Psychology
Combining cutting edge research with excellent teaching and student support, you’ll cover all of the major approaches in psychology.
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UCAS Code
C800
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
96
Fees
Home students: £9,790*
International students: £17,200*
UCAS Code
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
96
Fees
Home students: £804*
UCAS Code
C802
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
96
Fees
Home students: £9,790*
International students: £17,200*
UCAS Code
C800
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
96
UCAS Code
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
96
UCAS Code
C802
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
96
Course Overview
We believe that open minds open doors. That’s why our innovative BPS-accredited BSc Psychology degree combines hands-on learning with a rich variety of placement opportunities and real-life projects to give our Psychology graduates the experience they need to kickstart their careers.
Accreditations
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The British Psychological Society
Why study this course?
What you'll study
Our Psychology degree combines opportunities to study cutting edge research with access to excellent teaching and student support.
You will study the major approaches in psychology, including social, cognitive, biological, and developmental psychology, neuroscience and research methods. You will also develop practical psychology skills in our purpose-built laboratories.
How is psychological research conducted? We’ll look at the methods of quantitative and qualitative research and analysis and explore research ethics and their effect on psychology.
This module can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh.
The core concepts that frame contemporary psychology and the concomitant ethical issues and questions: start to develop the skills that will underpin your psychological literacy.
A broad overview of the key concepts, theories and research that make up biological and cognitive psychology.
Study key research in social and developmental psychology and develop an understanding of the core, underpinning theoretical principles of this area.
Focusing on investigative psychology, you will have the opportunity to understand and practice quantitative methods such as ANOVA and ANCOVA, as well as qualitative methods like grounded theory and discourse analysis.
You will also have the opportunity for paid or voluntary placement activities, helping you strengthen your abilities as a psychologist and develop transferable skills for your future.
Develop a critical understanding of the methodological skills necessary for psychological investigation.
Gain sector-specific work-related experience and/or transferable employability skills linked to psychological theory and research, and address and reflect on some of the ethical and practical issues associated with this.
Expand your knowledge of research methodology, statistics and ethics, along with your ability to critically assess the efficacy of different approaches.
An overview of some key biological, cognitive and neuroscience research: you will be encouraged to critically evaluate the current research in these areas.
Develop a deep critical appreciation of the current debates in social and developmental psychology.
You will complete an Advanced Research Methods project (i.e., dissertation) on a topic that interests you, taking responsibility for the design, execution, analysis, and reporting.
You will also learn to apply your knowledge of psychology to specific practice and real-life contexts and choose from a range of further specialist modules that match your interests and career aspirations.
An original piece of research where you will have the opportunity to collect and analyse data, assess the ethical issues of research, explore research methods, and report your findings.
Examine the use of Psychology in practice whilst exploring real-life contexts as well as current national and international debates.
Learn to critically reflect on the theoretical and research perspectives that underpin educational and occupational psychology.
Develop a systematic knowledge and critical understanding of a range of topics and issues in Health Psychology, placed in the context of lifespan development.
Evaluate theoretical models of psychological disorders and critically assess the efficacy of different therapeutic interventions.
Develop a systematic critical appreciation of how social psychology can be applied in the real world; including the role that social identity plays in this process.
Understand the cognitive consequences of brain damage and disease and explore the current methods of investigating the structure and function of brain systems and regions.
Critically appraise the role that Psychology plays in all aspects of the criminal and civil justice systems.
We regularly review our courses to keep pace with changing skills and employer needs. If a review leads to significant changes, we’ll contact you to explain what’s changing for the coming year.
Teaching and Assessment
We want you to have the opportunity to learn about psychology in new ways - one of our most exciting features is how varied the learning is on our course.
Our BSc Psychology course provides you with an engaging and immersive learning environment through workshops, projects, group activities, placements, and simulation learning in the Hydra Simulation Suite. We also arrange guest lectures throughout the year delivered by academics from other institutions and practising psychologists from various fields.
Assessments are designed to build your knowledge and skills step by step using a variety of assessment types.
You’ll move from essays to group dissertation projects, with the opportunity to work with our established industry partners.
As a BPS accredited degree, your assessments will include research reports alongside applied real-world challenges, with the opportunity to use our psychology laboratory facilities.
All students are guaranteed a 6-week placement in our on-campus Early Intervention Service, with opportunities to progress to Level 2 and 3 placements.
This provides you with practical experience and to be able to apply your psychological knowledge in practice.
As part of your degree, you will complete the Professional Practice and Employability module, where you understand and apply psychological theory to the workplace and are supported to complete a placement of your choice
We want to help you enhance your skillset to open as may doors as possible for your future career, and you can also find a range of options for this through our Psychology Plus scheme, including volunteering, internships and short courses.
Our Psychology department includes teaching rooms, the psychology laboratory, staff offices, student kitchen, and spaces for students to socialise and learn together. This is all located together creating a strong student and staff community.
Our purpose-built psychology lab is filled with industry standard equipment that you will use throughout your studies, as well as interview and observation rooms that allow you, as a researcher, to observe human behaviour in a natural manner through a one-way screen. Some of the equipment that you will use includes eye-tracking equipment, Electroencephalography (EEG) machines, and BIOPAC systems.
As part of our dedicated Psychology space, you will also be able to book a space for quiet study and access the dedicated social learning space with computers and psychology textbooks.
Course Leader
Hayley Gibbon
Meet Dr Hayley Gibbon, a Lecturer in Psychology focused on student engagement and applied learning. She supports students throughout their journey, promoting initiatives like Psychology Plus, methods booster sessions, and interactive inductions to enrich learning beyond the classroom. Hayley has a growing interest in psychological research, using current evidence and developments in the field to inform her teaching, shape her practice, and enhance the student experience. She is passionate about making psychology accessible, relevant, and grounded in real-world contexts, helping students connect theory to everyday life and future careers.
‘’My placement in the Behaviour Analysis Clinic for children with Autism helped significantly in terms of career and personal development – as well as being personally enjoyable and rewarding.’’
Jack Erasmus, Psychology graduate
Entry Requirements
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question96 UCAS points or above
Typical qualification requirements
A Level:
CCC to exclude General Studies
Welsh BACC:
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and CC at A Level to exclude General Studies
BTEC:
BTEC Extended Diploma Merit Merit Merit
Access to HE:
Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 96 UCAS tariff points
T Level:
Pass (C and above)
Additional requirements include:
The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
International studentsPre-Sessional EnglishEnglish language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
Fees and Funding
per year
per 20 credits
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Enhanced DBS*
Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee
Cost: £64.74
DBS Updating service*
Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate
Cost: £16
Placement*
Students undertaking placement as part of professional practice modules may incur costs associated with travel to placement.
Cost: Variable
per year
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Enhanced DBS*
Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee
Cost: £64.74
DBS Updating service*
Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate
Cost: £16
Placement*
Students undertaking placement as part of professional practice modules may incur costs associated with travel to placement.
Cost: Variable
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Explore our facilities
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How to apply
Got your results? Apply online or call us today and, if you're eligible, secure our Clearing Package with benefits worth up to £3k to help you start university with more. Take the next step: Apply through Clearing
You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).
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Apply direct
Psychology
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Pontypridd
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Apply direct
Psychology
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Part-time, 6 years
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September
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Pontypridd
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Apply direct
Psychology
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Sandwich, 4 years
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September
-
Pontypridd
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Apply direct
Psychology
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Full-time, 3 years
-
September
-
Pontypridd
-
-
Apply direct
Psychology
-
Part-time, 6 years
-
September
-
Pontypridd
-
-
Apply direct
Psychology
-
Sandwich, 4 years
-
September
-
Pontypridd
-
If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
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