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Psychology BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: C800 (full-time), C801 (sandwich)

Start year

Information for 2025

About this course

Understanding how individuals think, feel and act isn’t just a career skill, but a life skill. If you have a desire to uncover the underlying processes that influence human actions, thoughts and emotions, this BPS-accredited psychology degree is for you.

Psychologists are highly versatile problem-solvers. They understand what motivates people to behave the way they do, using scientific principles to help improve the world around them. With professional pathways from childcare to criminal justice, and mental healthcare to forensic science, psychologists have the power to positively impact people's lives.

This psychology degree will allow you to explore the secrets of what makes us human, what it means to be alive, and why we behave in the ways we do. You'll unlock the workings of the human brain, the processes and mechanisms of human thinking, feeling, and behaviour, and how psychologists, psychological research, and therapy can make a huge difference to society. ​

  • Complete a 60-hour work placement including NTU SHIELD, with the further option of a year-long sandwich placement.
  • Understand psychology in action by talking to practitioners, exploring our prison cell, and learning about how we impact society.
  • Personalise and flex with exciting options, pathways and choose each week whether to study statistics online or in person.
  • It’s BPS-accredited meaning you’re eligible to receive the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership.

Accreditation

Our Psychology courses are accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) so as long as you graduate with at least a 2.2 honours degree you will be eligible to receive the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the BPS – a necessary qualification if you wish to pursue further training and a career as a professional psychologist.

  • BPS Accredited Logo
Top
150
In the world for Psychology in QS World University Subject Rankings 2025
(out of 1,049 evaluated institutions)

What you’ll study

You’ll learn on real-world projects that are making a difference to people’s lives — whether that’s work and research to prevent prison inmates from reoffending, coaching young people to navigate the challenges of adolescence, or learning to understand the psychology of primates at Twycross Zoo.

Explore the things that make us who we are – from the factors that influence our biological and social development, to cognitive psychology, to key historical and sociocultural issues. You'll also receive extensive training in research methods and statistics.

In your final year, you'll complete a research project, focused on a topic of your choice.

Here are some study highlights on this BSc Psychology course:

  • Get work-like experience with a 60-hour placement in a professional setting, in places as varied as prisons providing support for families, the police, NHS, and mental health charities.
  • Take an employer challenge to help build your profile, solving problems for professional organisations.
  • Tailor the course to the career you want – you don’t need to know you want to be a psychologist to make the most of this degree.
  • Find solutions to real-life issues guided by academics who specialise in areas as diverse as wellbeing and mental health, gambling addiction and offending behaviour.
  • Benefit from our international connections such as our involvement with the Swebesweble South African Primate Project.

Core modules

Understanding the Self: Psychology 101 (20 credits)

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the theoretical and historical developments of psychology as a discipline, including challenges posed by traditional western views and dominance. You'll examine relationships between psychological theory and everyday behaviour and experience.  We will encourage you to appreciate the breadth of the human experience and behaviours, and familiarise you with ways to analyse and understand this.

Psychology in Action (20 credits)

You'll be introduced to the core professions in psychology such as clinical, forensic and occupational psychologists, as well as other non-traditional areas of work for psychology graduates. You'll be introduced to the British Psychological Society (BPS) and professional ethics, and have the opportunity to set your own personal development goals.

Exploring Psychological Impact and Change (20 credits)

You'll develop an understanding of psychological research, and how it can help to resolve societal issues, and facilitates sustainable development and change. You'll be introduced to how psychology is applied to real-world issues, while promoting social, economic, and environmentally responsible behaviour. You'll also be exposed to case studies that illustrate how psychology contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Research Design and Practice (1) (20 credits)

This is an introduction to a variety of research methods used in psychology, individually and as a team. You have the opportunity to develop and practice report-writing skills, understand experimentation and self-report methods, and gain practical experience. You will be required to formulate hypotheses, search for and review any relevant literature in the library, prepare necessary materials or instruments, select a sample, collect and analyse data using appropriate statistical techniques, interpret the findings, and produce an individual written report of the work undertaken.

Analysing Data: Methods and Tools (1) (20 credits)

You'll study the fundamental concepts and practices of statistical data analysis in psychology, using open-source software called 'R'. By the end of the module, you should be able to design research studies in psychology, and be familiar with a range of descriptive, nonparametric, and parametric statistics. The module is assessed by one examination at the end of the module. Continuous feedback throughout the year will help you progress, help you develop your skills, and act as resource to draw upon when conducting research.

Developing Academic Skills in Psychology (20 credits)

This is a tutorial-based module where you will meet with your personal and academic tutor in a small group setting every week. The module is about building the skills essential to academic work: discussion, presentation, and writing, along with developing employability. Starting with fundamentals such as literature searches and referencing, you progress to the heart of academic skills with critical evaluation, synthesis of evidence, and more specifically, evaluating evidence with respect to arguments. You will gain experience of discussing, debating, presenting and of writing a formal essay, with work-like experience built into the module. You'll also be taught about the use of AI in research and writing.

Core modules

Brain, Behaviour and Cognition: Understanding the Mind (20 credits)

This module provides you with an in-depth understanding of contemporary issues in the investigation of cognitive and biological issues which you were introduced to in Year One. You'll be encouraged to draw across cultural perspectives, and explore the concept of individual cognitive and biological processes.  You'll also learn about the structure and function of the brain, and cognitive processes such as perception, attention, memory, language, and thinking.

Social Evolution and Individual Development (20 credits)

Building on your understanding of psychological processes introduced in Year One, you'll explore the impact of culture, internalisation and individual difference. You'll take part in in-depth discussions about social and lifespan development psychology, evaluate the relevance of theory and research, and develop an understanding of the range of development across the lifespan.

Analysing Data: Methods and Tools (2) (20 credits)

Building on Year One, you'll advance your knowledge and understanding of quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques to prepare you for your final year project. You'll learn to use statistical software and analytical techniques associated primarily with non-experimental research such as multiple regression or mediation. You will learn about data cleaning and preparation, and be introduced to AI to support the analytical process.

Research Design and Practice (2) (20 credits)

Within this module you'll continue to develop your understanding of different research methods, applied ethics and open science principles. You will explore advanced experimental, psychometric and qualitative research techniques through lectures, workshops and lab work.

Analytical Thinking in Psychology (20 credits)

This will be delivered in a small group setting with your personal and academic tutor who you will meet with weekly. In the module you will consider some of the key debates in contemporary psychology and discuss how these inform current research and practice.

Optional modules

Choose one module from the below list:

  • Health Psychology of Illness (20 credits)
  • Occupational Psychology (20 credits)
  • Sport and Exercise Psychology (20 credits)

Modules for sandwich students only

Placement Year Essentials (non-credit bearing)

This non-credit bearing module only needs to be undertaken by students on the sandwich course involving a placement during Year 3. You'll be introduced to potential recruiters, as well as recruitment methods such as interviews and assessment centres. You will be trained in developing a CV, as well as understanding professional workplace behaviour, and your rights and obligations in relation to safeguarding, and health and safety.

Core modules

Psychological Applications to Work Settings (20 credits)

In this module you will work in a team, searching for and evaluating the latest psychological research and knowledge to solve a real-world problem faced by an external organisation. During the module you will learn more about how professional and applied psychologists work, deepen your knowledge of psychology and develop your skills in searching for and evaluating research evidence. This module also gives you a work-based experience, linked to an external organisation.  It will help you develop your employability by learning about working effectively in a team on a long piece of work, and how to use the skills from your degree to solve practical real-world problems.

Psychology Research Project (40 credits)

A major piece of work whereby you will carry out independent research, the topic and design of which is decided upon in consultation with a supervisor. The project will demonstrate that you can conduct an extended research report, as well as an understanding of the methodological skills and presentational techniques developed throughout the course. Our final-year students conduct research projects in a wide range of areas in psychology, some of which have been successfully published.

Optional modules to tailor your learning

If you are studying on the BSc (Hons) Psychology course without a specialist pathway you will choose one module from each set.

If you opt for one of the specialist pathways, you will choose between pathway-specific modules for two sets, and have a free choice in the third.

Optional modules currently include:

Set A
  • Black and Cultural Psychology (20 credits)
  • Cyberpsychology (20 credits)
  • Gender, Identity and Body Image (20 credits)
  • Mind Reading and Mind Control (20 credits)
  • Personality, Personality Disorders and Violence (20 credits)
  • Psychology of Criminal Behaviour (20 credits)
  • Psychology of Religion (20 credits)
  • Psychology of Sex (20 credits)
  • Psychopathology: Phenomenology, Assessment, Treatment and Current Issues (20 credits)
  • Qualitative III: Applied and Creative Approaches to Qualitative Research (20 credits)
  • Trauma in Children and Adolescents (20 credits)
Set B
  • Biological Perspectives on Psychiatric Disorders (20 credits)
  • Community, Health and Applied Social Psychology (20 credits)
  • Evolutionary Psychology (20 credits)
  • Person Perception (20 credits)
  • Politics, Ideology and Moral Psychology (20 credits)
  • Psychology, Educational Support Needs and Inclusion (20 credits)
  • Psychology of Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease (20 credits)
  • Psychology of the Family (20 credits)
  • Psychology of the Paranormal (20 credits)
  • Psychology of Mindfulness (20 credits)
  • Psychology of Sleep (20 credits)
  • Psychology of Social Realities (20 credits)
  • Statistics III: Advanced Statistics for Research (20 credits)
Set C
  • Addictive Behaviours (20 credits)
  • Clinical Neuropsychology (20 credits)
  • Fashion Psychology (20 credits)
  • Language and Literacy Development in Children (20 credits)
  • Primates and Us: Behaviour, Body and Brains (20 credits)
  • Psychology and Trauma: From Normality to Pathology (20 credits)
  • Psychology of Sexual Offending (20 credits)
  • Psychopathology and Offending Behaviour (20 credits)
  • Social Development in Children and Adolescents (20 credits)
  • The Social Brain (20 credits)

Please note:

The number of places available on some optional modules may be limited. These will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Students who are unable to select their first choice will be offered an alternative from the remaining optional modules.

Taking the BSc (Hons) Psychology course enables you to apply to specialise in a particular area. Some students may opt to join us on one of our specialist pathways in Cognition and NeuroscienceMental Health, Forensic Psychology or Educational and Developmental Psychology.

You also have the option to transfer to one of the following specialisms for the start of Year Two.

Evolution and Behaviour

Evolution and Behavior Psychology seeks to understand human behaviour and cognition through the lens of evolution. This pathway explores how our ancestors’ and primate relatives' survival and reproductive challenges have shaped our thoughts, emotions, and actions today.

In Year 2 the Analytical Thinking in Psychology module will focus on Social and Cultural psychology debates.

In Year 3 you will study the following:

  • Research Project in Evolution and Behaviour
  • Professional Practice in Psychology
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Primates and Us: Behaviour, Bodies and Brains
  • Choose an optional module from:
    • Cyberpsychology
    • Gender, Identity and Body Image
    • Trauma in Children and Adolescents;
    • Psychopathology
    • Mind Reading and Mind Control
    • Black and Cultural Psychology
    • Qualitative 3: Applied and Creative Approaches to Qualitative Research
    • Personality, Personality Disorders and Violence
    • Psychology of Criminal Behaviour
    • Psychology of Religion
    • Psychology of Sex

Social and Cultural

Social and Cultural Psychology explores applied aspects of social psychology and various aspects of culture, such as diverse cultural understandings of groups, identity and gender. This pathway includes cross-cultural and decolonial studies and their influence on human psychology.

In Year 2 the Analytical Thinking in Psychology module will focus on Social and Cultural psychology debates.

In Year 3 you will study the following:

  • Research Project in Social and Cultural Psychology
  • Professional Practice in Psychology
  • Specialist module from Set A: choose between Gender, Identity and Body Image; and Black and Cultural Psychology
  • Specialist module from Set B: choose between Community, Health and Applied Social Psychology; The Psychology of Social Realities; and Ideology and Moral Psychology
  • Optional module from Set C: choose any of the modules on offer.

We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.

Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves

Student Profiles

Shazia Ali

Psychology

The field of psychology is fascinating because it allows us to explore questions about how we think, feel, and behave. This course helped me understand the fundamentals of mind, body, and behaviour.

Maddie Dry

Psychology

I liked how NTU Psychology emphasised how you would get choice in personalising your modules, to make sure that you were doing things that were interesting and important to you.

Natasha Chadwick

Take every opportunity that comes your way, don’t worry so much about what other people think – you are enough yourself!

Roberta Jenkins

Psychology

Each person I have worked with has added a particular aspect to the therapist I am today.

Jenny Ireland

Psychology

Don’t be afraid to get stuck in, challenge yourself and say yes to things that scare you, as these are the things that will make up your biggest achievements and highlights. What you get out is what you put in.

More about NTU Psychology

 

How you're taught

A team of over 150 academics will inspire and provide practical insights, bringing your studies to life. Our expertise covers criminal behaviour, trauma, sleep, social networks, sports, health, and everything in between, as well as the clinical and forensic application of psychology.

You’ll learn through a mix of:

  • work-like experience, from employer-set challenges to placements as part of NTU SHIELD, where you can support young learners to deal with adolescence and boost their overall wellbeing and success at school
  • Hyflex, where we teach our first- and second-year students statistics using a flexible model that lets you choose whether to study that week online or in-person (or both!)
  • seminars, including guest lectures from experts and professionals who will talk about their research and psychological practice, so you get a sense of the types of things psychologists do
  • tutorials, for getting support and guidance from your personal tutor
  • field trips, to places like the Freud Museum, National Justice Museum, and Festival of Psychology

You can also choose to study abroad for part of your second year on our international exchange programme.

How you're assessed

You'll be assessed in a variety of ways and on a modular basis – through traditional means such as examinations, research reports and essays, but also in more innovative ways which may include blogs, reflective essays and podcasts.

Your final year project is a cornerstone of the degree and is your opportunity to put all you've learned into practice. Our diverse approach to assessment allows students to demonstrate the breadth of their abilities and provides opportunity for everyone to excel.

Contact hours

Outside of your timetabled sessions, you’ll work on your assignments independently or in groups, but your tutors will still be available to provide you with guidance and support. Here’s the year-by-year breakdown of contact hours throughout our visual effects technical direction course:

Full-time and sandwich

You will have around 10-12 hours per week of contact time (lectures, seminars, and workshops) with our teaching staff which is around 30% of a full-time week.

Approximately 90% of our teaching is in-person.

The remaining 70% of your time will be devoted to independent study.

Staff Profiles

Duncan Guest - Associate Dean for Psychology

School of Social Sciences

Professor Duncan Guest is Associate Dean of NTU Psychology, one of the largest psychology departments in the UK and one which has developed a reputation for the high standard of

Juliet Wakefield - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Dr Juliet Wakefield is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the Department of Psychology at NTU.

Mike Vernon - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Mike Vernon

Bridget Waller - Professor of Psychology

School of Social Sciences

Professor Bridget Waller is an academic with research expertise in nonverbal communication.

Andrew Dunn - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Dr Andrew Dunn is a senior lecturer in Psychology. He is primarily interested in person perception - how we do it, the role context plays, and the mechanism underpinning it.

Lai-Sang Iao - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Lai-Sang is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Nottingham Trent University.

Suvo Mitra - Associate Dean for Research

School of Social Sciences

Suvo Mitra

Maria Kontogianni - Principal Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Maria is a Principal Lecturer in Psychology with a particular responsibility for staff development and staff wellbeing.

Christina Howard - Associate Professor

School of Social Sciences

Christina is an Associate Professor in Psychology. She teaches on our undergraduate Psychology courses, Masters Psychology courses as well as supervising PhD students.

Blerina Kellezi - Associate Professor

School of Social Sciences

Blerina Kellezi (Dr)

Emanuele Fino - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Emanuele Fino, Senior Lecturer in Psychology

Alexander Meredith - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Dr. Alex Meredith has been a Senior Lecturer at NTU in the Department of Psychology. He is the course leader for the MSc in Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health. His

Belinda Winder - Professor

Psychology

Belinda Winder (Professor)

Annika Paukner - Associate Professor

School of Social Sciences

Annika Paukner is an Associate Professor in Comparative Psychology in the School of Social Sciences.

Filipe Cristino - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Filipe Cristino is a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences.

Emma Vardy - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Emma Vardy, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University staff profile.

Gary Jones - Professor

School of Social Sciences

Gary is currently a Professor at NTU Psychology. His work primarily focuses on how language and memory are influenced by linguistic experience.

Gayle Dillon - Deputy Head of Department

School of Social Sciences

Gayle Dillon has been a lecturer at NTU for 10 years in the Department of Psychology. She is responsible for co-ordinating the work of the Department around equality, diversity and

Rebecca Larkin - Deputy Head of Department

School of Social Sciences

Rebecca Larkin

Dr Mike Marriott - Principal Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Mike Marriott

Careers and employability

You’ll graduate fully equipped to be a psychologist, but your mix of skills can be applied to a wide range of careers. Our graduates have gone on to support children with special educational needs, develop care initiatives for homeless charities, and worked on groundbreaking forensic projects for the police to create safer communities.

Our students go on to have careers in a wide variety of roles including:

  • clinical psychology
  • educational psychology
  • market research
  • HR management
  • teaching and lecturing
  • academic research

You’ll be supported by NTU’s award-winning Employability team for up to three years after you leave us and be able to access our comprehensive online career resources for life. You can also benefit from our Employability Promise.

Campus and facilities

As a BSc (Hons) Psychology student, you’ll mostly study in our Chaucer and Taylor buildings and benefit from our:

  • Psychology Laboratories
  • eye-tracking labs (and mobile eye-tracking equipment)
  • motion capture lab
  • EEG labs
  • transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) lab
  • transport lab, including driving simulators
  • developmental observation lab
  • interview and focus group rooms
  • computational modelling and data analysis lab
  • auditory perception lab
  • sleep lab
  • wetlab
  • social interaction lab
  • Virtual Reality lab.

Our City Campus has everything you’ll need to keep occupied between lectures. As well as the Boots Library and its beautiful roof garden, there’s a 100-station gym; convenient cafés, bars and restaurants; our Students’ Union and popular Global Lounge; plenty of relaxed spaces to catch up with friends; and much, much more!

If that’s not enough, just take a few steps off campus, and you’ll find yourself in the beating heart of Nottingham: one of Britain’s top 10 student cities, and a hub of individuality and creative industry. There are plenty of places to meet like-minded people and get inspired, from charming and budget-friendly independent cinemas to quirky shops, board game cafes, and retro arcade bars.

Entry requirements

UK students

Standard offer: 120 UCAS Tariff points (full-time) or 128 UCAS Tariff Points (sandwich) from up to four qualifications

Contextual offer: 112 UCAS Tariff (full-time) or 120 UCAS Tariff points (sandwich) from up to four qualifications

To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.

International students

Academic entry requirements: 120 UCAS Tariff points (full-time) or 128 UCAS Tariff Points (sandwich) from up to four A levels. We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.

English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

£9,535 per year

If you choose to do a placement year, you'll pay a reduced fee for that year of £1,850.

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including NTU bursaries and scholarships.

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees, including the placement year and study abroad options are subject to government policy and may change in future years of study.

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but we don’t want you to feel anxious or confused about it. Visit our fees and funding pages if you have any concerns.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.
  • £17,500 per year
  • If you choose to do a placement year, you'll pay a reduced fee for that year of £1,850

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees might increase from the second year of your undergraduate course, in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.

Scholarships

We offer international scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for a scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

Living costs

See our advice on managing your money and the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham.

Paying fees

As an international student, you'll need to make an advance payment of £6,000 when you've accepted your offer to study at NTU. You'll then need to pay your tuition fees in full, or have an agreement to pay in two further instalments, before the start date of your course.

Find out how and when to pay your fees, including information about advance payments, instalment dates and how to make payments securely to the University.

Enquiries

If you have any queries relating to advance payments or arrangements to pay, please contact our friendly and experienced international enquiries team.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Most modules will recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) - meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Field trips

All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.

Placements

If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.

Year abroad

If you choose to study abroad for a year, you may need to consider additional costs such as visas, vaccinations, accommodation and travel expenses.

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, you can email our Student Money Team or phone us on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

How to apply

Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.

Writing your application and personal statement

Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember that we can only make a decision based on what you tell us, so include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.

Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You’ve got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.

Keeping up to date

After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!

You can apply for this course through UCAS.

If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.

Application advice

Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example.  After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

Writing your personal statement

Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

The University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.