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Duration of programme: 4 years
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. The programme is made of credits derived from both Psychology and Counselling. The final year includes a 40 credit independent project that must include psychology to meet the needs of accreditation, but can span both disciplines of the joint programme.
Contact hours and workload: Each academic year typically requires 1200 hours of student effort; on average across the 4 years of this programme, 21% of that time is in seminars and accessing online content (lectures, activities, etc.); the remainder is independent study.
Assessment methods: Assessment is by a range of methods including exams/class tests, assessment of practical counselling skills, vivas, practical laboratory reports, case studies, essays and student presentations.
Academic staff: This programme is delivered by staff in the Department of Sociological and Psychological Sciences and the Department of Health, Sport and Wellbeing in the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences. Staff profiles can be viewed at https://www.abertay.ac.uk/academic-faculties-and-graduate-school/faculty-of-social-and-applied-sciences/
Core modules in the programme:
Introductory Psychology
Introduction to Pluralistic Approaches to Mental Health
Introduction to Psychological Research Methods
Being Successful at Abertay (5 credits)
Flying over the Cuckoo’s Nest: Media and Mental Health
Interpersonal skills and helping conversations
Therapeutic Skills and Approaches
Cognitive Perspectives on Psychology
Essential Research Methods and Analyses for Psychology
Human Variability: Psychobiology and Behaviour
Social cognition across the lifespan
Counselling Theories and Interventions
Advanced Research, Design and Analysis
Human Development Across the Lifespan
Mental Health Psychology: Living with a Diagnosis
Psychology Honours Project
Applied Cognitive Psychology
Mental Health and Young People: Contexts and Practice
Diverse Perspectives in Mental Health
Other modules that may be offered, but are subject to change over time:
Microcredentials (various)
Comparative Psychology
Community Health and Wellbeing
Tomorrow’s Child
Forensic Psychology: Understanding Offender Behaviour
Work-Based learning
Mindfulness
Investigative Psychology and Policing
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 one of the most significant advancements 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). New developments are readily incorporated into the core curriculum without having to fundamentally change the module structure. Counselling and mental health are currently prioritised by government and social initiatives aimed at raising the profile of mental health issues. The practice, social, service-user and policy contexts are all addressed within the counselling teaching.