Why study this course?

• If you enjoy exploring issues dealing with how and why people behave in certain ways

• If you enjoy finding out more about the link between people’s behaviour and their environment

• If you enjoy planning carrying out investigations to look for patterns and explaining Human behaviour

• If you prepare elements of coursework and examination for the assessment method.

Potential careers:

• Psychology

• Occupational Health Psychologist • Education Psychologist

• Child Psychologist • Sport Psychologist

• Forensic and Criminal Psychologist

• Police Force

• Nursing

• Teaching

Course content

This is a two-year course, Unit 1 and Unit 3 are external examinations, Unit 2 and Unit 4 are coursework units (58% Exam, 42% coursework weighting)

What you will be studying:

Unit 1: Psychological Approaches and Applications: This unit will give learners the skills and knowledge required to understand four key approaches in psychology – social, cognitive, learning and biological; and subsequently apply these approaches to contemporary issues within society. Exam

Unit 2: Conducting Psychological Research: This unit will give learners the practical skills and knowledge required to complete a piece of psychological research in the form of a pilot study. They will learn how to investigate a specific area of interest in psychology, and then discuss the process practically and ethically.

Unit 3: Health Psychology: This unit will give learners the skills and knowledge required to understand the link between stress and psychological attitude/behaviours and health and illness. It looks at why individuals engage in specific healthy or unhealthy behaviours, and what is needed to change that behaviour for the better.

Unit 4: Criminal and Forensic Psychology: This unit will provide learners with the skills and knowledge required to explore psychological approaches to criminal behaviour and learn how offender profiles are created using different techniques.

Staff contact:

Mrs G Jenkins