Psychology with Clinical Psychology with a Foundation Year

Psychology with clinical psychology brings together the breadth of the discipline with a focused lens on mental health, wellbeing and therapeutic practice. Psychology as a field examines human behaviour and mental processes from multiple angles, drawing on neuroscience, cognitive science, social psychology and developmental research to understand how we think, feel, learn and relate to others. Clinical psychology applies that knowledge to understanding psychological distress and supporting people to recover and manage their wellbeing.

Studying them together gives you both the scientific foundations of the discipline and direct engagement with how psychological knowledge is used in health and care settings.

This part-time programme at the University of Kent provides a British Psychological Society accredited degree with a clear clinical focus, which means that the course satisfies the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, the standard professional threshold for those wishing to progress towards chartered status in psychology. You will explore how mental health and wellbeing are understood, assessed and supported, developing the research skills to evaluate evidence critically and the conceptual understanding to engage with contested questions in clinical and applied psychology. The foundation year option makes the programme accessible to students who want to build their confidence and skills before entering degree-level study.

Graduates from psychology with clinical psychology programmes are well positioned to pursue postgraduate training in clinical psychology, counselling, educational psychology and related mental health professions. Many go on to work as assistant psychologists, mental health support workers, psychological wellbeing practitioners or research assistants while pursuing further qualifications. The degree also opens pathways into social work, education, healthcare management and human resources.

The analytical, research and interpersonal skills developed through psychology are valued across a wide range of professions, making psychology graduates competitive in the broader graduate labour market as well as in specialist mental health careers.