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Why study this course
Benefit from the opportunity to work towards a Chartered Management Institute qualification alongside your degree.
Learn about the range of core psychological domains and methods and engage with on-site research projects.
Build future fit skills that will enable you to take informed sustainable decisions and entrepreneurial action to create a better world.
Enhance employability skills through specialist modules, placement and volunteering opportunities
Course summary
Understanding how businesses and their workforces function is a valuable asset in the working world. This course is designed to give you the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that you can apply, in order to support the wellbeing and effectiveness of people and organisations.
Key facts
Award |
BA (Hons) |
---|---|
UCAS code |
BCN1 |
Duration |
3 years |
Mode of study |
Full-time |
Start date |
September 2024 |
Award |
Bishop Grosseteste University |
Institution code |
B38 |
Apply for this course
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About this course
The BA (Hons) Psychology and Business combines Psychology and Business modules to provide you with a solid foundation from which to build a career in business or occupational psychology.
Through studying a Psychology degree at BGU you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the scientific nature of the subject and of its wider cultural and social impact. This course will develop your understanding of psychology and its theories of the mind, emotions and behaviour and become familiar with how these theories are applied in our lives, communities and societies.
You will study a broad range of modules including Marketing, Finance, and Human Resources.
Furthermore, you will also have the opportunity to achieve a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) qualification alongside your degree.
The business curriculum is also reinforced by its commitment to uphold the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). The ten principles focus on key global challenges in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-corruption. As global citizens, you will develop a global mindset to understand, appreciate and take appropriate local or international action in response to these global challenges.
What you will study
Students on this course currently study some or all of the modules listed below. However, these modules are currently under review and may differ for September 2023 entry.
This module will introduce you to core areas and methods integral to the discipline and study of psychology. It will provide a historical and contextual backdrop to psychology as a scientific discipline, as well as a focus on research methodologies. This module will introduce you to the wonderful world of numberland, where you will embark on a quantitative journey through research methods and statistical techniques. It will equip you with the tools necessary to investigate questions you may have about human psychology, and to do it in a robust and scientific manner. It will explore aspects of research design, underpinnings of statistical theory, as well as core statistical techniques such as t-tests and correlation. It will analyse data using statistical software and interpret related output appropriately. This module will also provide an introduction to qualitative research methods, where you will be introduced to a range of applied qualitative methods in psychology, the core philosophical underpinnings of such techniques, as well as its relation to quantitative methods.
The module will provide you with an understanding of developmental psychology across the lifespan, exploring physical development, cognitive development, social and emotional development throughout childhood and later into maturity. You will gain a deeper understanding of the theories, themes and concepts in developmental psychology and appreciate that development continues throughout the lifespan and is influenced by a range of factors including class, culture, gender, ethnicity and heredity. In addition, you will learn about the current issues and methods involved in lifespan research, together with specific empirical studies that address developmental research questions and contemporary and cross-cultural developments that have emerged in the field.
This module will explore the environments in which organisations operate and will equip you with the ability to understand and analyse the interrelatedness of organisations and their environments.
You will explore the dynamics of the modern business environment and links will be made to business planning and achieving competitive advantage. Factors impacting on an organisation’s internal environment including the impact of legal status on the governance of an organisation, the purpose of mission and vision statements and the impact of organisational values and ethics on decision-making will be explored. This module will further explore the determinants of supply and demand in the marketplace and an understanding of market structures.
You will be challenged to explore how internal and external organisational environment(s) can influence stakeholders to act and behave. You will also be introduced to the concept of stakeholder management and will develop knowledge regarding the management of stakeholder relationships. This will provide the foundation to build and develop a wider understanding of the business environment as you progress through the programme.
This module will immerse you in the origins of psychology, with respect to early understandings of what psychology is (Plato; Aristotle), as well as the development and establishment of Psychology as a discipline in its own right. You will be introduced to the history of science and the Scientific Revolution, as well as corresponding developments in metaphysics and epistemology as manifested in The Enlightenment, and how this contributed to the emergence and shaping of psychology as an experimental science from which behaviourism and the cognitive revolution later emerged. This context will enable you to understand debates within psychology that concern it’s standing as a science and the differences in psychological research methodologies that accompany those debates. Focus on the historicisation of psychology will prompt you to evaluate your perceptions of Psychology and how you, and society understand and identify with it in both professional and personal settings. Furthermore, “classic” studies in psychology will be explored in reference to recent research that demonstrates issues with their findings, especially in the context of the current replicability crisis in Psychology.
This module equips you with the basic financial management skills to enable the development of sound financial acumen needed to ensure decision-making in financial management. These basic financial management skills are essential for success in business regardless of whether an organisation has a dedicated finance department.
The module will explore the role of the finance function, the benefits and drawback of various sources of finance, current regulatory compliance and key financial documents including budgets, cashflows, balance sheets and profit and loss accounts. The role of financial information for business decision-making purposes will be analysed.
Personality and Individual Differences is a multifaceted module that covers the history, cornerstone theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches of personality research. The structure of human personality is examined using a trait-based approach, which is applied in a variety of sub-topics leading to a comprehensive understanding of how personality and individual differences influence thought and behaviour in different settings. The contributions of biological and environmental factors in the development of personality and individual differences, as well as associated controversies are also explored. You will consolidate your learning by utilising psychometric methods to design and run a quantitative study in an area of personality research of your choosing. Accordingly, this module helps to prepare you for your third-year dissertation module in providing experience of the research process, from design, gaining ethical approval, data collection and analysis to reporting and discussing findings.
This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of social psychology, one of the core areas of psychology introduced in Researching Psychology I. Social Psychology will engage you with the breadth and diversity of social psychology as a discipline from social constructionism and group processes through to social cognition, collective behaviour, and social interactions. The purpose is to help you gain a detailed understanding of how people think, feel and act in relation to others and the world around them. Key topics will engage you with the indexical nature of the discipline locating historical and contemporary research and theory within its broader socio-economic and cultural context.
This module will build and extend on core methods and statistical techniques acquired at level 4 in Researching Psychology I. You will develop knowledge and skills integral to advanced psychological research designs, including the use of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques. Specifically, this module covers three research methods strands including experimental, psychometric, and qualitative methods. Statistical underpinnings and application of techniques relevant to experimental (e.g., One-way ANOVA, Factorial ANOVA) and psychometric-based research (e.g., Regression, Multiple Regression) are covered and directly extend methods learnt in Researching Psychology I. Additionally, you will develop applied methods skills by utilising specialist software such as SPSS for the analysis of quantitative data. A variety of qualitative approaches, methods and analyses will also be considered such as interviewing skills, diaries and photo elicitation, discourse analysis, polytextual thematic analysis and descriptive phenomenology.
This module is designed to introduce you to digital marketing. This module is applied in its nature and challenges you to develop a digital marketing plan that will aid an organisation to achieve specific digital goals through careful consideration of selected marketing channels such as paid, earned, and owned media.
This module brings you to the forefront of modern practices: bridging the gap between theory and its practical application. You will thus explore a variety of current and emerging online and offline digital marketing tools and platforms in order to make recommendations to a client regarding your digital marketing strategy.
You'll enhance your understanding of Business 4.0 organisations such as Amazon, Google, Netflix and Uber and will encourage you to analyse how these organisations have optimised the digital advantage to create customer value. You will consider how Industry 4.0 has revolutionised marketing and led to marketing innovations including Artificial Intelligence, Conversational marketing in real time using chatbots, personal brand influencers, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), omnipresence, internet marketing, relationship and mobile marketing.
This module provides you with a foundation in the theory and practice of Human Resource Management (HRM). You will develop a broad understanding of HRM and how its practices are applied in a business context.
You will be challenged to engage with research and insight from the Chartered Institute of People and Development; the professional body for experts in people at work, and to develop an understanding of how HRM has evolved over time. You will come to appreciate that through the people professionals who work within it, the HR function helps an organisation deliver its corporate strategy and objectives by effectively recruiting and developing people and managing your performance.
You will explore employment legislation and will develop an understanding of the factors that impact recruitment and selection. Furthermore, you will understand the rationale for workforce planning.
This module equips you with an understanding of CSR and sustainability in global and organisational contexts. This module will empower you to take positive action as informed global citizens in line with The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.
The Agenda provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. These SDGs will therefore underpin the teaching and learning ethos of this module.
Through undertaking the module, you will begin to develop the knowledge and skills required to develop practices for managing and leading Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in an organisational setting. The approaches taken to manage and lead CSR and sustainability differ according to the genre and purposes of the individual organisations. Hence the critical exploration of case studies will help support you to develop a fuller understanding of CSR / sustainability in a variety of organisational contexts.
You will take positive action within this module by working together as part of BGU's Enactus team to actively tackle global challenges. This experiential approach affords you the opportunity to engage with the world’s largest experiential learning platform. (Enactus is a global network of global business, academic and student leaders unified by one vision—to create a better, more sustainable world.)
This module provides you with an opportunity to explore the meaning of equality, diversity and inclusion. Equality, diversity and inclusion are important drivers of organisational performance, benefiting staff and stakeholders.
For you to be effective as future fit employees and aspiring managers and leaders it is key that your everyday sense of ‘normal’ and the lenses that impact on how you see and interpret the world around you are explored. These individual lenses through which a person sees, frame the attitude and response to a changing world brought ever closer by globalisation. Through undertaking this module, you will come to understand that promoting and supporting diversity in the workplace is an important aspect of good people management and that it is about valuing everyone in the organisation as an individual.
Furthermore, you will come to understand that in order to reap the benefits of a diverse workforce it is vital to have an inclusive environment where everyone is encouraged and enabled to participate and achieve their potential. You will develop an understanding of UK legislation – covering age, disability, race, religion, gender and sexual orientation among others. You will come to appreciate that this sets the minimum standards, and that an effective diversity and inclusion strategy goes beyond legal compliance seeking to add value to an organisation, contributing to employee well-being and engagement.
Through undertaking this module, you will be empowered to champion equality, diversity and inclusion and to challenge others to do the same if / where needed.
This module develops knowledge and understanding of the BPS core domain of Cognitive Psychology which you will have been introduced to at level 4 in Researching Psychology I. Throughout this module, there will be discussion and critical evaluation of a range of different cognitive psychological constructs (e.g., processing resources, attention, memory, language) as a toolkit for theorising mental functioning. You will critically engage with core constructs in cognitive psychology, associated methodologies and key perspectives (for example cognitive neuropsychology, neuroscience, fundamentals of the experimental method). Throughout the module, the use of computerised experimental paradigms will be explored, which underpin theories. For example, you will have the opportunity to engage with classical experimental paradigms or paradigms with a cognitive basis such learning, memory and problem-solving computerised tasks, within workshop sessions. The module aims to showcase the breadth of approaches to understand cognitive processes whilst critically engaging you with relevant associated methodologies. You will have opportunities to engage in a variety of cognitive experiments to facilitate your understanding of key topics and experimental approaches.
This module focuses upon the BPS Core domain Biopsychology, covering aspects of the biological basis of behaviours, emotions and mental health. The module aims to provide an overview of how the sub-disciplines within biopsychology (e.g., neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience) approach psychological research questions. The module will support development of an in-depth understanding of neural conductance and major brain structures/systems to particular neurotransmitter systems as explanations of how the brain affects behaviour. The module aims to develop your understanding of the anatomical and physiological processes that underpin psychological experience whilst exploring the methodologies used to examine contemporary issues in biopsychology. To achieve these aims, the module will enable you to critically examine how contemporary biopsychological models are developed and evaluate these as explanations for behaviour using key examples (e.g., emotions, memory and learning, drugs and addiction and mental health disorders). This module promotes the application of multiple perspectives (including knowledge gained of other domains in previous years) to critique biopsychological theory and to critically appraise information, using evidenced based reasoning.
This module introduces you to the principles of managing and leading individuals, teams and organisations and provides an opportunity for you to evaluate and understand approaches for supporting, motivating and inspiring others to meet and exceed expectations. You will use case study examples to extend your knowledge and understanding and to review best practice in the workplace.
An in-depth understanding of the theoretical and practical approaches to leading and managing effectively will thus prevail. Furthermore, you will analyse and evaluate the merits of various methods that can be used to monitor organisational, individual and team performance. Managing and leading in both physical and remote environments as well as in hybrid settings whereby individuals typically have more freedom to work when and where they choose will also be explored.
This module equips you with the knowledge and skills to business plan for start-up. This module is practical in nature and provides you with the opportunity to create a business plan for a commercially viable product or service through a workshop approach.
You will create a plan that will guide you in defining your unique selling proposition (USP) and give you clarity of the marketplace in which you choose to operate. You will be supported to seek out relevant enterprise guidance and support from outside agencies such as the local chamber of commerce and The FSB and will be encouraged to test start-up ideas in a safe environment using the facilities and expertise of the on-site business incubation centre BG Futures.
This module provides you with the opportunity to explore social innovation and entrepreneurship. You will review and analyse; the characteristics of social entrepreneurship, innovative, up-to-date research on the ecosystems of social entrepreneurship, the behaviour of social entrepreneurs, their ability to produce social innovation, social capital and social inclusion, and the role of stakeholders in fostering socially oriented businesses.
You will be encouraged and supported to network with social entrepreneurs in order to explore first-hand the diversity of the social enterprise sector. In networking with social entrepreneurs you will consider the motivations and role of social entrepreneurs and social enterprises in the modern world.
Entry requirements
You will normally need 96-112 UCAS tariff points (from a maximum of four Advanced Level qualifications). We welcome a range of qualifications such as: A/AS Levels, BTEC, Access Courses, International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge Pre-U, Extended Project etc.
However this list is not exhaustive – please click here for details of all qualifications in the UCAS tariff.
You will also need GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at grade 4 (previously C) or above (or equivalent).
Further information
In accordance with University conditions, students are entitled to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning, RP(C)L, based on relevant credit at another HE institution or credit Awarded for Experiential Learning, (RP(E)L).
How you will be taught
There is no one-size-fits-all method of teaching at BGU – we shape our methods to suit each subject and each group, combining the best aspects of traditional university teaching with innovative techniques to promote student participation and interactivity.
You will be taught in a variety of ways, from lectures, tutorials and seminars, to practical workshops, coursework and work-based placements. Small group seminars and workshops will provide you with an opportunity to review issues raised in lectures, and you will be expected to carry out independent study.
Placements are a key part of degree study within many courses at BGU. They provide an enriching learning experience for you to apply the skills and knowledge you will gain from your course and, in doing so, give valuable real-world experience to boost your career.
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Assessment
Assessments in Psychology take place at the end of each module in order for you to demonstrate your understanding of the objectives covered. A wide range of assessment methods is used to support your learning, including portfolios, presentations, displays and examinations and laboratory projects. The Psychology course includes assessments that are designed to develop and refine specific skills that you may well need to draw on as a psychologist, whether that is as specific as demonstrating your practical counselling skills in the Introduction to Psychological Therapies module, or openly argumentative as in the group debate in the Personality and Individual Differences module! Assessments are also designed to enhance your critical thinking and analysis skills – something that psychologists are well known for.
Formal exams are not used on this programme. Instead, a range of assessments are used which are relevant to the individual demands of the subject matter and enable students to participate in a varied and engaging educational experience.
Careers & Further study
Psychology
In Psychology we allow you to develop the knowledge and skills which will make you attractive to an employer. Psychology graduates go on to work in a range of sectors including teaching, education or training, local government, health and social work and in areas of industry including human resources management. By the end of this course, you will be ready to apply your knowledge of psychology to the world in which you live, with the necessary workplace skills for a variety of future careers. Future careers for Psychology graduates may include work within Clinical settings, Counselling, Mental Health services, Education and Research.
Business
BGU has a strong reputation for developing highly skilled, sought-after, employable graduates. The Business and Enterprise team are committed to developing employable graduates and the curriculum has been designed to enhance employability at all levels of study. Employability is seen as an intrinsic aspect of all degree programmes offered by BGU and Graduate Attributes are embedded within each undergraduate programme. The Business and Enterprise team, pride themselves on being able to assist students acquire the skills they need to foster their initiative and creativity as responsible global citizens.
Career paths directly related to this programme include:
- Actuarial analyst
- Arbitrator
- Business adviser
- Business analyst
- Business development manager
- Chartered management accountant
- Corporate investment banker
- Data analyst
- Data scientist
- Forensic accountant
- Insurance underwriter
- Management consultant
- Project manager
- Risk manager
- Stockbroker
- Supply chain manager
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Studying at BGU is a student-centred experience. Staff and students work together in a friendly and supportive atmosphere as part of an intimate campus community. You will know every member of staff personally and feel confident approaching them for help and advice, and staff members will recognise you, not just by sight, but as an individual with unique talents and interests.
We will be there to support you, personally and academically, from induction to graduation.
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Fees & Funding
A lot of student finance information is available from numerous sources, but it is sometimes confusing and contradictory. That’s why at BGU we try to give you all the information and support we can to help to throughout the process. Our Student Advice team are experts in helping you sort out the funding arrangements for your studies, offering a range of services to guide you through all aspects of student finance step by step.
Undergraduate course applicants must apply via UCAS using the relevant UCAS code. For 2024 entry, the application fee is £27, and you can make a maximum of 6 choices.
For the 2025 cycle, UCAS is removing the undergraduate application fee for any student who is/or has received free school meals (FSM) during the last six years, up until the end of their final year at school or college. More information on the UCAS fee waiver can be found here.
For all applicants, there are full instructions at UCAS to make it as easy as possible for you to fill in your online application, plus help text where appropriate. Full details of all tuition fees can be found here.