Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology; and pathways - BSc (Hons) Psychology with Development and Education, BSc (Hons) Psychology with Forensic and Investigative Psychology, BSc (Hons) Psychology with Forensic Scene Investigation - 2024 entry

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. All students complete a 40-credit individual research project in the final year. The programmes are:

  • Psychology
  • Psychology with Development and Education
  • Psychology with Forensic and Investigative Psychology
  • Psychology with Forensic Scene Investigation

Students will be given the option to register with a pathway at the beginning of their degree programme, or to register for the BSc (Hons) Psychology (with no pathway). They will be given another opportunity to register for a pathway at the start of Year 2 when they make the first option module choices that will affect pathway availability, and again the start of Year 3 providing they have taken the required Year 2 pathway module. Finally, if a student initially chooses a pathway but subsequently changes their mind, they can choose to graduate with a BSc (Hons) Psychology as they will have completed all the core psychology modules.

Contact hours and workload: Each academic year typically requires 1200 hours of student effort; on average across the 4 years of this programme, 20-25% of that time is in seminars, practicals and accessing online content (lectures, activities, etc.); the remainder is independent study.

Assessment methods: Assessment is by a range of methods including reports, case studies, essays, exams, vivas and student presentations.

Academic staff: This programme is delivered by staff in the Department of Sociological and Psychological Sciences, in the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences. Staff profiles can be viewed at https://www.abertay.ac.uk/staff-search

BSc with Honours in Psychology

Core modules in the programme*:

  • Introductory Psychology
  • Comparative Psychology
  • Being Successful at Abertay (5 credits)
  • Introduction to Psychological Research Methods
  • Cognitive Perspectives on Psychology
  • Research Methods (Direct Entrants Only)**
  • Essential Research Methods and Analysis for Psychology
  • Human Variability: Psychobiology and Behaviour
  • Social cognition across the lifespan
  • Human Development Across the Lifespan
  • Advanced Research, Design and Analysis
  • Psychology Honours Project
  • Applied Cognitive Psychology

Other modules that may be offered, but are subject to change over time:

  • Microcredentials (various)
  • Evidence-based thinking: advanced perspectives on human behaviour
  • Tomorrow’s Child
  • Psychology in the real world
  • Forensic Psychology: Understanding Offender Behaviour
  • Psychology and Technology: Advanced Methods
  • Eyewitness Psychology
  • Brain Investigations
  • Investigative Psychology and Policing
  • Mental health psychology: living with a diagnosis
  • Language, Education and the Early Years
  • Work-based Learning
  • Mindfulness

BSc with Honours in Psychology with Development and Education

Core modules in the programme*:

  • Introductory Psychology
  • Comparative Psychology
  • Being Successful at Abertay (5 credits)
  • Introduction to Psychological Research Methods
  • Cognitive Perspectives on Psychology
  • Research Methods (Direct Entrants Only)**
  • Essential Research Methods and Analyses for Psychology
  • Tomorrow’s Child
  • Human Variability: Psychobiology and Behaviour
  • Social cognition across the lifespan
  • Human Development Across the Lifespan
  • Advanced Research, Design and Analysis
  • Psychology Honours Project
  • Language, Education and the Early Years
  • Applied Cognitive Psychology

Other modules that may be offered, but are subject to change over time:

  • Microcredentials (various)
  • Evidence-based thinking: advanced perspectives on human behaviour
  • Psychology in the real world
  • Forensic Psychology: Understanding Offender Behaviour
  • Psychology and Technology: Advanced Methods
  • Eyewitness Psychology
  • Mental health psychology: living with a diagnosis
  • Brain Investigations
  • Investigative Psychology and Policing
  • Work-based Learning
  • Mindfulness

BSc with Honours in Psychology with Forensic and Investigative Psychology

Core modules in the programme*:

  • Introductory Psychology
  • Comparative Psychology
  • Being Successful at Abertay (5 credits)
  • Introduction to Psychological Research Methods
  • Cognitive Perspectives on Psychology
  • Research Methods (Direct Entrants Only)**
  • Forensic Psychology: Understanding Offender Behaviour
  • Essential Research Methods and Analysis for Psychology
  • Human Variability: Psychobiology and Behaviour
  • Social cognition across the lifespan
  • Eyewitness Psychology
  • Human Development Across the Lifespan
  • Advanced Research, Design and Analysis
  • Psychology Honours Project
  • Investigative Psychology and Policing
  • Applied Cognitive Psychology

Other modules that may be offered, but are subject to change over time:

  • Microcredentials (various)
  • Evidence-based thinking: scientific approaches to studying human behaviour
  • Tomorrow’s Child
  • Psychology in the real world
  • Brain Investigations
  • Mental health psychology: living with a diagnosis
  • Scene examination and Management
  • Language, Education and the Early Years
  • Work-based Learning
  • Mindfulness
  • Interpretation and presentation of evidence

BSc with Honours in Psychology with Forensic Scene Investigation

Core modules in the programme*:

  • Introductory Psychology
  • Introduction to Psychological Research Methods
  • Comparative Psychology
  • Being Successful at Abertay (5 credits)
  • Cognitive Perspectives on Psychology
  • Forensic Human Identification
  • Research Methods (Direct Entrants Only)**
  • Essential Research Methods and Analyses for Psychology
  • Human Variability: Psychobiology and Behaviour
  • Social cognition across the lifespan
  • Human Development Across the Lifespan
  • Advanced Research, Design and Analysis
  • Scene Examination and Management
  • Psychology Honours Project
  • Applied Cognitive Psychology
  • Interpretation and Presentation of Evidence

Other modules that may be offered, but are subject to change over time:

  • Microcredentials (various)
  • Essential Skills in Forensic Science (year 1 entry students only)
  • Evidence-based thinking: scientific approaches to studying human behaviour
  • Tomorrow’s Child
  • Psychology in the real world
  • Forensic Psychology: Understanding Offender Behaviour
  • Psychology and Technology: Advanced Methods
  • Eyewitness Psychology
  • Brain Investigations
  • Investigative Psychology and Policing
  • Language, Education and the Early Years
  • Work-based Learning
  • Mindfulness

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, along with advances in open science practices. However, the core subject disciplines are unlikely to change (*core modules are correct at the time of writing but are subject to annual review and may change because of this). This keeps the curriculum relevant and maintains a real-world connection as new policy, practice, employability, and professional approaches come to the forefront. New developments are readily incorporated into the core curriculum without having to fundamentally change the programme structure.

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