Psychology with a Foundation Year

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour, asking how we perceive, think, feel, develop, and relate to one another, and drawing on rigorous experimental and statistical methods to answer those questions. It is a discipline that encompasses the cognitive and biological processes underlying individual experience, the social forces that shape behaviour, and the developmental changes that take place across the human lifespan. A degree in psychology develops both theoretical understanding and the practical research skills that employers and postgraduate programmes value.

At the University of Kent, this four-year full-time programme begins with a foundation year, making the degree accessible to students from a wider range of educational backgrounds. Kent has a well-established psychology department with particular expertise in facial recognition, social inequality, child development, and morality, and you will benefit from being taught by research-active staff whose work is shaping these fields. The foundation year provides the academic grounding in psychology, biology, and research skills needed to succeed in the main three-year honours degree, and you will progress to cover all the core areas required for accreditation by the British Psychological Society, including cognitive psychology, biological psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, research methods, and statistics.

With a typical entry tariff of 72 UCAS points for the foundation entry route, this programme offers a well-supported path into psychology for students who may not have met the standard entry requirements. Graduates pursue careers in mental health services, educational psychology with further training, human resources, market research, health and social care, and a wide range of research, policy, and analytical roles. For those wishing to become a practising psychologist, accredited undergraduate psychology provides the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society, which is required before proceeding to postgraduate professional training.