BSc (Honours) Psychology
Three years full-time
UCAS code • C800
Location • Collegiate Campus
Subject area • Psychology
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Find out about the psychology facilities we have available for students to use.
Watch videos of our undergraduate students talking about their experiences of studying psychology at Sheffield Hallam.
Visit the Department Psychology, Sociology and Politics website to view profiles of the staff who teach in this subject area.
At a glance
Explore what it means to be human, and learn about the psychological fundamentals of thoughts, feelings and behaviour, on a degree you can tailor to reflect your career aims and interest. You can also gain valuable experience and enhance your employability working in placements or studying abroad.
Key points
• Develop your specialist psychological research skills in our labs.
• Tailor your course to suit your career aims and interests.
• Choose a pathway that includes work placements or studying abroad.
• Enjoy enthusiastic teaching in lectures, seminars, tutorials and personal tuition.
What is psychology?
Psychology explores what it means to be human. It is the subject for people fascinated by human behaviour, curious about thoughts, and intrigued by feelings. Psychology is the study of what drives human behaviour, such as brain/physiology, learning, genes, environment, social groups, individual differences in personality, and motivation.
It focuses on an exploration of behaviour, thoughts and feelings, at an individual or group level. A wide range of approaches or perspectives are used to investigate psychology, including cognitive, evolutionary, and social perspectives.
This course
This course involves the study of human behaviour, thoughts and emotions. As well as benefiting from excellent academic teaching and facilities, you have the opportunity to apply your developing skills in work-related and international settings.
It is ideal if you have an interest in
• critically evaluating possible explanations for thoughts, feelings and behaviour
• a career or further study in a psychology-related discipline
• challenging commonsense views of human behaviour
• applying theoretical and methodological approaches to real-world behaviour
Our enthusiastic academics teach to their individual areas of expertise, integrating their own nationally and internationally renowned research into lectures, seminars and tutorials.
The course has been designed to offer you flexibility in what you study, allowing you to create a unique and fulfilling learning experience that prepares you for a successful career. After completing core modules in the first year, option modules and a dissertation project enable you to tailor the course content to meet your own interests and career aspirations.
In the second year, for example, you can choose between work placement, international study or a purely academic route. The international route enables you to study at a university in Australia, North America, Europe or elsewhere.
You complete at least one work-related learning module and have the opportunity to go on a semester-long placement. Organisations currently offering placements include • South Yorkshire Police • St Anne’s Mental Health Service • The Hesley Group autism care provider.
In the final year, as well as selecting the subjects you study, you showcase your developing skills in your dissertation project. You carry out independent psychology research under supervision in our psychology laboratories or out in the field. Your research may involve state-of-the art research facilities including an observation suite, eye-tracking, electroencephalography (EEG) equipment or psychometric assessment.
A range of teaching methods are used on this course including laboratory work, small-group tutorials, lectures, and seminars. During these sessions you take part in activities, such as group discussions, presentations, and examinations of case studies.
We develop your academic skills on the course through supportive relationships between academic staff and students. Academic development modules are taught in small tutorial groups and this strong tutorial system allows you to have contact at regular intervals with your academic support tutor. They are your first point of contact for help and advice and will tailor support to your individual needs.
Throughout the course we place emphasis on developing your employability skills. You learn about career management strategies, personal development planning, and other skills that help to maximise your employability. Your academic support tutor provides mentoring to help you guide your transition through university and into employment.
Key areas of study
Key areas include • social psychology • cognitive psychology • individual differences in personality and intelligence • research methods and statistics • developmental psychology.
To aid your career development, we also run a range of activities including employability-related events, talks and opportunities. Topics have included • teaching • careers in forensic psychology • social support roles • roles in mental health settings.
Related courses
You apply for this course through UCAS.
2013/14 academic year
For 2013 entry, membership of a professional body is included in the course fee.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £10,680 a year
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,250 a year
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• coursework • projects • presentations • timed examinations • online assessments
The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and gives eligibility for the graduate basis for chartered membership (GBC) with the BPS.
Graduate basis for chartered membership is an entry requirement for all BPS accredited postgraduate training courses in psychology to become a clinical, educational, occupational, health or counselling psychologist. Applicants for GBC require an undergraduate honours degree at a minimum lower second class honours level.
Key Information Set 
Psychology facilities
We have recently updated our laboratory facilities to enable more flexible and dedicated teaching of research methods and statistics. There is also space for more general purpose laboratory work such as running focus groups and one-to-one interviews.
Main psychology laboratory
This contains teaching space with PCs and space for non-computerised research teaching. You can access dedicated software including E-Prime experiment generator software to run computerised experiments. You can also analyse quantitative data using both SPSS and AMOS statistical packages, and qualitative data using the NVivo package.
Eye tracking laboratory
Using advanced technology, the ASL 501 Pan-tilt eye-tracker is a non-obtrusive eye-tracker which does not require head mounted tracking equipment. This is currently a laboratory-based tracker but is being adapted for portability to enable eye-tracking research in the field.
Psychophysiology laboratory
This houses electroencephalograph (EEG) facilities, allowing recording from up to 32 sites on the scalp for the collection of fine detailed EEG information. We also have more basic psychophysiology apparatus, such as heart-rate and skin-conductance recording equipment.
Low-level vision laboratory.
This facility has dedicated equipment especially suited to fine grained manipulation of stimulus intensities and durations, particularly suited to low-level vision research.
We also have access to a number of other research facilities which are available through arrangement with other sections of the University. There are considerable laboratory facilities within the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science including soundproof and climate control rooms, as well as facilities within the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing.
Carly Simpson (1:58)
Psychology graduate Carly talks about her experiences of studying at Sheffield Hallam, including working on a hypothetical murder case.
Laura Atkinson (1:43)
Psychology graduate Laura Atkinson talks about her experiences of studying at Sheffield Hallam, including working on a hypothetical murder case.
Staff profiles
Visit the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics website to view profiles of the staff who teach in this subject area.
