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Duration of programme: 4 years (where students join the programme in year 1)
Award on successful completion: Bachelor of Science with Honours
Accreditation: British Psychological Society – eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartership
Location of delivery: Abertay University, Bell Street, Dundee
Composition of the programme: 120 SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) credits in each academic year, delivered largely in modules of 20 credits each, with 3 modules taken in term 1, and 3 in term 2 each year. First and second year of the programme includes a choice of microcredential modules worth a total of 20 credits per year. The programme is made of credits derived from both Psychology and Counselling. The final year includes a 40 credit independent project that must include psychology to meet the needs of accreditation, but can span both disciplines of the joint programme.
Contact hours and workload: Each academic year typically requires 1200 hours of student effort; on average across the 4 years of this programme, 21% of that time is in seminars and accessing online content (lectures, activities, etc.); the remainder is independent study.
Assessment methods: Assessment is by a range of methods including exams, assessment of practical counselling skills, vivas, practical laboratory reports, case studies, essays and student presentations.
Academic staff: This programme is delivered by staff in the Division of Psychology and Forensic Sciences and in the Division of Health Sciences in the School of Applied Health Sciences. Staff profiles can be viewed at https://www.abertay.ac.uk/staff-search
Core modules in the programme:
Other modules that may be offered, but are subject to change over time:
Developments in the discipline: The discipline of psychology is continually evolving, with most new developments coming in experimental and statistical methods. The use of neural imaging techniques is the most significant advancement in understanding the links between brain and behaviour of recent times. However, the core subject disciplines are unlikely to change. New developments are readily incorporated into the core curriculum without having to fundamentally change the module structure. Counselling and mental health are currently prioritised by government and social initiatives aimed at raising the profile of mental health issues, the practice, social, service-user and policy contexts are all addressed within the counselling teaching.