Accredited by the British Psychological Society as conferring the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (formerly known as Graduate Basis for Registration), provided the minimum standard of a Lower Second Class Honours is achieved. This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.

Two entry points, September or February start.

Our School of Psychology also offers a full range of postgraduate professional training programmes. The BSc Clinical & Community Psychology Programme is part of an ‘escalator’ programme in which students who progress successfully through the BSc may then considered for entry to the MSc and Clinical Doctoral programmes.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS  

Clinical and Community Psychology are branches of the discipline of psychology that relate directly to the application of psychology to helping people who may be experiencing mental distress, and addressing issues in society.

- Is accredited by the British Psychological Society and therefore graduates qualify for graduate basis for chartership with the British Psychological Society.

- Is delivered within a school with a distinctive tradition and strong reputation for delivering clinical psychological training for over 30 years

- Enables students to immerse themselves in a rich culture of undergraduate student experience.

- Enables undergraduate students to integrate with a community of postgraduate clinical students and practitioners

The BSc Clinical & Community Psychology programme at UEL is a 3 year full time degree.

Students cover the foundations of clinical and community psychological theory and the key curriculum laid out by the British Psychological Society. Unusually for a psychology undergraduate degree in the UK, students are introduced to the study of mental health from the very beginning of their studies. As soon as students begin the programme they are given the opportunity to apply the psychological knowledge they are developing to clinical and community settings.

In their final year students are given the opportunity to work and contribute to a team working in a clinical or community placement. Furthermore, students are also able to design and conduct their own research as part of their degree.

The BSc Clinical & Community Psychology programme is situated in our School of Psychology, a large and well-established scholarly community, with a strong record for delivering high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, research and consultancy. Students will benefit from excellent teaching and research facilities located in a purpose-built block (a major refurbishment of which was completed in 2008) with new experimental facilities, dedicated research laboratories (virtual reality technology, eye-tracking equipment and EEG suite) new teaching accommodation, and a well-stocked library of test equipment.

The programme adopts a wide range of assessment methods. Both coursework and examinations contribute to final module marks and the programme uses innovative methods in coursework assessment (e.g. poster presentations, podcasts).

The BSc Clinical & Community Psychology programme gives students the opportunity to gain credit toward their degree through working in a clinical or community setting. Students engage in a semester long placement where they work with a professional team and apply the theoretical knowledge base they have gained. However, this also means that before students even graduate they have directly relevant experience on their CV.

The BSc Clinical & Community Psychology programme uses a model of service and problem-based learning. This encourages students to identify issues of psychological interest to them and consider how they can apply their knowledge. All students on the programme conduct a literature review and design an intervention for a ‘real-world’ problem identified in a clinical or community setting. This further strengthens the employability of graduates through providing them with important skills that organisations are looking for.

The UEL school of psychology offers a diverse range of undergraduate and postgraduate psychology programmes. Therefore students studying psychology at UEL are fully integrated in to an exciting community of psychologists that allows for a broad range of experiences and development opportunities. For example, the school has a thriving Psychology Society which organises film screenings, debates, invited speakers from outside UEL and a host of other academic and social events.

The programme may offer students a competitive advantage in future applications for professional training programmes.

• The Psychology of Mental Health and Mental Distress (e.g. Anxiety, Depression, Phobias and Eating Disorders)
• The Impact of Brain Damage on Behaviour
• The Impact of Drugs on Behaviour
• The Psychology of Crime and Criminal Behaviour
• The Psychology of Child Mental Health and Developmental Difficulties
• The uses of Psychology in Addressing Societal Inequality and Health Issues

Learning about subjects that can be applied to real world problems in society

Interacting with, and learning from, professionals who are at the cutting edge of their field

Solving problems and conducting your own research

The opportunity to feel part of a thriving community of psychologists and students from a range of disciplines

To not just learn, but also work in an environment where the application of knowledge is considered central to the learning process

To study at a University with a tradition of training clinical psychology students

Gaining appropriate work experience and entry to postgraduate programmes in clinical psychology is extremely competitive. Few undergraduate students in the UK are in a position to apply for relevant work experience or postgraduate programmes with the degree qualification and experience that this programme offers. The content, and the employability skills, provided by the BSc in Clinical & Community Psychology are designed to provide students with a competitive edge in their pursuit of further training.

Students are supported in their academic and career development by a programme tutor, module leaders for each module studied, and tutors for each year group. However, every student is allocated a personal tutor on entry, who offers timetabled meetings and is also available by appointment to discuss any issues that you may have.

Students joining Psychology programmes are offered an induction programme in the week before classes begin. During induction week the programme handbook is made available to all students. This handbook covers all the reference information that students need from who to contact if experiencing difficulties, through to module specifications and assessment criteria.

The School of Psychology also has a well-established mentoring scheme in which volunteers from the second and third years of the programme act as mentors to the first year students. In their final year, students are supervised on a one-to-one basis for their empirical research project and this supervisor becomes the personal tutor. Research supervisors also provide personal support and help with career choice, job applications and preparation of CVs.

The School of Psychology Help Desk forms a crucial link point between staff and students and is the hub of the School. It offers a one-stop shop for handing in and returning marked assignments, collection of lecture notes and other study materials, information about research projects and volunteering opportunities, booking of equipment and specialist space, technical support and general information and advice.

Specialist support (for example, for financial advice, careers advice, counselling and learning support) is also available from central University services. The University has a student special needs advisor. Psychology staff receive training in the services offered and on referral procedures; students may also self-refer.

The School of Psychology is home to psychologists who produce research of international quality, and this high quality is consistent. For example, in the latest (2008) independent national assessment of research quality (RAE), the UEL School of Psychology demonstrated that its standard of research is of national and international standing. 85% of the research submission to the Psychology assessment was judged to be of international quality.  

• Develop an understanding of real life applications of theory
• Gain the knowledge base and skills necessary for graduate chartership with the British Psychological Society
• Gain the experience and develop the necessary skills to pursue a successful, ethical and useful career working with people
• Draw on the distinctive UEL clinical perspective and expertise of the staff to help prepare students from diverse backgrounds for progression to further postgraduate study/training in related areas/professions 

Knowledge

• A scientific understanding of the human mind, brain and behaviour
• A detailed knowledge of how psychology is used in clinical and community settings to address real-world problems

Thinking skills

• An understanding of how empirical evidence in the field of psychology is used in the formation of theories of human behaviour

Subject-Based Practical skills

• The ability to use a variety of psychological tools, including specialist software, laboratory equipment and psychometric instruments
• The ability to competently and ethically initiate, design, execute and communicate research using a variety of methodologies

Skills for life and work (general skills)

• Experience working with real-world problems that psychologists are confronted by in clinical and community settings
• Written and oral skills for successful communication with health care practitioners in clinical and community settings

The expected duration of this programme is 3 years when attended in full-time mode or 4 years in part-time mode.  It is possible to move from a full-time mode of study to a part-time mode of study and vice-versa, to accommodate any external factors such as financial constraints or domestic commitments.  Many of our students make use of this flexibility and this may impact on the overall duration of their study period.

The teaching year begins in September and ends in June but this programme also allowsstudents to join at the start of Semester B, in February.

A typical student, in full-time attendance mode of study, will register for 120 credits in an academic year. A student in a part-time mode of study may register for up to 80 credits in any academic year.

This programme is part of a modular degree scheme. A student registered in a full-time attendance mode will take six 20 credit modules (or fewer, if any are 40 credit modules)  per year .  An honours degree student will complete modules totalling  120 credits at level one, modules totalling 120 credits  at level 2 and modules totalling 120 credits at level 3.

In order to gain anhonoursdegree you will need to obtain 360 credits including:

• A minimum of 120 credits at level one or higher
• A minimum of 120 credits at level two or higher
• A minimum of 120 credits at level three or higher

In order to gain anordinary degree  you will need to obtain a minimum of 300 credits including:

• A minimum of 120 credits at level one or higher
• A minimum of 120 credits at level two or higher
• A minimum of  60 credits at level three or higher

In order to gain aDiploma of Higher Educationyou will need to obtain at least 240 credits including a  minimum of 120 credits at level one or higher and 120 credits at level two or higher

In order to gain aCertificate of Higher Educationyou will need to obtain 120 credits at level one or higher

In order to gain an Associate Certificate you will need to obtain a minimum if 20 credits at level one or higher

In order to gain a Foundation Degree you will need to obtain a minimum of 240 credits including:

A minimum of 120 credits at level one or higher

A minimum of 120 credits at level two or higher

(A Foundation degree is linked to a named Honours degree onto which a student may progress after successful completion of the Foundation degree)

Degree Classification

Where a student is eligible for an Honours degree, and has gained a minimum of 240 UEL credits at level 2 or level 3 on the programme, including a minimum of 120 UEL credits at level 3, the award classification is determined by calculating:

and applying the mark obtained as a percentage, with all decimals points rounded up to the nearest whole number, to the following classification

Students on the BSc Clinical & Community Psychology programme are taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, experiences in clinical and community settings and interaction with professional clinical psychologists.

Knowledge is developed through

• Lectures, workshops and seminars
• Experiential and small group exercises

Thinking Skills are developed through

• Lectures, workshops and seminars
• Experiential and small group and exercises

Subject-based practical skills are developed through

• Lectures, workshops and seminars
• Experiential and small group exercises
• Tutorials

Tutorials

Skills for life and work are developed through

• Reading and preparing for assessments
• Participation in group learning and development opportunities
• Self reflection

Knowledge is assessed by

• Poster presentations
• Coursework essays

Thinking skills are assessed by

• Research proposals
• Problem-based learning tasks

Practical skills are assessed by

• Worskhops
• Research reports

Skills for life and work (general skills) are assessed by

• Case study reports
• Problem-based learning tasks
• Reflective placement logs

Before this programme started, the following was checked:

• there would be enough qualified staff to teach the programme;
• adequate resources would be in place;
• the overall aims and objectives were appropriate;
• the content of the programme met national benchmark requirements;
• the programme met any professional/statutory body requirements;
• the proposal met other internal quality criteria covering a range of issues such as admissions policy, teaching, learning  and assessment strategy and student support mechanisms.

This is done through a process of programme approval which involves consulting academic experts including some subject specialists from other institutions.

The quality of this programme is monitored each year through evaluating:

• external examiner reports (considering quality and standards);
• statistical information (considering issues such as the pass rate);
• student feedback.

Drawing on this and other information, programme teams undertake the annual Review and Enhancement Process which is co-ordinated at School level and includes student participation.  The process is monitored by the Quality and Standards Committee.

Once every six years an in-depth review of the whole field is undertaken by a panel that includes at least two external subject specialists.  The panel considers documents, looks at student work, speaks to current and former students and speaks to staff before drawing its conclusions.  The result is a report highlighting good practice and identifying areas where action is needed.

This programme has a programme committee comprising all relevant teaching staff, student representatives and others who make a contribution towards the effective operation of the programme (e.g. library/technician staff).  The committee has responsibilities for the quality of the programme. It provides input into the operation of the Review and Enhancement Process and proposes changes to improve quality.  The programme committee plays a critical role in the quality assurance procedures.

The standard of this programme is monitored by at least one external examiner.  External examiners have two primary responsibilities:

• To ensure the standard of the programme;
• To ensure that justice is done to individual students

External examiners fulfil these responsibilities in a variety of ways including:

• Approving exam papers/assignments;
• Attending assessment boards;
• Reviewing samples of student work and moderating marks;
• Ensuring that regulations are followed;
• Providing feedback  through an annual report that enables us to make improvements for the future.

The following methods for gaining student feedback are used on this programme:

• Mid- and end of Module evaluations
• Student representation on programme committees (meeting 6 times  year)
• Student/Staff consultative committee (meeting 3 times a year

Students are notified of the action taken through:

• a programme facebook community
• circulating the minutes of the programme committee
• a newsletter published three times a year
• providing details on the programme noticeboard

The following methods are used for gaining the views of other interested parties:

• Communication with NHS trusts and postgraduate providers
• Communication with placement providers
• Annual student satisfaction questionnaire
• Questionnaires to former students