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Psychology

BSc (Hons) & Foundation Year

Home Courses Undergraduate Psychology degree

Summary

Study level

Undergraduate

Award

Foundation Year Entry Degrees

Part time

4 years+

Location

Online

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Institute of Foundation Studies

Course Overview

Are you interested in a career in psychology but are not sure how to get started? Our psychology degree with foundation year has been developed for students with an inquisitive mind who want to understand more about the human mind and what drives our behaviour, but need a little extra support before taking on a full university degree course.

A bachelor’s degree in psychology is a fantastic starting point for careers in areas such as marketing, social work, journalism, human resource management, education, politics, and countless others. Accredited by the British Psychological Society, this foundation degree course in psychology is also the qualification you need to go on to work in more specialised areas such as child psychology or counselling.

Arden’s foundation year degree courses give you the additional help and guidance you need to get started in higher education, helping you take on your full undergraduate degree with confidence. These courses are a great way to enter higher education if you don’t meet our undergraduate degree entry requirements, or if it’s been a while since you were in formal education and want to brush up some essential study skills, such as essay writing and research. Once your foundation year is completed, you’ll be ready to take on the remaining years of your psychology degree.

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Professional accreditation

This course is in the process of gaining accreditation by the British Psychological Society, the representative body for professional psychologists in the UK.

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Course details and modules

Our psychology degree with foundation year provides you with the skills you need to succeed at an undergraduate level, laying the perfect groundwork for your psychology studies. After completing the foundation year, you’ll start the second year of your online psychology degree with a thorough introduction to all of the core subject areas of modern psychology. You’ll then focus on understanding research methods and developing statistical skills, which will teach you how to carry out your own independent research – an invaluable attribute for your future career.

Arden is for winners. Nobody will beg you to sit down and start working on your career, if you don’t do it yourself! Once you have an honest interest for what you learn, if you reach out for more, you will be welcome to be helped and advised. But to do that, you must be determined.

Bettina Finna

BSc (Hons) Psychology

Modules

You’ll have 4-12 years to complete your psychology foundation course, meaning that you can take up to three years to complete each level. However, many of our students complete the course in 4-8 years.

Year 1

Using Numeracy, IT and Data
Research Skills and Using Information
Values, Ethics and Working Collaboratively
Developing Academic Skills
Crime and Law in Context
Psychology of Everyday Life

Year 2

Introduction to Studying Psychology
Introduction to Social and Developmental Psychology
Introduction to Biological & Cognitive Psychology
Introduction to Research Methods I
Introduction to Research Methods II
Key Studies in Psychology

Year 3

Quantitative Research Methods
Qualitative Research Methods
Personality and Intelligence
Social Psychology
Brain & Behaviour
Advanced Topics in Cognitive Psychology

Year 4

Contemporary Developmental Psychology
Cross-Cultural Psychology
Occupational Psychology
Mental Health and Illness
Research Project

To elevate your educational experience, we are currently in the process of enhancing our BSc Psychology degree. Once you have completed your foundation year, you will be automatically enrolled onto the newly updated and improved BSc Psychology programme.

How do we assess you?

The way we assess our students provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your strengths in a variety of ways. That’s why we choose a range of different methods to keep track of your progress. These include:

Assignments
Essays
Presentations
Case studies
Portfolios of work
Exams

Study options

This course is available to students as a fully online programme, which gives you the convenience of being able to study from anywhere worldwide.

As a working mum, I needed a course that would fit my busy life. My degree in Psychology complemented my role as a therapeutic counsellor beautifully and although I’ve just finished, it has already impacted my life greatly!

Cath Palmer

BA (Hons) Psychology

Online learning

How does it work?

Studying this course online gives you the ultimate in convenience. You can enrol with Arden from anywhere in the world and study your degree from the comfort of home, without the requirement to attend classes in a physical location.

Our online students study their degree through ilearn, Arden’s university campus in the cloud. ilearn provides everything you need to study at University. It offers an integrated virtual learning experience, including your virtual classroom, lecture theatre, and online library (which when used along with our supplementary library, Perlego, gives you access to almost half a million books and journals – yours for free while you study with us).

ilearn is also integrated with Zoom, making it easier to chat with your course tutor during your scheduled seminar sessions. You can even integrate our study materials into your Kindle, making it possible to study wherever you have you Kindle handy.

Studying online doesn’t mean studying alone. As well as receiving regular feedback and guidance from your course tutor, you’ll be studying with likeminded students who you can meet with through our Unitu community, and you’ll have access to community message boards to discuss your course and the topics being raised within it. We’ve even set up community boards embedded into each of the course modules so you can have discussions with your tutor and classmates on the topics you’re currently learning.

Online learning students resident in the UK can apply for a Tuition Fee loan to pay for their course. If you cannot attend your course in person because of a disability, you may also be entitled to a Maintenance Loan to cover living expenses. Please find more information on our fees and funding page. If you're a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you can find information about obtaining a student loan to cover your costs from your student finance body.

Learn more about online learning

Entry requirements

At Arden University we consider applications on a case by case basis. If you have significant work experience, have qualifications you have gained elsewhere, or a degree or qualification that isn't a clear pathway to this degree - we are more than happy to discuss your application.

Find out more

Eligibility

To be able to study this course, we need to see that you have:

Passes at grade C (grade 4) or above in three subjects at GCSE level OR 45 credits at Level 2 or equivalent – if your qualifications are older than 3 years we would also ask to see a professional CV.
Applicants may be considered based on a minimum of 12 months of professional work experience evidenced with a CV and Reference if they do not meet the qualification requirements.
We also offer this course as a standard bachelor’s degree without foundation year. To view the course details, please click here.

Candidates are required to submit a personal statement (of between 350-550 words) or attend an interview demonstrating an ability to study for the programme. This statement should include:

Your motivation for undertaking the programme
Why you’ve chosen your particular course
Any long-term goals or career aspirations

English Proficiency

IELTS 6.0 (no less than 5.5 in any element); or TOEFL iBT 80; or equivalent

We also offer an internal English test for applicants. More information on this can be found here.

Before you start studying

Whilst you can read your study materials on your smart phone or tablet, to make the most of your learning experience, you will need access to a laptop or computer (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good stable internet connection.

Course fees and funding

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Use the dropdown above to find course fees and funding information for your country. If you can’t find information for your country in the dropdown, visit our International support page.

Meet the faculty

Arden’s psychology and social science degrees are designed to explore human behaviours across diverse areas of psychology and social science such as criminology, sociology, and criminal justice. These courses provide you with a range of transferable skills that are valued by employers from a wide range of industries. Our Psychology online courses are accredited by The British Psychological Society, which means they are internationally recognised. I look forward to welcoming you to the Arden University family.

Gail Steptoe-Warren

Head of School, Psychology and Social Sciences

Career prospects

With a BPS-accredited psychology degree, your career options truly are wide open. This course sets you up with a range of universal skills that will allow you to apply your knowledge in a huge variety sectors. This means that when you graduate you’ll have the confidence to make life-changing decisions about which professional career path is best for you to take.

Related courses

What can a psychology degree do for me?

After graduating, the world is your oyster! Arden University’s psychology foundation degree covers everything from research methods to cross-cultural psychology, leaving you with a scope of skills that will help to shape your career. At the end of your course, you will be able to:

Communicate effectively
Comprehend and use data
Retrieve and organise information
Handle primary source material critically
Problem solve and reason scientifically
Make critical judgements and evaluations
Be sensitive to interpersonal factors
Use effective personal planning and project management skills

What can I do after Arden University?

After successfully completing your psychology foundation course, you’ll have acquired a range of lifelong skills that will be highly appealing to several industries. Employers know that a successful psychology graduate can write coherent and logical reports, understand statistical forms of evidence and have a good understanding of human behaviour. With that in mind, a few career options for you could include:

Counsellor
Life Coach
Psychotherapist
Support Worker
Detective
Lecturer
Researcher

You can also go on to study at Master’s Level. Arden University offer a variety of Master’s programmes and we are developing many more. Keep looking for further developments!

Industry skills

The British Psychological Society (BPS)

The British Psychological Society (BPS) is the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK. The society is responsible for the development, promotion, and application of psychology for the public good.

Arden’s BSc (Hons) Psychology and MSc Psychology (Conversion) courses are accredited by the BPS. This means that students obtaining at least a lower second class honours degree (2:2) will be eligible for the society’s Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership - the prerequisite requirement to go on to further training as a professional psychologist after graduation.

While you’re studying your BPS accredited course with us, we’ll cover the cost of your student membership with the BPS, which gives you access to a large range of useful resources including access to the British Psychological Society Library, the UK’s leading national resource in psychology.