Undergraduate BSc (Hons)
Psychology
with a Foundation Year
Gain an understanding of human behaviour and open doors to a wide range of careers.
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How do people think, perceive and feel? Psychology is the scientific understanding of human behaviour that opens doors to a wide range of careers, from clinical, business and forensic psychologist to social work and roles in marketing, public relations and human resources.
Our British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited degree enables you to confront the issues that humans face with psychology's scientific principles. From brain injury to prejudice reduction, child development to offending behaviour and rehabilitation. We provide you with the tools to develop interventions for hospitals, schools and businesses, making a difference to society through innovations in policy and research.
After successful completion of the foundation year, you progress to the three or four-year Psychology courses.
Gain practical experience of ongoing research projects or gain an insight into the workplace and the local community.
Kent ranked 16th for Psychology in the UK for graduate prospects in The Complete University Guide 2023.
Psychology alumna Rebecca Pfaff tells us how her degree in Psychology prepared her for her career as an assistant psychologist.
We have 25 years’ continuous accreditation by The British Psychological Society.
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.
CDD
The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR).
24 points overall
Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average.
The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.
The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.
The following modules are offered to our current students. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation:
You take the three compulsory modules listed below and must choose one of FOUN0037 OR FOUN0035. The remaining 30 credits can be chosen from available level 3 options.
After successful completion of the foundation year, you progress to the three or four-year Psychology courses. Please refer to the BSc Psychology, BSc Psychology with a Year Abroad or BSc Psychology with a Placement Year course pages for more information about specific modules.
Through this module, students will develop the transferable linguistic and academic skills necessary to successfully complete all the other modules on the IFP. The programme of study will cover academic writing, reading, speaking and listening skills.
This module introduces students to the study of psychology, with the aim of providing an introductory understanding of key topics within psychology and seminal psychological research. The module will explore psychology as a Science and the research methods common in psychological research. The lectures will cover some of the key concepts and findings in the study of abnormal psychology, sensation, consciousness, child psychology, motivation, emotion, memory and attitudes, group processes (all in term 1) and evolutionary psychology, personality, visual perception, social-cognitive psychology, health psychology and psychobiology (all in term 2).
The module encourages students to explore classical concepts in psychology within the context of cutting edge research and contemporary issues within modern society. There is a particular focus on how psychology and concepts within the subject can inform controversial issues in everyday society.
Through this module, students will develop their analytical and problem solving skills to successfully complete other related modules on the IFP. The programme of study will be divided into lectures in calculus, algebra and statistics.
As part of the orientation process, students will take a pre-course test which, along with other factors, will determine whether they go into the upper or lower band. This will involve an in class test in the first week. Students will then be grouped according to their mathematical ability and academic focus. The teaching in the upper bands will be geared more towards systematically working towards a solution while that in the lower bands will deal with mathematical techniques.
Through this module, students will develop the transferable linguistic and academic skills necessary to successfully complete all the other modules on the IFP. The programme of study focuses primarily on grammar, vocabulary and academic writing skills but will include all language skills.
The module begins with an intensive revision of language structures and goes on to embed these structures into academic writing. Students will learn key steps in the writing process and be introduced to a range of written academic genres. Throughout the module, students will also develop their academic vocabulary through reading and writing tasks specially designed for this.
Through this module, students will improve the transferable academic skills necessary to successfully complete their other modules on the IFP and to succeed on their future undergraduate programmes. The programme of study will cover the development of critical and analytical skills.
Students will attend regular seminars/workshops each week, focusing on furthering their academic skills. They will receive input on developing a research topic; writing and presenting a proposal; developing research questions; and engaging in reflection on the research and writing process. Students will also review how to write an annotated bibliography; briefly revisit how to plan and write an essay and how to undertake research; and practice presentation skills. They will have the opportunity to meet with their tutor regularly during the term for tutorials, to discuss their individual projects and progress on the module.
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. Our assessment methods are varied and will include, but are not limited to, examinations, written assignments and essays, group work and oral presentations
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
The course aims to:
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
You gain the following intellectual abilities:
You gain subject-specific skills in the following:
You gain transferable skills in the following:
Our graduates currently have excellent graduate employment prospects, working in clinical, forensic and occupational psychology or in allied fields related to therapy, teaching, or social work. Many work in communication-focused roles in marketing, public relations and publishing.
If you choose an undergraduate programme with a placement year you can spend a year working with professional psychologists in, for example, the NHS, the Prison Service or another government agency or in a business setting and gain experience that will enhance your employability.
Our experience schemes allow students to either gain practical experience of ongoing research projects or to gain an insight into the workplace and the local community.
The 2024/25 annual tuition fees for this course are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
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.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Kent provided me with an all-rounded experience that moulded me into the practitioner that I am today.
Next steps
If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can apply through UCAS or directly on our website if you have never used UCAS and you do not intend to use UCAS in the future.
We welcome applications from students all around the world with a wide range of international qualifications.
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