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BSc (Hons) Psychology in Education

Apply psychological theory and research to educational contexts, working with children and adolescents

Year of entry: 2024/25

UCAS code

CX83

Institution code

Y50

Length

3 years full-time (plus optional placement year)

Typical offer

ABB (full entry requirements)

Start date

September 2024 (semester dates)

UK (home) fees

£9,250 per year

International and EU fees

£23,700 per year

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Discover York

Linking the study of psychology and education will provide you with a unique set of skills spanning two dynamic disciplines.

You'll study cognitive, social, developmental, and biological aspects of psychology, while building your understanding of educational contexts. This will give you an integrated understanding of how psychological theory and research intersect with education in a wide range of settings.

You'll learn from academics working on cutting-edge research in psychology and education, giving you direct access to some of the latest thinking in the field.

Alongside rigorous academic study, you'll gain valuable skills and experience with a range of opportunities for placements and volunteering. Your studies will inform and guide you, giving you practice applying educational and psychological theory to real-world situations.

Accreditation

This course provides Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

GBC is a prerequisite for many BPS-accredited postgraduate and doctoral programmes which lead to full Chartered Psychologist status.

Work placements

Gain classroom experience alongside your course with our York Students in Schools programme

We look at who should be educated, what they should be educated about, the history and philosophy of education and much more. It will challenge everything you think you know about the modern day classroom.
Rachel, BSc Psychology in Education

Read more on Rachel's blog.

Course content

You'll study a range of core and option modules which cover topics in psychology and education. You'll gain key knowledge and understanding, which you'll build on throughout the course. The modules are closely informed by the world-leading research of staff in the Psychology in Education Research Centre.

You'll also develop your academic skills, including critical analysis, communicating complex ideas, and planning, carrying out and evaluating research.

Placements

There are opportunities to spend time in industry as part of this course.

Year 1

In Year 1 you'll study core modules which introduce key concepts, theories and skills. You'll learn how to approach education from an academic perspective, and consider how your personal experiences inform your views.

You will work in a group to develop a response to a real-life educational challenge through our innovative STEP 1 project. You will be presented with a challenge from a community partner and you will work as a team to research the issue and put forward solutions. This will prepare you for group work, research and presentation throughout your programme, and develop your employability skills through communication, problem solving, creativity and employer engagement.

Core modules

Academic integrity module

In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.

Year 2

In Year 2, your core modules are focused on more advanced study of the core disciplines within Psychology. You'll study a variety of topics and consider their application to educational settings. Alongside this, you'll have the opportunity to further develop the academic skills needed at this level of study. 

Core modules

Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.

Learning by design

Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

  • Use their knowledge of psychological theories, research and methodologies to assess educational contexts and concepts from a psychological perspective.
  • Make appropriate judgements and suggest action to address issues of policy and practice in education as a result of evaluating, assimilating and synthesising relevant psychological information and data.
  • Operate in an ethical and professional manner with regard to psychological and educational practice, with knowledge of pertinent debates.
  • Plan, carry out and evaluate rigorous psychological research, defining appropriate research questions, designing appropriate methodologies, collecting and managing data, identifying findings, drawing conclusions and critically evaluating their own research.
  • Identify and apply appropriate quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques to different types of data.
  • Communicate complex ideas confidently, effectively and in a professional manner, to both lay and specialist culturally-diverse audiences, making use of oral, written and digital formats where relevant.
  • Address cross-disciplinary issues and contribute to group projects by working collaboratively using a range of skills and resources, including digital tools where appropriate.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees

UK (home) International and EU
£9,250 £23,700

UK (home) or international fees?

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

  • UK (home) fees may increase within the government fee cap in subsequent academic years. We will notify you of any increase as soon as we can.
  • International fees are subject to increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

More information

For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.

Funding

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2024/25 throughout the year.

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

Teaching Excellence Framework Gold Award

Gold-standard education

Our teaching, learning and student experience is outstanding, recognised by a Gold rating from the Office for Students in the 2023 national assessment (Teaching Excellence Framework).

Why we’re gold-rated

Teaching and assessment

You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Teaching format

We use a variety of teaching methods, including:

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Group activities
  • Tutorials
  • Guided reading
  • Online learning

Weekly lectures and seminars are a chance for you to debate and discuss topics with fellow students and your tutors. You will be encouraged to think for yourself, to engage in academic debate and to develop and present your arguments with confidence and skill.

Timetabled activities

In your first year, you can expect:

Lectures8 hours per week
Seminars4 hours per week

These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.

Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.

In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.

Teaching location

You will be based in the Department of Education on Campus West. Most of your teaching will take place in Derwent College, with additional contact hours elsewhere on Campus West.

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.

Assessment and feedback

You'll be assessed in a number of different ways, depending on the modules you choose. Forms of assessment include:

  • Essays
  • Open examinations
  • Closed examinations 
  • Presentations
  • Literature reviews
  • Research proposal
  • Research reports
  • Policy briefs

You'll receive written feedback on all assessed work, helping you to understand your strengths and identify areas for improvement. You can also discuss your work with your tutors and your personal supervisor to help guide your development.

Vanita Sundaram, an academic member of staff in the Department of Education, teaching undergraduate students
Students working together in a seminar
Many lectures include a lot of group discussion and give a chance for you to voice your own opinion. This also allows you to hear what others have to say.
Emma, BSc Psychology in Education

Careers and skills

This course is the first step towards achieving BPS Chartered Psychologist status in the UK. Our students go on to a diverse range of careers in psychology, education and other areas. For students who wish to pursue further training and education, the programme offers a firm grounding in psychological concepts as they apply to education. Volunteering opportunities allow our students to explore new career paths and gain valuable work experience. You'll have opportunities to discuss potential careers with psychology and education practitioners as well as our dedicated employability lead within the department

Career opportunities

Any of the British Psychological Society accredited career pathways, for example:

  • Teaching
  • Educational Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Counselling Psychology
  • Research

Transferable skills

  • Evaluation of ideas and evidence
  • Written and oral presentation skills
  • Understanding numerical data
  • Teamwork
  • Time management

Entry requirements

Typical offer
A levels

ABB including at least one science subject (Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Psychology)

Access to Higher Education Diploma 30 credits at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher including 12 credits in a science related modules
BTEC National Extended Diploma DDM including science-related units.
Cambridge Pre-U D3, M2, M2 including at least one science subject (Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Psychology)
European Baccalaureate 75% including at least one science subject
International Baccalaureate 34 points, including a Higher Level science
T levels We are currently not accepting T Levels for this course unless an additional A Level (or equivalent qualification) in a science subject has been taken.
Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers Advanced Highers - B in one science subject (Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Psychology) plus Scottish Highers - BBBC

We may also be able to consider three Advanced Highers or a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers, where an applicant does not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications.
Other international qualifications Equivalent qualifications from your country

Additional requirements

You should also have a grade 4 (C) in GCSE Mathematics. If you intend to train as a teacher you should be aware that good GCSE or equivalent passes in Mathematics and English Language and, for primary teaching, a science, are required.

Alternative offers

Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.

Criteria Adjustment
Widening participation If you successfully complete one of the following programmes, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to three A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer: Black Access Programme, Next Step York, Realising Opportunities, YESS, YorWay to York. More about widening participation.
Contextual offers If you have experience of local authority care or live in an area with low progression to university, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. More about contextual offers.
EPQ If you achieve C or higher at EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.
Core Maths If you achieve B or higher in Core Maths, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.

English language

If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:

Minimum requirement
IELTS (Academic) 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component
Cambridge CEFR 176, with a minimum of 169 in each component
Oxford ELLT 7, with a minimum of 6 in each component
Duolingo 120, minimum 105 in each component
GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) Grade C / Grade 4
LanguageCert SELT B2 with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component
LanguageCert Academic B2 Communicator with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component
KITE 459 Main Flight score with 426 in each component
Skills for English B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component
PTE Academic 61, with a minimum of 55 in each component
TOEFL 87 overall, with a minimum of 21 in each component
Trinity ISE III Merit in all components

For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.

If you haven't met our English language requirements

You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.

The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.

After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.

Applying

To apply to York, you will need to complete an online application via UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

We warmly welcome applications from students taking BTEC, GNVQ or Access courses, as well as mature students.

We expect you to be familiar with key, current debates in psychology and education, and to be able to reflect on and engage critically with these.

Next steps

Contact us

Get in touch if you have any questions

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Department of Education

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