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Psychology BSc Welcome Pack

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Welcome to Psychology 2024.

Psychology All pathways

BSc Psychology, BSc Psychology (Counselling), BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational), Forensic Psychology BSc (Hons), BSc Psychology (with Intergraded Foundation Year)

Our British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited course gives you all that you need to cover the main areas of psychology, as well as expanding your knowledge into areas that you are passionate for, whether that is counselling, educational, forensic, or other areas of interest.

You will learn about wellbeing, the workings of the brain, and what influences our behaviour. If you are studying BSc Psychology, you will have the opportunity to explore diverse areas such as parapsychology, occupational psychology, and forensic psychology. If you are studying BSc Psychology (Counselling) you will also explore specialist areas like counselling theory and practice, positive psychology and wellbeing, taught by trained counsellors and psychotherapists. If you are studying BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational) you will explore areas such as lifespan development, the psychology of learning and teaching, and positive psychology.

The Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) route offers a new and exciting route into studying for a degree, attracting ambitious and driven students who are willing to learn and advance. The IFY course may be for you if you don’t have the right combination of subjects or do not meet the expected entry requirements for direct entry into year 1 of a three year BSc Psychology course. This four-year course will enable you to successfully follow the psychology degree pathway of your choice (), allowing you to  develop the required skills and knowledge to successfully complete the rest of your degree.

You will be joining a diverse and engaged community of students, and taught by a specialist and research-active team who are passionate about how psychology plays a part in our everyday lives.

Welcome and Induction

See below for our welcome and induction sessions for BSc Psychology, BSc Psychology (Counselling), BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational), Forensic Psychology BSc (Hons), Psychology and Criminology BA (Hons), BSc Psychology (with Intergraded Foundation Year).

  • Induction Information

    This is your induction timetable for the week commencing 16 September 2024, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact induction organiser:

    Monday 16 September 2024
    • Welcome to the UON (induction session) [online]

    The session will be delivered online via Microsoft Teams from 11am to 1pm

    To join the webinar, you need to register for the event. Registration is currently open. Simply follow the link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7df1d45b-f728-4fd4-bc2f-19de6fd58c27@c4550463-76b2-4ebd-b57c-f4f7d164c70f

    Registration takes only a couple of minutes to complete. At the end, you will receive an email with the link to join the event on Monday.

    Tuesday 17 September 2024

    Starting from Day 2, all Welcome Week events will be held in person at our Waterside Campus.

    On Day 2, you will have the opportunity to meet the Dean of the University of Northampton and attend the Student Services Road Show, an event where you will be able to learn about the various services and support available to you during your degree.

    The Psychology team will host another important event on this day, offering an induction session specific to your course.

    All in-person events during Welcome Week will be held in various rooms and locations within the Learning Hub Building on the Waterside Campus in Northampton. Visit the webpage for some guidelines on the best ways to get to campus.

    Schedule for BSc Psychology and 2nd Year Student BSc Psychology (Foundation)

    • 10am – 11am: Dean’s Welcome (Leartherseller’s Hub, 4th Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 11am – 12pm: Student Services Roadshow (Ground Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 12pm – 2pm: Induction to the Course – Session 1 for Surnames starting from A to L (Room 017, Ground Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 2pm – 4pm: Induction to the Course – Session 2 for Surnames starting from M to Z (Room 017, Ground Floor, Learning Hub)

    Schedule for BSc Psychology (Counselling)

    • 10am – 11am – Dean’s Welcome (Leartherseller’s Hub, 4th Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 11am – 12pm – Student Services Roadshow (Ground Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 12pm – 2pm – Induction to the Course – Session 1 for Surnames starting from A to L (Room 346, 3rd Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 2pm – 4pm – Induction to the Course – Session 2 for Surnames starting from M to Z (Room 346, 3rd Floor, Learning Hub)

    Schedule for BSc Forensic Psychology

    • 10am – 11am – Dean’s Welcome (Leartherseller’s Hub, 4th Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 11am – 12pm – Student Services Roadshow (Ground Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 12pm – 2pm – Induction to the Course – Session 1 for Surnames starting from A to L (Room 345, 3rd Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 2pm – 4pm – Induction to the Course – Session 2 for Surnames starting from M to Z (Room 345, 3rd Floor, Learning Hub)

    Schedule for BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational)

    • 10am – 12pm – Induction to the Course – (Room 347, 3rd Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 12pm – 1pm – Break
    • 1pm – 2pm – PAT (Personal Academic Tutor) Session (Room 347, 3rd Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 2pm – 3pm – Library Session (Library, 2nd Floor, Learning Hub)
    • 3pm – 4pm – Closing activity (Room 347, 3rd Floor, Learning Hub)

    Introduction to the Programme and Welcome from the Dean [on campus]

    Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 September
    • Meeting your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), Induction to Library System, Students’ Union (SU) organized events. [on campus]
    • Date: Throughout the remainder of the week, every student is required to meet with their Personal Academic Tutor (PAT). Each student will receive a notification specifying the day between Wednesday and Friday when their PAT meeting will take place. Therefore, please ensure to check your emails. On the scheduled day, you will also have an opportunity to connect with the Academic Librarians, who will introduce you to the available resources. Additionally, various Students’ Union (SU) events will be accessible to you during these days.

Welcome videos

Your programme leader has prepared a short welcome video, so you can see who they are and hear some key introductory information about your course.

Supporting you before you arrive

There are a range of online resources for new students on the university website so you can familiarise yourself with how things work and what you need to do and when.

Personal Academic Tutoring

You will be allocated a personal tutor (PAT) when you join us. They are there to help you on your university journey, and can provide support, advice and guidance on academic or personal matters. You will meet your PAT in the first few weeks of term and will have the opportunity to meet with them regularly during the academic year. Remember that you can get in touch with them if you need anything or have questions about any aspect of your university experience. They can help with study tips, using feedback from assessed work, career planning, understanding the university policies and procedures, and can also be a useful signpost for many of the specialist services we have available on campus.

Resources

In our Psychology department, we have specialist equipment that you’ll see and be able to use for research, so there isn’t anything that you’ll need to bring yourself.

However, if you’d like to make a head start on preparation for your first year of study, here is a list of recommended textbooks for your modules (please note: there is some access to these books in the University library/online):

All pathways:

  • Dancey, C. P., & Reidy, J. (2017). Statistics without maths for psychology. London: Pearson.
  • Holt, N., Bremmer, A. J., Sutherland, E., Vliek, M., Passer, M. W., Smith, R. E. (2019) Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour. London: McGraw Hill Education.
  • Davey, G. C. (2023). Applied Psychology. BPS Blackwell.

In addition to the above, we recommend the following if you are studying BSc Psychology (Counselling):

  • McLeod, J. (2013). An introduction to counselling (5th ed.). Maidenhead: Open University Press.

If you want to check out more recent discoveries in Psychological research, head to the American Psychological Association (APA) website, and for some career-related advice, see the British Psychological Society. We want you to enjoy your time with us and get the most out of your university experience. There are opportunities for you to get involved in a range of activities that will help you to gain new skills, build valuable applied experience, get to know new people, and integrate yourself into the wider university community. Below are a few examples.

Enhancing skills, building networks and engaging in the wider University community

We want you to enjoy your time with us and get the most out of your university experience. There are opportunities for you to get involved in a range of activities that will help you to gain new skills, build valuable applied experience, get to know new people, and integrate yourself into the wider university community. Below are a few examples.

Work-based learning

Across the Psychology course, there are several opportunities to gain work-based experience in settings that relate to your studies. These are a core part of the course, and help you to apply the learning you are obtaining at university to practical settings relevant to psychology.

For full time students, your first work-based experience takes place in semester 1 and involves spending a short period of time in a setting of your choice (our University Student Futures Team and your tutors can support you with this). Further details on this will be provided, but we recommend you start thinking about this ahead of time so you can have the plans in place early. You may have links with an organization, a workplace, or a local charity that could accommodate you as a volunteer, or you could start keeping a lookout for suitable opportunities that you could get involved in.

In the IFY you will be introduced to the Foundations in Psychology. The purpose of this module is to develop an academic and professional foundation in the field of Psychological Studies to help you investigate, understand, communicate and engage effectively in your chosen psychological pathway.

Student representation

Every year we invite students to put themselves forward to be a course representative. We value student involvement, and want to hear your feedback, ideas and suggestions about your course. Course representatives are responsible for collating and feeding back course matters from fellow students to course, module, and programme leaders in a termly meeting known as Student Voice Meetings. They are given training and support throughout their tenure by the Student Union. Have a think if you would like to consider becoming a course representative. It’s entirely optional, but a great way to gain experience!

Student ambassadors/Outreach

There are advertised opportunities available to take on roles such as outreach activities with local schools, supporting university events, and engaging children with STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) subjects. Some of these are ideal for students on the Psychology (Developmental and Educational) programme because of their relevance to education and children and young people.

Social activities

Within Psychology, there are numerous social events taking place during the year that you can get involved in. One example is ‘Psychology in the Pub’, where staff, students and members of the public debate psychological topics in a local pub! We also have a Psychology Society who organise a range of different activities for students to participate in, and some ‘pop up’ events such as a festive quiz, treasure hunt and talent show!

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