3-Term Pathway - Foundation Certificate in Science and Health - Continue to Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Psychology

Program Description For students who've finished high school but don’t meet the entry requirements for university, a Foundation Certificate can help them gain entry to an undergraduate degree. After completing this pathway option students qualify for progression to the 1st year of an undergraduate degree at the University of Essex.

A student’s course length is determined mainly by their English language level (UKVI IELTS score). Students on all course lengths take a set of common or similar modules to gain a solid base of skills for university. Students taking a course longer than 2 terms, will take additional modules designed to improve one or more of their English language level, academic skills, and basic knowledge of particular subjects.

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Psychology

At Essex students can satisfy their curiosity about how the mind works and what drives human behaviour. Psychologists undertake scientific study to try to explain and predict how people work. It is the study of the mind and body, thoughts and behaviour, feelings and perceptions. Essex conducts experiments in order to investigate how people develop throughout childhood, the way in which they acquire language, and the behavioural changes that can occur as a result of brain injury, disease, or life experience.

In the course students experiment, explore and research why humans think, feel and act the way they do. Students cover core areas of psychology including: sensation and perception, learning and memory, clinical psychology, personality and individual differences, and social and health psychology.

Essex provides one of the most immersive and exciting experiences of studying the human mind in the UK. Students learn from the researchers and can work together in the same space via their Research Experience Scheme (RES) which gives students the opportunity to work one-on-one with a psychologist as their research assistant.

Psychology now influences an increasing range of fields, from working with clinical disorders, to managing education and training. Today, it is widely used in industry, sport and employment to improve performance, as well as affecting legal and health matters.

Essex's students go on to follow diverse career paths. This degree helps many to pursue careers as clinical, forensic, educational, or occupational psychologists. Others work in related fields such as special educational needs, social work, or mental health care. However, many graduates pursue successful careers further afield, working in areas like management, human resources, financial services, the media, information technology, and market research.