Psychology with a Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)
- UCAS Code: C80F
- Level: Foundation
- Starting: September 2021
- Study mode: Full Time (4 Years)
- Location: City Centre
Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
This course has recently been updated. Please download the course specification for the up to date information.
Looking for a foundation course in psychology in Birmingham? Our BSc (Hons) Psychology with a Foundation Year degree has lower entry requirements and can lead to a full undergraduate qualification.
This course has been specifically designed to allow home and EU students, who do not initially meet the Birmingham City University entry requirements for our standard Psychology degree, to undertake additional level 3 study designed to ensure they are successful on their chosen degree course.
What's covered in the course?
The foundation year itself will equip you with the required knowledge and skills to proceed on to any of our undergraduate Psychology degree courses offered within the School of Social Sciences.
You will gain a deep understanding of how the core and specialised areas in psychology contribute to our understanding of contemporary issues, as well as looking at the role of brain function across multiple psychological perspectives. You’ll apply scientific reasoning and evaluate patterns of behaviour, gaining key transferable skills in communication, teamwork and problem-solving. You’ll also adopt a variety of perspectives ensuring you get the big picture.
You will explore scientific approaches to understanding the mind, brain and behaviour. Our Psychology department works in partnership with the nationally recognised Higher Education Academy (HEA) to continually develop the quality of both our staff and the course, focusing on self-development, contemporary learning practices and integrating practice within the community.
Instead of only engaging with other academics and psychologists, we focus on connecting with, and making an impact on, the local community through links with businesses, NHS and the surrounding prison services.
Why Choose Us?
- This course is designed to progress students who fall below normal entry requirement levels on to full Undergraduate degrees.
- The BSc (Hons) Psychology degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society. This means that on successfully completing your degree with a pass of over 50%, you will gain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society. This allows you to pursue a career path in Psychology through accredited Master’s and Doctoral courses throughout the UK. The course is therefore as professionally relevant and up-to-date as possible, taking into account the very latest developments in the profession.
- On all of our courses you will gain a professional focus and real world experience of psychology, ensuring you are equipped to make an immediate impact in your career. You have the opportunity to embark on a year-long professional placement as part of your degree course.
- All of our courses have an international focus. This is embedded throughout the curriculum, giving you the opportunity to transform your experience with us into a global one. There are a variety of exciting possibilities open to you, ranging from our successful international travel scholarships scheme, through which you can spend a summer working for a charitable organisation overseas, to one of our many overseas study exchange programmes.
- As a student on one of our undergraduate degrees, you will be able to benefit from our Graduate+ initiative. This three-year award course enables you to gain award levels for all the extra-curricular activities you undertake so that you can stand out from the crowd on graduation.
- You’ll have the opportunity to work in collaboration with our academic researchers to gain specialist insight into the fields of clinical, forensic, health and occupational psychology.
- You can get involved with additional Psychology projects via our Voluntary Research Assistantship and Student Research Scheme.
- All of our assessments emphasise the practical elements of the course, giving you a taste of what it is actually like to be a psychologist.
- You will study in our state-of-the-art City Centre Campus, ideally located for you to take advantage of our links to industry in the UK’s second city.
- Our Psychology department has a wide range of psychology testing labs to suit all needs, including our BPS computer lab, which consists of more than thirty networked computers with Psychology-specific software such as SPSS, NVivo and others such as Opensesame.
- Student support is at the forefront of our approach, with everything designed to give you the skills you need to succeed in the profession.
Find out more
This course is open to International students
Where our students go
- Psychologist
- Teacher
- Human Resources
- Youth/Community Worker
Course Accreditations
The BSc (Hons) Psychology degree is accredited by:

Entry Requirements
We accept a range of qualifications, the most popular of which are detailed below.
Essential Requirements
96 UCAS tariff points from A/AS Level with a minimum of 3 A Levels. |
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Level 2 Qualifications | ||
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UK Qualification | Requirements 2021/22 | |
GCSE |
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Irish Leaving Certificate (Ordinary Level) |
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Scottish National 5 |
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Plus one of the following Level 3 (and above) Qualifications | ||
UK Qualification | Requirements 2021/22 | |
A level and Advanced VCE |
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Access to HE Diploma |
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IBO Certificate in Higher Level |
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International Baccalaureate Diploma |
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Irish Leaving Certificate (Highers) |
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NCFE CACHE Level 3 Extended Diploma for Children’s Care, Learning and Development (Wales and Northern Ireland) |
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NCFE CACHE Level 3 Extended Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce |
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NCFE CACHE Level 3 Applied General Certificate in Health and Social Care |
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OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma |
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OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma |
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Scottish Advanced Higher |
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Scottish Higher |
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T-Levels |
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Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate - Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015) |
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Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma – Core (awarded until 2016) ESW/KS Combined component |
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WJEC Level 3 Diploma in Criminology (QCF) |
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Other Qualifications | ||
If you have a qualification that is not listed in the table please refer to our full entry requirements on UCAS. Further guidance on tariff points can be found on the UCAS website. |
Additional information for EU/International students
Essential | ||
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Applications from international applicants with equivalent qualifications to 96 points are welcome. Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept. In additional to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table. |
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English language requirements 2020/21 | ||
IELTS |
6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information. |
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Other accepted qualifications | Visit our English language page |
From A/AS Level with a minimum of 2 A Levels
- UK students
- International students
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 4 Years
- £9,250 per year
- Apply via UCAS
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 4 Years
- £13,200 per year
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead. The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.
Guidance for UK/EU students
UK and EU students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.
Applying through UCAS
Register with UCAS
Login to UCAS
Complete your details
Select your course
Write a personal statement
Get a reference
Pay your application fee
Send UCAS your application
Year One
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):
Year Two
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 100 credits):
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following list of OPTIONAL modules:
Year Three
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 60 credits):
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete at least 60 credits from the following list of OPTIONAL modules:
Final Year
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 80 credits):
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following list of OPTIONAL modules:
You have the flexibility to transfer to any standard undergraduate Psychology course offered within the School of Social Sciences after successful completion of your foundation year and you may also transfer to any specialist Psychology pathway when you successfully complete your second year if you choose to stay on this course.
The specialist pathways offered as part of the Psychology suite of courses are:
BSc (Hons) Psychology with Criminology will give you a deep understanding of how psychology can be applied to explain certain aspects of crime and criminal behaviour. This versatile course provides the opportunity for you to embark on a psychology career, or bring those skills to the domain of criminology.
BSc (Hons) Psychology with Sociology brings together two closely interrelated areas, allowing you to gain significant knowledge and insight into how the core areas of psychology can be applied to the key areas of sociology.

The British Psychological Society
The Society and its members develop, promote and apply psychology for the public good. They enhance the efficiency and usefulness of psychologists by setting high standards of professional education and knowledge, and cover all areas of psychological research and practice.
Find out more about British Psychological Society accreditation.
Further Study
When you successfully complete your Foundation Year, you will be able to proceed on to any of our undergraduate Psychology degree courses offered within the School of Social Sciences.
Enhancing your employability skills
Our graduates will not only gain a degree with some of the most diverse career options, but also the transferrable skills to support this.
Importantly, all content is underpinned by active learning - degree content and assessment not only meet the criteria for our accrediting body, but allow flexibility of the learning process, which can be tailored to career goals. Specific modules dedicated to employability skills and creation of impact within the local community will further support this.
OpportUNIty

OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
Welcome to the School of Social Sciences, home to students from all around the world!
All of our undergraduate and postgraduate social sciences courses are open to international students, and our courses have been tailored to take a global approach to learning. We frequently welcome international students through the Erasmus scheme, from countries including Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC)
International students who have a serious interest in studying with us but who perhaps cannot meet the direct entry requirements, academic or English, or who have been out of education for some time, can enter Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) and begin their degree studies.

BCUIC is part of the global Navitas Group, an internationally recognised education provider, and the partnership allows students to access the University’s facilities and services and move seamlessly through to achieving a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham City University.




Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £340 million on new learning facilities.
The Curzon Building
This course is based at our City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other social sciences, law, business and English students.
The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.
Realistic, simulated environments include two mock court rooms, a Magistrates' and Crown Court, and an interviewing suite. We’re also exploring the use of virtual environments as a way to develop case study analysis.
For those studying on the BA (Hons) Policing or BA (Hons) Criminology, Policing and Investigation degrees, you’ll experience simulations of police interviewing environments for both suspects and witnesses, with access to tape recording and video playback analysis.
Crime investigation files are prepared using computer-based technology, and the crime data analysis requirements of the degree are supported by appropriate statistical and analytical software.
Psychology students can look forward to using state-of-the-art equipment as well, including the latest in eye-tracking software, and our new EEG machine, all geared towards giving you true hands-on experience with tools you’ll be using in your later career. You will also benefit from facilities across the wider campus including the Parkside and Millennium Point buildings.
The Curzon Building also features:
- An impressive new library with access to over 65 million full text items and stunning views of Eastside City Park
- Your Students’ Union which is located in a beautifully restored 19th century pub, The Eagle and Ball
- A modern 300-seat food court with space to study and socialise
- Brand new, accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free

Dr Keeley Abbott
Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology, Athena SWAN Lead
Dr Keeley Abbott career to date has been characterised by an interest and awareness around issues related to equality, diversity and inclusivity. This is based on her research focus related to sexualities, sexual health and sex education.

Dr Elle Boag
Associate Professor in Applied Social Psychology / Teaching, Learning and Quality Lead
Dr Elle Boag returned from industry to academia as a mature student due to a diagnosis of MS. She studied at the University of Southampton and gained her BSc., MSc., and PhD. in Social Psychology.