Apply psychological theory and research to educational contexts, working with children and adolescents
Year of entry: 2025/26
CX83
Y50
3 years full-time (plus optional placement year)
Linking the study of psychology and education will provide you with a unique set of skills spanning two dynamic disciplines.
You'll study cognitive, social, developmental, and biological aspects of psychology, while building your understanding of educational contexts. This will give you an integrated understanding of how psychological theory and research intersect with education in a wide range of settings.
You'll learn from academics working on cutting-edge research in psychology and education, giving you direct access to some of the latest thinking in the field.
Alongside rigorous academic study, you'll gain valuable skills and experience with a range of opportunities for placements and volunteering. Your studies will inform and guide you, giving you practice applying educational and psychological theory to real-world situations.
This course provides Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
GBC is a prerequisite for many BPS-accredited postgraduate and doctoral programmes which lead to full Chartered Psychologist status.
Gain classroom experience alongside your course with our York Students in Schools programme
We're ranked =60th in the World for Education (QS World Rankings by Subject, 2024)
We look at who should be educated, what they should be educated about, the history and philosophy of education and much more. It will challenge everything you think you know about the modern day classroom.Rachel, BSc Psychology in Education
You'll study a range of core and option modules which cover topics in psychology and education. You'll gain key knowledge and understanding, which you'll build on throughout the course. The modules are closely informed by the world-leading research of staff in the Psychology in Education Research Centre.
You'll also develop your academic skills, including critical analysis, communicating complex ideas, and planning, carrying out and evaluating research.
There are opportunities for you to spend time abroad during your course.
There are opportunities to spend time in industry as part of this course.
In Year 1 you'll study core modules which introduce key concepts, theories and skills. You'll learn how to approach education from an academic perspective, and consider how your personal experiences inform your views.
You will work in a group to develop a response to a real-life educational challenge through our innovative STEP 1 project. You will be presented with a challenge from a community partner and you will work as a team to research the issue and put forward solutions. This will prepare you for group work, research and presentation throughout your programme, and develop your employability skills through communication, problem solving, creativity and employer engagement.
In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.
This module covers some of the essential skills and knowledge which will help you to study independently and produce work of a high academic standard which is vital for success at York.
This module will:
In Year 2, your core modules are focused on more advanced study of the core disciplines within Psychology. You'll study a variety of topics and consider their application to educational settings. Alongside this, you'll have the opportunity to further develop the academic skills needed at this level of study.
In Year 3, you'll tailor your degree towards your particular areas of interest through your dissertation topic and a choice of optional modules.
You will also study four option modules:
The options available to you will be confirmed later in the year. For further information, please get in touch.
You may be able to replace one option module with an elective module, studying a complementary subject, a language or an interdisciplinary topic.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
| UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £25,800 |
Fees for students starting in the 2025/26 academic year.
The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
Our teaching, learning and student experience is outstanding, recognised by a Gold rating from the Office for Students in the 2023 national assessment (Teaching Excellence Framework).
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
We use a variety of teaching methods, including:
Weekly lectures and seminars are a chance for you to debate and discuss topics with fellow students and your tutors. You will be encouraged to think for yourself, to engage in academic debate and to develop and present your arguments with confidence and skill.
In your first year, you can expect:
| Lectures | 8 hours per week |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 4 hours per week |
These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.
Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
You will be based in the Department of Education on Campus West. Most of your teaching will take place in Derwent College, with additional contact hours elsewhere on Campus West.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.
You'll be assessed in a number of different ways, depending on the modules you choose. Forms of assessment include:
You'll receive written feedback on all assessed work, helping you to understand your strengths and identify areas for improvement. You can also discuss your work with your tutors and your personal supervisor to help guide your development.
-(600x400).jpg "Vanita Sundaram, an academic member of staff in the Department of Education, teaching undergraduate students")
-(600x400).jpg "Students working together in a seminar")
Many lectures include a lot of group discussion and give a chance for you to voice your own opinion. This also allows you to hear what others have to say.Emma, BSc Psychology in Education
This course is the first step towards achieving BPS Chartered Psychologist status in the UK. Our students go on to a diverse range of careers in psychology, education and other areas. For students who wish to pursue further training and education, the course offers a firm grounding in psychological concepts as they apply to education. A multitude of volunteering opportunities allow our students to explore new career paths and gain valuable work experience. You'll have opportunities to discuss potential careers with psychology and education practitioners as well as our dedicated employability lead within the department.
Many psychology-related careers require a minimum of one year’s paid work experience in the field before professional training courses as approved by the BPS. A lot of this work experience (eg assistant psychologist, mental health practitioner) is not counted as ‘graduate-level careers’ and therefore are not included in national statistics on graduate employment that are collected 15 months after graduation. Although the vast majority of our graduates go on to be successful professionals in many fields after completing this degree, not all of their outcomes are reflected in the graduate employment statistics.
Any of the British Psychological Society accredited career pathways, for example:
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| A levels | ABB including at least one science subject (Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Psychology) |
| Access to Higher Education Diploma | 30 credits at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher including 12 credits in a science related modules |
| BTEC National Extended Diploma | DDM including science-related units. |
| Cambridge Pre-U | D3, M2, M2 including at least one science subject (Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Psychology) |
| European Baccalaureate | 75% including at least one science subject |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points, including a Higher Level science |
| T levels | We are currently not accepting T Levels for this course unless an additional A Level (or equivalent qualification) in a science subject has been taken. |
| Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers | Advanced Highers - B in one science subject (Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Psychology) plus Scottish Highers - BBBC We may also be able to consider three Advanced Highers or a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers, where an applicant does not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
You should also have a grade 4 (C) in GCSE Mathematics. If you intend to train as a teacher you should be aware that good GCSE or equivalent passes in Mathematics and English Language and, for primary teaching, a science, are required.
Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.
| Criteria | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Widening participation | If you successfully complete one of the following programmes, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to two A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer: Black Access Programme, Next Step York, Realising Opportunities. More about widening participation. |
| Contextual offers | If you have experience of local authority care or live in an area with low progression to university, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. More about contextual offers. |
| EPQ | If you achieve C or higher at EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. |
| Core Maths | If you achieve B or higher in Core Maths, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | 176, with a minimum of 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, with a minimum of 6 in each component |
| Duolingo | Integrated subscores: 120 overall, with a minimum of 105 in each component |
| GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) | Grade C / Grade 4 |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | B2 Communicator with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 478 Main Flight score with 444 in each component |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, with a minimum of 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87 overall, with a minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all components |
For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.
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