Psychology and Child Development

• This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership - your first step to becoming a chartered psychologist.
   

Are you interested in learning more about how psychology can help us understand how children develop?  If you want to find out how psychology explains the some of the ways in which children grow, behave and mature, then this course may be for you.  As well as studying specific modules exploring different psychological aspects of child development, you’ll study a combination of modules which give you a background in the core areas of Psychology which will complement and underpin the main developmental focus of this course.  You will need to have a great interest in investigating and analysing how both adults and children think, feel and behave.  On the Psychology and Child Development degree, you will develop the expertise to collect and assess evidence about human behaviour, including children’s behaviour, and will be encouraged to develop problem solving, analytical, reflective, communication and interpersonal skills.

Read BSc(Hons) Psychology and Child Development course information (PDF, file size: 315.07KB)

The BSc (Hons) Psychology and Child Development degree allows you to explore some of the fundamental areas of Psychology, as well as some more specialist topics associated with children’s development.

At Levels 1 and 2, you study the areas that are essential for professional recognition in
Psychology, including Social Psychology, Individual Differences, Biological Psychology, Research Methods and Cognitive Psychology.  You also study modules specific to child development, including modules in Growing and Changing, Applications of Child Development, Children in Context and Developmental Psychopathology.  There is also a range of optional modules, including, for example, Comparative Bases of Behaviour, The Psychology of Criminal Conduct, and Understanding Relationships.  At Level 2, you also have the opportunity to earn credits for Volunteer work.

At Level 3, you extend your study of core areas into Developmental Psychology, Issues in Infancy and Individual Differences. Other child development related option modules which you may choose to take include Families in Context, Autistic Spectrum Conditions and Children and Pictures. You can also choose to undertake an empirical project in some aspect of psychology relevant to your degree.

We use a wide range of learning and teaching methods, including lectures, workshops, seminars and tutorials.  We also offer group discussion workshops, debate, observation and analysis of video material and demonstrations of relevant psychological phenomena.  For practical work there are a number of dedicated psychology laboratories offering networked computers, a human sciences lab, and a purpose built video and observation suite.  You will be assessed by a variety of methods including posters, essays, reports, group work and examinations.

To prospective employers, psychology offers a unique combination of analytical and personal skills.  Graduates are able to analyse problems, use computer skills, and design investigations and are especially aware of human relationships.  Opportunities are available in a wide variety of organisations, including teaching, welfare, health, caring and guidance professions.  This course is likely to be particularly useful to anyone wishing to progress to further professional training in a number of areas of psychology, including educational psychology.

For more information about Psychology and Child Development (C891) please contact: