Curious about studying Psychology with a Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)at Birmingham City University? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
City Centre Campus (The Curzon Building)
Full Time
Sep 2027
4 Year
Looking for a foundation course in psychology in Birmingham? Our BSc (Hons) Psychology with a Foundation Year degree has lower entry requirements and can lead to a full undergraduate qualification. This course has been specifically designed to allow home and EU students, who do not initially meet the Birmingham City University entry requirements for our standard Psychology degree, to undertake additional level 3 study designed to ensure they are successful on their chosen degree course. The foundation year itself will equip you with the required knowledge and skills to proceed on to any of our undergraduate Psychology degree courses offered at BCU. You will gain a deep understanding of how the core and specialised areas in psychology contribute to our understanding of contemporary issues, as well as looking at the role of brain function across multiple psychological perspectives. You’ll apply scientific reasoning and evaluate patterns of behaviour, gaining key transferable skills in communication, teamwork and problem-solving. You’ll also adopt a variety of perspectives ensuring you get the big picture.
Foundation YearThe foundation year is designed to give you the opportunity to develop your academic and interpersonal skills while developing your subject knowledge further to support you to success on your academic path. By studying a foundation year, your first year will be spent learning a wide range of broad subject areas which then open up opportunities for you to specialise further in your next year – which would be the first year of a full degree programme.
This module will provide you with an introduction to psychology to reflect the discipline’s rich and varied history. When studying psychology in a contemporary context it is important to explore the origins and development of the subject in order to understand how psychology originated, who was responsible for establishing psychology as a distinct discipline, and in order to be able to critically consider debates concerning psychology’s status as a science.
This module aims to both introduce you to the foundational principles of psychology as a social scientific discipline, as well as equipping you with interpersonal skills appropriate to university life and study. Combining a range of teaching approaches, this module will help you to develop the personal-professional skills (e.g. inclusivity and diversity, team working, communication, ethics, self-management, presentation, etc.) necessary to your subsequent study at BCU and in graduate employment.
This module will help you to develop the essential academic skills required to be successful in Higher Education. Within a supportive class environment this module will help you to develop basic research skills, academic writing and reflection skills. Acquiring these skills will aid your transition to the higher levels of study associated with your chosen degree programme.
In this module you will explore current research topics in psychology. This module will be delivered by lecturers who have expertise in specific topic areas. You will learn about current trending topics in psychology, and engage in current debates in psychology. You will reflect upon your own experiences and communicate current research within chosen topic areas. This module will help you develop important skills to help you debate, understand concepts ethics and research design.
This module will provide you with an introduction to some misconceptions and controversies within psychological research. Throughout the history of psychology, as a discipline, there have been many examples of instances where research has not been carried out, or reported, correctly. This includes aspects such as disregard for ethical considerations, misreporting of research findings, and even fraudulent use of data.
This module is a practical research-focused module relevant to scientific psychology. You will be supported in developing an introductory appreciation for research methods in psychology and you will be able to demonstrate knowledge of key components of the design, planning, and execution of a scientific research project.
This module explores the origins, developments and refinements in the study of modern-day Psychology, dating back to early philosophy. The module will ensure students will see how modern-day Psychology has evolved, not just in terms of the “big-names” but also by viewing the scientific, cultural and social movements and influences that were happening alongside the development of this new discipline.
This module focuses on current and historical understanding of personality and individual differences. We review the main theories of personality and use contemporary empirical evidence to explore the complex relationship between personality and behaviour. In-depth examples of the complexity of individual differences will be provided, and some lectures will focus of personality disorders and problems assessing and classifying such disorders. The academic component of this module provides you with an experiential learning process that will further develop your understanding of the complex theoretical and conceptual issues involved in the measurement and assessment of personality and individual differences. In particular, the seminar component will provide you with the opportunity to experience projective and objective personality tests and to further explore the problems associated with diagnosing personality disorders.
The module aims to identify contemporary issues in our society where psychological insights and perspectives can potentially deepen and broaden our understanding of the human condition and social affairs. It will aim to enable you to view the relationship between Psychology and other social sciences) in order to achieve a more holistic and eclectic understanding of Psychology and its relation to the contemporary age. The intention is to demonstrate the ways in which approaches in Psychology can contribute directly to our understanding of national and international contemporary events, and how Psychology can potentially deepen our understanding and insights of social processes.
Introduction to Psychopathology, will introduce you to psychological disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, addiction etc. and how these psychological disorders have an effect on daily thinking, functioning and behaviour. The assessment and diagnosis process of a psychological disorder will play a central role in this module and this will be done by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5; 2013). The DSM-5 (2013) is used by clinicians worldwide to assess and diagnose individuals with a psychological disorder. In this module the DSM-5 (2013) will be used to describe the key symptoms of psychological disorders which will help to enhance your understanding of key symptoms and criteria used by clinicians to diagnose a psychological disorder.
This module introduces you to the process of conducting research, analysing data and evaluating the findings. The module will provide a conceptual understanding of reporting research, the core statistical principals and tests used. The module provides hands-on experience of conducting an experiment, using statistical software for carrying out analyses and writing up the experiment in practical workshops. This module will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills required to prepare you for future work, training or careers in an applied area of Psychology or research. This module will also identify how the skills and knowledge gained during this module are relevant to future modules that cover GBC competencies and training which are relevant to future work and studies in the area of Psychology.
This module provides you with an overview of the purpose, design, and conduct of qualitative research in psychology. This module builds upon and complements research methods modules delivered in level 4 by providing students with grounding in the use of qualitative research methods and analysis techniques commonly used in psychology. All sessions are structured to facilitate both conceptual learning and the development of applied research skills. More specifically, this module aims to help you develop skills in research and inquiry and develop academic attributes such as being able to think critically about different methodologies and knowledge claims.
This module will continue to develop key transferable skills from level 4 such as group discussion and debate, critical evaluation and evidence-based reasoning. There will be research-led teaching which will explore key debates and methodologies used in neuropsychology and cognitive Psychology. The GBC area of biological Psychology and cognitive Psychology will be supplemented through this module.
This module builds on the Research Methods and Psychology literacy module (Level 4), by providing you with the skills to master the process of designing and executing research using quantitative research methods, and analysing and evaluating the findings with quantitative data analysis techniques. The module provides hands-on experience of using computer software to build experiments and statistical software for carrying out analyses in the practical workshops. The module will enhance your skills in critically evaluating the strengths and limitations of published research papers and equip you with an advanced understanding of ethics in psychological research.
The applied social psychology module focuses on exploring how social psychological theory and research can be applied to real life. Throughout the module you will be presented with a number of contemporary social issues and will explore relevant theoretical models and examples to illustrate the impact that social psychological constructs, theories and research has had on informing applied interventions. Theoretical perspectives might include cross cultural psychology, individual differences, and critical social psychology. Contemporary social issues might include encouraging cooperation with authorities, understanding responses to terrorism, reducing prejudice, and promoting employee production.
Understanding research issues is an essential skill for psychologists operating in an evidence-based paradigm. The ability to produce an in-depth dissertation and present a logical argument using such research is a crucial skill for a successful psychology graduate. This module builds upon learning at level 4 and level 5 in previous Psychological Research Methods modules. This module will encourage you to plan, execute and write up a research project which adheres to principles of the Psychology Ethics Committee. You should seek out research sources to produce an in-depth dissertation that answers your own identified research question or knowledge gap, making a contribution to the existing literature within your chosen topic area. This will be facilitated through critical evaluation of the sources you have selected and used. You will also be facilitated in using statistical and other specialist software, testing equipment and materials, as well as the use of the Psychology laboratories.
This module aims to investigate human development throughout the lifespan focusing on changes to biological, cognitive, social and emotional elements of psychological functioning. The module will provide you with an understanding of the general principles and concepts, different theoretical perspectives, research methodologies, contemporary debates and areas of application of Lifespan Development. This module will enable you to develop skills in critical reading and analysis of theoretical and empirical issues related to Lifespan Development. In the context of contemporary societies and globalisation, the role of social and cultural context of development is explored.
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