Bolton was one of the first institutions in the UK to offer a degree in this exciting subject, and studying in our well-respected, vibrant learning and research culture provides an excellent start to your career. While working towards the BSc (Hons) in Psychology with foundation year , you'll have the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the subject in terms of the science and theories of psychology and their application in everyday life.
The foundation year is the first year of this degree, offering an excellent grounding in the fundamentals of psychology, social sciences and research methods alongside study skills development. It's designed to prepare you for degree-level study.
With this preparation, you'll be ready to build and deepen your understanding of the science of psychology through our range of core modules. You'll also be able to choose specialised option modules according to your areas of interest or that relate to a particular career path you wish to follow after graduation.
As a psychology graduate, you may use your qualification as the basis for a career as a professional psychologist or enter a wide range of other professions, including teaching, human resource management, the police, the armed forces and social work.
Entry Requirements
BSc (Hons) Psychology with foundation year degree develops knowledge of human behaviour and research, statistics, and writing skills. It can provide a foundation for many careers. Psychology graduates excel in roles that involve working with a range of complex issues and have the skills to develop a strong understanding of new areas relatively quickly.
As a psychology graduate, you'll possess key employability skills such as high-order analysis, problem-solving, communication, interpersonal awareness, IT and data handling, teamwork, and research skills. You'll also have the ability to develop arguments supported by relevant evidence.
Numerous career paths are available to psychology graduates with British Psychological Society (BPS) accreditation. The more traditional routes include clinical, forensic, occupational, educational, health, sport and exercise psychology, counselling, and teaching and research.
In addition, there are broader career options such as personnel management, research, sport and exercise, advice work, social work, law enforcement and healthcare. Many of our graduates have been successful in these fields of work.
Psychology graduates can also progress to graduate schemes which are long-term employment contracts, usually with a large corporate company offering advanced training packages.
Postgraduate training and study is a requirement to become a Chartered Psychologist. Due to course entry requirements, many psychology graduates spend a year or more getting work experience before embarking on postgraduate study. Postgraduate study is available in areas such as clinical, counselling, educational, occupational, sport and exercise, or forensic psychology.
Although some psychology graduates become professional psychologists, many others use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. These alternative roles may be advisory, research-led, treatment-led or therapeutic. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Possible careers include the following:
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
LevelAssessment methodLevel 0Coursework 100%
Practical exams 0%
Written exams 0%Level 1Coursework 66%
Practical exams 0%
Written exams 33%Level 2Coursework 50%
Practical exams 0%
Written exams 50%Level 3Coursework 100%
LevelActivityLevel 0Guided independent study 55%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 45%Level 1Guided independent study 66%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34%Level 2Guided independent study 74%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 26%Level 3Guided independent study 75%
Placement/study abroad 5%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 20%
Our teaching and learning strategy is student-centred. We use a blended approach, so you'll have face-to-face sessions, sometimes one-to-one, and participate in online learning. During the degree, you can expect a mix of seminars, lectures and tutorials, practical workshop demonstrations, critiques, study visits, self-directed study, IT and library sessions, and guided study. The University's e-learning portal Moodle will support your online learning. We'll also encourage you to use the internet for research.
Guest lectures and presentations by visiting speakers from relevant employment areas offer you the chance to develop your knowledge and understanding further.
The assessment strategy aims to help you organise and develop your learning and evaluate your achievement. Over the course of the degree, you can expect time-constrained exams and coursework, such as essays, reports, presentations, and portfolios. These contribute to your final marks and allow you to demonstrate that you've met the learning outcomes for the course. Much of your assessed work is submitted online via Moodle, with feedback also given through this route. You can also use Moodle to communicate with fellow students studying the same modules.
