BSc (Hons) Psychology in Education

Core units

• Academic and Professional Study Skills: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in literature searching, literature review, data collection, methodological approach, data analysis and interpretation and ethical practice. It will also support you to begin to develop a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development. 
• Applied Sciences: You'll gain a basic understanding of some fundamental aspects of science underpinning more specific disciplines, and an appreciation of how various scientific disciplines impact human life. You'll understand the differences between pure and applied science, as well as the roles of different ways applied science can be funded, and implications of these funding mechanisms. 
• Introduction to Biology: Biology is the study of life and hence knowledge of plant and animal cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit also introduces key themes in human, environmental and ecological sciences to provide a sound underpinning in knowledge for future studies. 
• Introduction to Psychology: This unit is designed to prepare you for advanced coursework in psychology. You will complete the unit with a good understanding of the various areas of psychology and how they seek to explain behaviour. 
• Mathematics in Science: You will build your confidence in mathematics, in order to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from biology, chemistry and psychology and to be able to represent the findings in an appropriate format, including graphs. In order to carry this out, it is essential to be able to convert the data between systems of units and to understand how to present very large and very small numbers in standard form. Basic statistical analysis of tabulated data will be carried out to introduce the concept of confidence limits and familiarisation of statistical testing.
• Foundation Year Project: You will carry out a research task on scientific topics chosen by the unit leader, which you will be able to conduct a scientific investigation on. You will devise your own investigation and produce a literature review as a final scientific report. 

Core units:

• Experimental Methods and Statistical Analysis
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Introduction to Educational Psychology
• Biological and Cognitive Psychology
• Social Psychology and Individual Differences
• Developmental and Clinical Psychology

Core units:

• Statistics and Research Methods
• Research Methods and Analysis
• Biological Psychology
• Cognition and Language
• Personality, Intelligence and Social Psychology
• Developmental and Applied Educational Psychology

You may choose to complete an optional 4-week work placement between your second and final year or an optional 30-week minimum work placement which can be carried out anywhere in the world. Placements offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future.

Core units:

• Psychology Project
• Well-Being and Resilience in Schools
• Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Optional units: we are in the process of adding these (please refer to the Programme Specification in the meantime)

With practical learning being integral to your degree, we provide industry standard specialist facilities. We continue to invest in our campuses so all our students can maximise their talents today and into the future. Visit our virtual tour to find out more and get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Talbot Campus.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and your employer and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem-solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into the discipline in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider

Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

We will provide a great deal of help and support to ensure you achieve a rewarding and satisfying placement. We have many links to outside agencies and organisations to best support you along your professional development.

Our dedicated team of placement officers are there to guide and support you through the placement process and experience. 

They’ll help you plan your placement, so make sure you get the right experience for you. That includes offering help and support if you need to move to another part of the UK – and even another country – to get the most out of your time.

We’ve also built close links over the years, so our network of employers that are keen to work with placement students is always growing. Or if you’d prefer to arrange your placement independently, we can offer advice on how to do that too.

Should you choose to undertake a work placement, you will begin your placement after completion of your second year of study and you must complete a minimum of 30 weeks.

• Tottenham Hotspur Foundation
• Bournemouth Youth Offending Service
• Evelina London Children’s Hospital
• Guy’s & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust

In addition, many of our students volunteer overseas for organisations like Sri Lanka Volunteering and SEK International. Read Charlotte's story about challenges she faced in Sri Lanka where there is extreme stigma towards patients with mental health difficulties and special needs, and the subsequent lack of care/support available to them.

AccessBU

AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships

We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry

We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website. 

Direct entry

We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants

​We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application; there are usually no interviews or selection activities needed. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages.

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review.

Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range. If you meet one or more of our contextual data indicators for educational disadvantage (such as being in care, having a disability, being a refugee, living in a low participation neighbourhood or in an area with less advantaged socio-economic characteristics), your offer could be between 8-16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

As a Psychology graduate, you will be prepared to undertake roles such as:

• Teaching Assistant
• Assistant Psychologist
• Mental Health Support Worker
• HR Assistant

• Psychology
• Education
• Health and wellbeing
• Human resources.

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. We offer a unique portfolio of Psychology Master’s degrees in differing disciplines.

Research degrees

If you are a BU graduate you are eligible for a 20% ‘loyalty’ discount on the published fees for further programmes with us!  

Depending on your qualifications and experiences, you can choose to undertake a MRes or PhD level research degree. Bournemouth University has a strong research foundation within our Department of Psychology and through a number of research centres, which explores theory, education and professional practice. 

Visit our postgraduate research courses for further details about research degree options with the Faculty of Science & Technology and the funding options available. 

Your role would be to undertake literature searches, prepare stimuli and experiments using appropriate software and recruit and test participants. The scheme gives you the chance to earn invaluable experience that looks great on your CV.

Linking in with the employability strand on our degree you will be invited to submit an application with a CV (that you will have created in your first year as part of the employability skills training) to one of these positions. Selected candidates will go on to interview for the positions (we offer about 25+ positions per year).

You would normally be required to work 4 hours a week on a voluntary basis during the first and second terms and the project leaders are always flexible around assignment deadlines.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme​
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

For September 2024 entry:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website. 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office verification changes. 
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

Dr Panouriga's previous research mainly focused on the effects of socioeconomic disadvantage and adverse life events on children’s and adolescent’s psychological adjustment. She is interested in identifying protective factors underlying the relationship between risk and resilience and uncovering the processes through which children and adolescents acquire the capacity for resilience. The goal of my research is to provide researchers, schools and practitioners with a helpful tool to identify at-risk children and youth and to implement the most suitable preventions and interventions that aim to promote positive outcomes and development.