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Psychology and Counselling (Full-time) (BSc Hons)

Swansea
3 Years Full-time
96 -112 UCAS Points

This Psychology and Counselling degree programme will provide you with the opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding of theoretical, practical and conceptual issues within the disciplines of both Psychology and Counselling. The aim of this programme is to offer students the opportunity to pursue a BPS-accredited degree combining the two popular subject areas of Psychology and Counselling.

The often-lively academic debate that pushes the boundaries between the two disciplines of Psychology and Counselling regarding the nature of human behaviour and different therapeutic approaches has traditionally stimulated an appreciation of perspective-taking, empirical evidence and self-reflection.

Alongside opportunities for counselling skills development and workplace experience, the dedicated Psychology and Counselling facilities and positive atmosphere will offer students an exciting learning experience which is further enhanced by having a team of research-active and practitioner-based lecturers working closely together, as well as with students themselves.

The programme aims to help you to producea scientific understanding of the mind, brain, behaviour and experience, and how they interact with the complex environments in which they exist.

It also aims to develop knowledge of counselling as a social function mediated by individual, societal and global contexts.

Course details

Start date:
Study modes:
  • On-campus
  • Full-time
Language:
  • English
Institution code:
T80
UCAS code:
BC99
Course length:
3 Years Full-time
Entry requirements:
96 -112 UCAS Points

Tuition Fees 2023/24 and 24/25
Home (Full-time): £9,000 per year
Overseas (Full-time): £13,500 per year

Accredited:
The British Psychological Society

Why choose this course?

01
New Psychology labs that encourage critical thinking, problem-solving and research skills.
02
Develops an understanding of a range of counselling and interpersonal skills valued by many employers and postgraduate courses.
03
Assisting and guiding students at every level through lectures, small group seminars and workshops.

What you will learn

The Psychology and Counselling degree is delivered on the SA1 Swansea waterfront campus and provides students with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of theoretical, practical, ethical, and conceptual issues within the disciplines of both Psychology and Counselling.  

The programme offers students the opportunity to pursue a BPS accredited degree combining the two popular subject areas of Counselling and Psychology. It will provide students with a strong set of critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills, in addition to many other transferable skills considered desirable by many employers and postgraduate courses.  

Students will complete 120 credits per year of their programme, which will include 80 credits of compulsory psychology modules in years one and two, alongside 40 credits of counselling theory and skills-based modules at both levels.

In the final year, alongside the 40 credit compulsory Psychology Empirical Project and the compulsory 20 credit Reflexive Counselling Skills module, students studying on the Psychology and Counselling programme will have the opportunity to tailor the focus of their degree through a choice of optional final year modules covering health psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, or mental health. 

Compulsory 

Introduction to Counselling Skills

(20 credits; compulsory)

Research Methods I

(20 credits; core)

History of Counselling

(20 credits; compulsory)

Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology

(20 credits)

Study Skills for Psychology

(20 credits)

Personality and Individual Differences

(20 credits)

Compulsory 

Research Methods II

(20 credits; core)

The Brain, Biology and Cognition

(20 credits; compulsory)

Social and Cultural Psychology

(20 credits; compulsory)

Developmental Psychology and Individual Differences

(20 credits)

Counselling Theory and Approaches

(20 credits; compulsory)

Further Counselling Skills

(20 credits; compulsory)

Compulsory 

Psychology Empirical Project

(40 credits)

Reflexive Counselling Skills

(20 credits; compulsory)

Optional 

Forensic Psychology and the Criminal Mind

(20 credits)

Biological and Cognitive Neuroscience

(20 credits; optional)

Mental Health in Children and Young People

(20 credits; optional)

CBT and New Cognitive Therapies 

(20 credits; optional)

Social Knowledge and Identity

(20 credits; optional)

The Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination

(20 credits; optional)

Cognition in Action

(20 credits; optional)

Ecopsychology 

(20 credits; optional)

Psychology, Health and Illness

(20 credits; optional)

Psychopathology and Mental Health

(20 credits; optional)

The Psychology of Education and Ageing

(20 credits; optional)

Ethics, Values, and the Professional Self

(20 credits; optional)

Each student chooses three of the twelve optional modules in Year Three (Level 6). 

Course Disclaimer

  • We listen to student feedback and insights from industry and from professionals to ensure that course content is high-quality and up-to-date, and that it offers the best possible preparation for your future career or study goals. 

    For this reason, there might be modifications to the content of your course over time, to keep up to date with changes in the subject area or in the sector. If a module is no longer running, we’ll make sure to keep you informed, and work with you to choose a different suitable module.

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Staff

Our People

You will be taught and supported by a wide range of professional staff and teams here to help you get the university experience you are looking for. Our teaching staff were ranked 2nd in Wales for assessments and feedback (NSS 2023) meaning the comments you get back from your work will help you learn. Our commitment to your learning has seen our students us as Top 10 in the UK for Lecturers and Teaching Quality. Find out more about our academic staff who teach across our courses. 

Accommodation

example of student bedroom

Swansea Accommodation

Swansea has a huge student population, and the variety of accommodation available will leave you feeling spoilt for choice. Various purpose-built student accommodation providers provide accommodation in Swansea, and the accommodation team can guide you through your options. It will offer ongoing support throughout your time as a UWTSD student.

Further information

  • Typical offers are made for 88 tariff points for the BSc Psychology and Counselling programme. There is no expectation that A-level candidates will have studied psychology at A-level and, although they typically would have studied a (social) science at A-level, students with a mix of subjects across the A-level spectrum are welcome.

    This programme also welcomes applications from non-traditional entry students who have had a break from education, and those who wish to move into the social science area or care disciplines, as well as international applicants (subject to minimum English language requirements).

    Here at UWTSD, we place great importance on encouraging non-standard entry students with relevant life skills and academic potential to join our course. Additional study skills support is always available for any student needing more one-to-one tuition. The nature of assessments and feedback in the first year provides ample opportunity for students to develop their confidence and academic style.

  • This programme will offer a range of traditional and innovative assessment methods to give you the opportunity to extend your practical and academic skills and encourage your independent learning. These will include practical skills assessments, academic essays and exams, individual and group presentations, research reports and case studies.

    Your overall degree classification marks will be calculated from Years Two and Three of your studies. This classification will be calculated as 33% at Level 5 and 67% at Level 6.

  • Students may be required to apply for and obtain a UWTSD Enhanced Disclosure Barring Check (DBS). The fee for this is dependent on the DBS; it is currently approximately £44.

    Students are required to gain practical placement experience throughout the second year, for which a DBS may be required (see above). This placement will also incur travel and refreshments costs that will be payable by the student.

    The department also offers students optional opportunities to partake in visits beyond the campus, for example, Cardiff or London. The students incur the costs of these optional visits and activities.

    BPS Student Conference Attendance (Optional) £100. 

  • You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available, please visit our Bursaries and Scholarships section.

  • The postgraduate route is multifaceted, and not all graduates will choose to pursue postgraduate qualifications in Psychology or Counselling. The structure, nature and content of this unique programme allows students to develop strong analytical and transferable skills welcomed by many sectors including Education, Social Care, Nursing and allied professions, Business and HR. Many of our non-standard entry students already have a professional career (recent examples include nursing, physiotherapy, and careers in mental health) and use their degree to further their career.

    Students who graduate with a minimum lower second-class honours classification (2:2) are eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society. This indicates that students have met the curriculum requirements derived from the Quality Assurance Agency’s (2019) subject benchmark statement for Psychology and is often an important prerequisite for students wishing to go on to further postgraduate study or training in psychology.

    Over the  years, the programme has seen a large proportion of  students graduating with 2:1 honours and above, and progressing on to further postgraduate training on BPS-accredited postgraduate courses (popular routes being  Clinical Psychology, Occupational Psychology and Health Psychology), as well as pursuing a Masters qualification on the MSc in Applied  Psychology or the MA in Advanced Counselling Theory and Research offered at UWTSD.

    An increasing number of students are also choosing to pursue practice-based postgraduate counselling training at postgraduate, or master’s level through the postgraduate portfolio offered at UWTSD, and several students stay with us to train for qualification on the MA Psychotherapeutic Practice: Humanistic programme.

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