 credits)
Gain specialist knowledge of Environmental Psychology, an applied sub-discipline of Psychology which bridges a range of core areas and related disciplines such as architecture, planning, and geography. Cover topics which include the role of the environment in social development and relationships, the relationships between environments, health and wellbeing, place attachment, place identity and the importance of home.
- Health Psychology and Behaviour Change (20 credits)
Examine how psychological concepts, principles and theories can be applied to understand and alleviate problems associated with health and health-related behaviours. Cover topics which include personality, health and illness, sociocultural aspects of health and illness, and stress and health. Focus on psychological interventions aimed at changing health-related behaviours.
- Advanced Quantitative Methods (10 credits)
Further develop your research design and data analysis skills, building on the foundations provided at Years 1 and 2. Cover advanced quantitative research design and acquire a number of advanced data analysis techniques.
- Cyberpsychology (10 credits)
Learn about the emerging field of cyberpsychology, the psychology of how humans interact with technology and online environments. Consider how we interact with virtual worlds, virtual identity, online behaviours, privacy and self-disclosure online, for example how the internet can be utilised effectively for learning.
- Dark Personalities (10 credits)
Learn about the psychological study of 'dark' personality, focusing on the ‘Dark Triad’ of narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy – a cluster of inter-related traits characterised by disagreeableness, deception and aggression. Explore reasons why women may often be attracted to men who possess these seemingly undesirable personality traits and examine ‘dark’ personality disorders, including theories of their development, diagnosis, treatment and ethical issues.
- Psychology of Art (10 credits)
Focus on two main areas: firstly, can psychology help us to understand and explain how and why people create art. Secondly, can psychology help us to understand why (some) humans like art, how art communicates meanings and what humans gain from experiencing art.
- Memory and Life (10 credits)
Explore real world issues and problems relating to memory, as well as topics drawn from current research interests of members of staff. Examples of topics include: autobiographical memory (e.g. childhood amnesia, writing about memories), mindfulness and memory, the relationship between memory and emotion, story and memory, and recovered and false memories.
Take an introductory look at the psychology of both substance and non-substance-related addictive behaviours. Examine a variety of addictive behaviours such as alcoholism, addiction to psychoactive drugs, gambling, and sex addiction, as well as theories relating to the development, persistence, control and treatment of addictive behaviours. Link these behaviours to various areas of psychology such as the biological effects of drug use, how cognition plays a role in addictive behaviours and the social implications of addiction.
- Brain Plasticity (10 credits)
Explore the malleable and changeable quality of the human brain. Look at brain development running from childhood through to adulthood, and how age affects the plasticity of the brain. Examine evidence of the interconnectedness of the human brain from birth, looking at individuals with born sensory defects and synaesthesia as well as the ability of the brain to reorganise after damage.
You will have the option to take 20 credits as electives from other subjects across the University.
