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Psychology is the study of people: how they think, act, react and interact. Psychologists scientifically study all kinds of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivations underlying behaviour. Psychology examines questions such as: how do people act on a first date? How can we ease the effects of parental divorce on children? How can we make teams work efficiently? How can we help people to overcome depression or phobias?
Overview
By collecting information about what people do, think, perceive and feel, psychologists answer questions about human behaviour, cognition and development. This programme offers the full scope of a psychology degree but with an additional focus on Forensic Psychology.
Forensic Psychology applies psychological theory to understanding criminal behaviour, reducing offending, and understanding victim responses to offending behaviour. It also examines how psychology plays a role in the criminal justice system more generally.
The Psychology programmes at Kent give you a broad background in practical applications, experimental and other methodologies, information technology and theory construction, and also allow you to follow specialist interests at Stage 3. All your work will help you to demonstrate transferable skills valued by employers.
Think Kent video series
Sexual offending is a topic that many people simply don’t want to think about. Perhaps due to this, many people hold myths about sexual offending. One common myth is that child molesters are always paedophiles. In this video Dr Caoilte Ó Ciardha examines different approaches that can measure age appropriate-sexual interests in male participants. He discusses these approaches and their potential in the measurement and understanding of paedophilic sexual interest.
Independent rankings
Psychology was ranked 5th for graduate employment prospects in The Complete University Guide 2016. In the National Student Survey 2015, 89% of psychology students were satisfied with the overall quality of teaching on their course. .
Course structure
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
In Stage 1 you take four compulsory modules: SP300 Psychology Statistics and Practical; SP301 Introduction to Biological and General Psychology, SP302 Introduction to Social Psychology, and SP306 Introduction to Forensic Psychology. You also take one optional module from across the University which can be related or unrelated to forensic psychology i.e. criminology, forensic science, languages, politics or business psychology etc..
In Stage 2 you take seven compulsory modules in Psychology plus you will keep a Forensic Psychology Reflective Log (Stage 2). There is a further double module in Study Skills.
In Stage 3 you take three compulsory modules: SP633 Applying Psychology, SP637 Forensic Psychology:Theoretical and Applied Perspectives, and SP581 the Project in Legal, Criminological or Forensic Psychology. You also take three optional Psychology modules plus a Forensic Psychology Reflective Log (Stage 3), allowing you to follow specialist interests and benefit from staff research expertise.
Teaching and assessment
Modules are taught by weekly lectures, workshops, small group seminars and project supervision. The Psychology Statistics and Practical modules include laboratory practical sessions, statistics classes, computing classes and lectures in statistics and methodology.
Most modules are assessed by examination and coursework in equal measure. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks and, where appropriate, the marks for your year abroad or placement count towards your final degree result.
Programme aims
The programme aims to:
- attract and meet the needs of those contemplating a career in the psychological professions, as well as those motivated by an intellectual interest in psychology, and forensic psychology
- attract candidates from a variety of educational backgrounds
- provide an understanding of the principal perspectives (for example, social, cognitive, developmental and biological) in psychology with emphasis on forensic psychology
- introduce students to a range of theoretical and methodological approaches
- cover the foundations of psychology, as defined by the British Psychological Society and the QAA Subject Benchmark
- enable students to study chosen areas of psychology in depth, including forensic psychology
- provide teaching which is informed by current research and scholarship and engages with work at the frontiers of knowledge
- enable students to manage their own learning and carry out independent research
- develop critical, analytical and problem-solving skills that can be applied within non-applied psychological and extra-psychological settings
- develop skills appropriate for graduate employment, both in the psychology professions and other fields.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- psychology statistics, practical experimentation and research
- cognitive and social development
- how interpersonal and group behaviour affects individuals
- how cognition and cognitive neuropsychology plays a role in human behaviour and experience
- personality and individual differences, and the impact they have on individuals and groups
- philosophical and theoretical issues in psychology
- the relationship between psychology and allied disciplines
- different frameworks in psychology, and an ability to demonstrate different levels of description and explanation
- scope of forensic psychology including relationships between the criminal justice system and the field of psychology
Intellectual skills
You develop intellectual skills in:
- critical reflection
- oral discussion
- written analysis and interpretation
- critical evaluation and exposition of ideas
- development of writing and reading skills
- personal planning and project management skills
- self-reflection and development, responding to feedback from different sources (for example staff and peers, information technology)
- clarity in thinking, critical thinking, problem identification.
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in:
- conducting an empirical study, under supervision
- the design and conduct of psychological research
- evaluating and selecting frameworks and methodologies for exploring issues in psychology
- using the major analytic techniques employed by psychologists
- using the inferential method of science (deductive methods, single case methods, semiotics)
- reasoning statistically, and using a range of statistical methods with confidence
- the use of psychology-oriented software applications (for example, database programmes, experiment generators, statistical packages)
- disseminating psychological information to appropriate bodies.
Transferable skills
You gain transferable skills in:
- communication – how to organise information clearly; respond to written sources; present information orally; adapt style for different audiences; use images as a communication tool
- numeracy – how to make sense of statistical materials; integrate numerical and non-numerical information; understand the limits and potentialities of arguments based on quantitative information
- information technology – how to produce written documents; undertake online research; communicate using email; process information using databases
- working with others – how to define and review the work of others; work co-operatively on group tasks and projects; understand how groups function
- improving own learning – how to explore personal strengths and weaknesses; time management; review your working environment (especially the student-staff relationship); develop specialist learning skills (for example by taking a foreign language); develop autonomy in learning
- problem solving – how to identify and define problems; explore alternative solutions and discriminate between them.
Careers
Our students develop a broad range of transferable skills, such as excellent communication skills, both written and oral, the ability to work independently, to analyse and summarise complex material and to respond positively to challenges, all skills considered essential for graduate employment.
Our graduates have gone into areas such as local government administration, social welfare, the Home Office, the probation service, teaching, special needs work, the NHS and health charities, or on to postgraduate professional training courses, for example, in educational, forensic, occupational or clinical psychology.
Professional recognition
Accreditation by the British Psychological Society is pending.
Entry requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | AAA excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking |
| GCSE | Mathematics grade C |
| Access to HE Diploma | The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above. |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | The university will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 17 points at HL with Mathematics 4 at HL or SL |
International students
The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.
Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page.