What Makes This Course So Special?
The growing teaching team at Newport has the freedom to explore and develop course content that facilitates the use of psychology in everyday life, as well as topics covering applied psychology, psychological science, and research methodology. With the programme being structured around the core sections recommended by the British Psychological Society (BPS), we strongly believe that this will provide you with an excellent grounding in psychology and will prepare you for diverse career paths and postgraduate study.
Cognitive Psychology is the scientific study of thinking and is concerned with how we attend to and extract information from the environment, how we store, maintain, and process that information, and how we make use of that information afterwards (e.g., problem solving, reasoning, decision making).
Social Psychology looks at how the actions of others influence the behaviour of an individual.
Biological Psychology is the study of the structure and functionality of the brain and attempts to relate bodily processes and behaviour to the brain, and:
Developmental Psychology is mainly concerned with the scientific study of psychological changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span.
Another important area includes the study of Individual Differences, with a particular emphasis on the Nature Vs Nurture debate. There is also a particular emphasis on research methods and skill development throughout the first two years of the degree, which will prepare you to undertake a research and/or theoretical based dissertation project in your final year. You will also have the opportunity to develop research skills that would benefit you in a range of workplace settings. Also, during the course we focus explicitly on the future employability, career progression and personal development of our students
A particularly exciting and popular benefit of the Psychology degree involves the opportunity to experience a work placement that is related to Psychology through attending the ‘Professional Practice’ module in Year two. To support you in finding the placement that will benefit you the most, the School hosts an employer fair where businesses attend offering placements to students. Some students have also previously earned placements within different departments in the University.
This means that for the majority of students the emphasis needs to be put on transferable skills, knowledge and work experience. This is where you will find this course excels. It is our main focus to prepare you for a wide range of careers and postgraduate study.
Research carried out by the Higher Education Academy shows that the majority of Psychology graduates go on to work in a diverse range of careers, and studying Psychology at Newport opens doors to a wide range of these careers, including: human resources; health and care related positions; teaching, local government, research. Also, the Psychology degree provides a platform for future postgraduate study, such an MSc in Business Psychology.
Course Intro
Psychology is the study of people, the mind and the mental processes that occur. There are a variety of fields within Psychology including Cognitive Psychology and Social Psychology. Cognitive Psychology is the scientific study of thinking, information processing and cognitive performance. Social Psychology looks at how the actions of others influence the behaviour of an individual.
The programme is structured around the core sections recommended by the British Psychological Society (BPS). You will gain an insight into all of the key areas of psychology, including: cognitive; developmental, individual differences, social, the biological basis of behaviour, research methods, and the history of psychology. For example, you will consider child development theories from different psychological perspectives. You will also develop an understanding of the differences between people and their motivations for behaviour.
Ultimately, you will gain knowledge and understanding that is transferable to a range of working environments. This is a key focus of the course – enhancing your employability for a variety of roles.
What you study
Year 1
• Abnormal Psychology
• Psychology in Context
• Developmental & Social Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Introduction to Research
• Skills for a Professional Environment
Year 2
• Biological Basis for Behaviour*
• Personality & Individual Differences*
• Health Psychology*
• Developmental & Social Psychology 2
• Cognitive Psychology 2
• Professional Practice (Work Placement)
• Research Methods
*Choose 2 from these 3
Year 3
• Dissertation
Choice of 2 from 3 options below:
• Applied Sport Psychology
• Psychology in the Workplace
• Psychopathology
A programme specification for this course is available.
Where Next?
Psychology graduates are sought after by employers because they arrive with an enviable portfolio of transferable skills: an acute awareness of how and why people behave in various environments, an ability to analyse data quantitatively and qualitatively, effective communication skills using various modes of communication and relevant work experience.
Career opportunities could include:
• Teaching
• Social Work
• Human Resources
• Sport and Exercise (Coaching or Consultancy)
• Local Government
• Marketing
• Media
• Medical Field
• Research
On completion of the course, there may also be opportunities for you to progress into further study via the MSc Business Psychology course at Newport.
Interview Required
No interview will be required if you meet the programme entry requirements. However, we would encourage you to use the opportunity to attend one of our Open Days to talk to the tutors about the course.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a variety of methods including essays, lab reports, case studies, exams and poster style presentations.
Student Soundbite
“The staff are really encouraging and considerate and I have found them extremely approachable throughout my studies on this course.”