Chart your own path in our fully option-based final year

Dive into the areas that fascinate you most and create a future that's truly your own

With complete flexibility to follow your interests, you are free to chart your own path across 32 different specialist psychology options. This offers you a unique opportunity to gain the specialist skills and knowledge that best suit your future career aspirations

How does it work?

If Our final year consists of four modules that are simply titled 'Current Topics in Psychology 1, 2, 3 and 4'.
  • Each of these modules consists of two different sets of topics (block A and block B).
  • Select one option from block A and one from block B. These are studied one at a time with each block lasting three weeks.
  • Options in block A are assessed by coursework, and those in block B are assessed by exam.
By the end of your final year BSc (Hons) Psychology or MPsych (Hons) Psychology students will have selected eight different options; four if you are studying a combined honours degree such as BSc (Hons) Psychology with Human Biology.

I feel more qualified now going out into the world, finishing my degree, with the experience that I have got.

Keiran, BSc (Hons) Psychology graduate
 

What will you choose?

If you have ever wanted to: understand the nature of feelings; discuss dopamine and its role in shaping human life; look at the causes of cravings and why some people can abstain; or discover how the study of magic can help us to understand the human mind; our final year offers this and so much more.
Following is a small sample of the options on offer.

Beyond reward: Dopamine and its role in shaping human life

Contemporary culture is saturated with references to dopamine and our quest to get 'dopamine hits' from certain behaviours. The current trend to equate dopamine with pleasure is certainly false and leads to a misunderstanding of this neurotransmitter’s role in shaping human behaviour. In fact, dopamine is essential for human life and is involved, or capable of influencing, nearly all aspects of human behaviour.
This unit will focus on understanding the (possibly) essential role of dopamine in facilitating cognitive control and motivation. We will explore the role dopamine has on these processes through looking at neurological disorders that deplete dopamine, pharmacological manipulations, and behavioral interventions that affect dopamine levels (e.g., financial incentives).
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Neurodevelopmental conditions: Theories and practice

Are you interested in explore neurodevelopmental conditions? Together we will explore a select number of neurodevelopmental conditions, discussing the theoretical underpinnings of the condition as well exploring the lived experiences of those within each special population.
We will look at the history of disability in psychology and education, with a discussion of the medical and social models of disability. We will then explore specific neurodevelopmental conditions, with a focus on theoretical models of the conditions, diagnostic procedures, the condition across the lifespan, and current research trends on the topic.

Attractiveness: Why, what and how?

For thousands of years, the concepts of beauty and attractiveness have captivated human thought. These themes have been central to discussions since the earliest civilizations, evident in the writings of ancient philosophers and thinkers and continuing into the works of contemporary scholars and intellectuals.
This option will provide a holistic understanding of the multifaceted nature of beauty and attractiveness across biological, psychological, and cultural dimensions. We will look at: the role of attractiveness and beauty in the context of mate choice and the evolutionary and biological underpinnings; how beauty is perceived and processed in the human brain; and, why certain artworks captivate us and are deemed aesthetically pleasing.

Sports psychology

Are you interested in the world of elite sport? This option explores the pursuit of high performance in sport, and explores how to work with both athletes and coaches. We delve into the approach of different practitioners; mindset and character development; explore the mental skills that elevate performance; and provide a practical guide to decision-making under pressure.
Through theory, research insights, and hands-on practical applications you will immerse yourself in the athlete’s perspective, complete assessments, and undergo interventions as if you were on the field.

First impressions

Even though we are constantly reminded not to judge a book by its cover, we form first impressions every time we meet someone new. Can they be trusted? How intelligent or dominant might they be?
The majority of the social evaluation literature is focused on how we attribute personality or social traits to the faces of unfamiliar people, however, recent developments in the field have considered other cues that might also be relevant to first impressions such as the human voice, body or personal names as well as their integration.

Psychology of AI and mental health in human-robot interactions

What does the way AI operates reveal about its psychology? And what does AI psychology reveal about our own psychology? In a world which is constantly reshaped by the historical arrival of new forms of intelligence and their physical and cultural impact on our societies, psychology has a unique perspective on what to expect and how to interact with artificial intelligence and robots.
This option will try to understand in simple terms the way AI operates and to examine the crucial importance of studying the psychological dimensions of human-robot interactions, particularly considering the growing prevalence of AI-driven technologies in our daily lives and their impact on our mental health.
Man robot or Cyborg with artificial intelligence launches drone in the point on virtual hud map. Automated intellectual delivery system packages by autonomous drone.
 
 

The opportunities are endless

Every year we offer a wide choice of options, these do change from year to year, but the following gives a feel for the breadth of opportunity offered to or students.
BSc (Hons) Psychology