Overview
This course allows you to jointly study Psychology & Sport, giving you a fully rounded experience of both subjects.
Through studying Psychology at BGU you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the scientific nature of the subject and of its wider cultural and social impact. You will develop your understanding of psychology and its theories of the mind, emotions and behaviour and become familiar with how these theories are applied in our lives, communities and societies.
During the study of Sport at BGU you will gain understanding in the complexities of this subject, including; the development of sport; how performance can be enhanced and how it can be managed and led. This course is designed to develop your knowledge and understanding of the sport, physical education, learning and teaching and education.
Key Facts
| Award: | BA (Hons) |
| UCAS Code: | CC86 |
| Academic School: | School of Social Sciences |
| Duration: | 3 years |
| Mode of Study: | Full-time |
| Start Date: | September |
| Awarding Institution: | Bishop Grosseteste University |
| Institution Code: | B38 |
Why Study This Course?
Entry Requirements
You will normally need 96 -112 UCAS tariff points (from a maximum of four Advanced Level qualifications). We welcome a range of qualifications such as: A / AS Levels, BTEC, Access Courses, International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge Pre-U, Extended Project etc. However this list is not exhaustive – please click here for details of all qualifications in the UCAS tariff. You will also need GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent).
Further Information
In accordance with University conditions, students are entitled to apply for Accredited Prior Learning, AP(C)L, based on relevant credit at another HE institution or credit Awarded for Experiential Learning, (AP(E)L).
This course is subject to revalidation.
About The Course
Psychology
Do you ever wonder why is it we behave as we do? How do gangs, teams and friendship groups form? Do you wonder if smiling really does make you feel more positive? Do you often venture into the bigger questions about life and who we are?
Psychology has a science base, yet includes a balance of liberal arts, technological knowledge, statistics and computer-based skills. As well as classic psychological theories and research, you’ll be debating social issues, studying specific mental processes, such as memory, language and attention, as well as broader issues and theories – both historical and contemporary. As well as applying psychological knowledge to a range of subjects, you will develop your skills in problem-solving, data analysis, predict and reasoning, with a focus on real-world application.
Here at BGU, we ensure you have close support and contact with your tutors and, with small group sizes, you’ll always get the support and feedback you need. We also know how important it is to experience a real working environment so, through work placements and other projects, you’ll be equipped for whichever career path you may choose after your degree. With research-informed teaching and research-active staff, you’ll receive scientific training and gain an in-depth understanding of the nature of the subject, at the same time as applying your knowledge and theory to real-life.
Sport
Our dynamic Sports courses are designed around three specific areas – Physical Education, Sports Coaching and Sports Development. As your course progresses you can choose to specialise in a particular area, giving you as much freedom as possible to explore your personal interests.
Alongside these three areas, you can expect to cover contemporary themes that develop from year to year. You’ll explore the effects of exercise on the body, looking at a range of physical activities in different social groups – from high-level sports performers to young children. As you’d expect, this course also contains a great deal of hands-on experience, where you’ll learn how to use your skills to inspire others to be more active and to excel at sport and exercise.
You’ll be researching and interrogating recent issues and looking at conflicting ideas and opinions, as well as being encouraged to hone your coaching, leadership and teaching skills through practical exercises, field trips, laboratory work and placement opportunities. In Sport, we think you should experience intellectual excitement and enjoyment, knowledge and practical skills relevant to your chosen career and as much freedom as possible to explore your personal interests.
Here at BGU employability is central to our courses, so we’ll support you to find a placement that is tailored to your career aspirations for the future. You’ll also have the chance to gain coaching qualifications and to volunteer in sport across the county – our links with local sports partnerships and governing bodies provide unique work and career opportunities that you won’t find anywhere else.
If you have a passion and commitment to sport then this is the course for you. Come and join us to research and debate recent and topical developments and conflicting values and ideas about sport and physical education.
Delivery
There is no one-size-fits-all method of teaching at BGU – we shape our methods to suit each subject and each group, combining the best aspects of traditional university teaching with innovative techniques to promote student participation and interactivity.
You will be taught in a variety of ways, from lectures, tutorials and seminars, to practical workshops, coursework and work-based placements. Small group seminars and workshops will provide you with an opportunity to review issues raised in lectures, and you will be expected to carry out independent study.
Placements are a key part of degree study at BGU. They provide an enriching learning experience for you to apply the skills and knowledge you will gain from your course and, in doing so, give valuable real-world experience to boost your career.
Assessment
We recognise that individuals come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, so we use a variety of assessment strategies on our courses.
Assessments in Psychology take place at the end of each module in order for you to demonstrate your understanding of the objectives covered. A wide range of assessment methods is used to support your learning, including portfolios, presentations, displays and examinations and laboratory projects. The Psychology course includes assessments that are designed to develop and refine specific skills that you may well need to draw on as a psychologist, whether that is as specific as demonstrating your practical counselling skills in the Introduction to Psychological Therapies module, or openly argumentative as in the group debate in the Personality and Individual Differences module! Assessments are also designed to enhance your critical thinking and analysis skills – something that psychologists are well known for.
In Sport, we use a variety of imaginative approaches to assessment that enable you to utilise your strengths. Over the course of your studies, you could expect your assessment to include presentations, multimedia reports, displays, portfolios, individual research projects, essays, exams and work in the Human Performance Laboratory. We recognise that individuals come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, and accordingly use a wide range of assessment strategies. You can expect to be guided and supported carefully in your first year, gradually becoming more independent as the course progresses.
Careers & Further Study
In Psychology we allow you to develop the knowledge and skills which will make you attractive to an employer. Psychology graduates go on to work in a range of sectors including teaching, education or training, local government, health and social work and in areas of industry including human resources management. By the end of this course, you will be ready to apply your knowledge of psychology to the world in which you live, with the necessary workplace skills for a variety of future careers. Future careers for Psychology graduates may include work within Clinical settings, Counselling, Mental Health services, Education and Research.
Combining your study with Sport opens up a variety of other career possibilities.
In Sport, we prepare you for a broad range of sport-related jobs in such areas as sports development, adventure education, physical activity and health, sports coaching, fitness and recreation industry, school sports coordination, armed forces, youth work and postgraduate research. By the end of the course, you will have developed a range of practical and transferable skills that are underpinned by excellent subject knowledge, meaning you will be well-prepared for your chosen future career. In the past our graduates have begun careers as Sports Coaches, Personal Trainers, as Physical Education Teachers (Primary and Secondary), in the field of Youth Work or within Sports Development.
Year 1 Modules
The module will provide you with an overview of the core domains of Psychology before moving on to provide a more detailed introduction to the discipline of biopsychology. You will study core areas of psychology including social; lifespan; individual differences; cognition and biopsychology. You will also explore nervous and endchrine systems as the physiological basis of both animal and human behaviour.
This module introduces Cognitive Psychology in terms of key topics which includes memory, language, attention as well as key approaches such as cognitive neuropsychology, neuroscience, fundamentals of the experimental method, and the use of computerised experiment generation software. As part of this module you will be able to engage in a variety of cognitive experiments to facilitate
your understanding of key topics and experimental approaches.
During this module, you will gain theoretical and practical understanding of the physical, social and psychological benefits of physical activity for young people. Through investigating physical activity prescriptions, levels and key exercise interventions, you will also gain a breadth and depth of understanding of the barriers young people face towards exercise and physical activity.
This module will include a study of the nature of sport in education and will provide an introduction to the application of Physical Education (PE) in a variety of educational settings. You will be introduced to key issues in PE such as inclusion, assessment, cross-curricular learning, citizenship and lifelong learning.
Year 2 Modules
Social Psychology will engage you with the breadth and diversity of
social psychology as a discipline, from group processes through to
social cognition and social interactions. This module is to allow you gain a detailed understanding of how people think, feel and act in
relation to others and the world around you.
In this module students will examine how various forms of quantitative enquiry can be brought to the investigation of a range of psychological phenomena. You will explore several core statistical techniques used to address psychology-specific research and analyse data using statistical
software and interpret related output appropriately.
Individual Differences and the Biology of Personality is a multifaceted module that covers the history, cornerstone theoretical frameworks, and methodological approaches of personality research, with particular focus on biopsychological etiologies.
You will consolidate your learning by utilising psychometric methodology to design and run a quantitative study, present your design and then write up your project giving you experience of the research process and the fundamentals within it such as gaining ethical approval, data collection and analysis to reporting and discussing findings.
This module is deliberately structured in an open-ended way to allow placements and/or projects to be developed which are most suited to your potential future career. Working with your appointed tutor, you will be allocated an appropriate placement or project which will enable you to meet the learning outcomes and to have a valuable experience of a real-life work-related situation.
During the course of this module, you will learn about the theories of sports development and will explore and evaluate policies that guide its direction. Leadership within local authorities, governing bodies and voluntary organisations will be examined alongside the practicalities of policy implementation at a national, regional and local level.
You will learn about the evolution and development of the PE National Curriculum, lesson planning, practical organisation and differentiation in the physical environment. The module aims to introduce a range of teaching strategies, which can be used in PE and will provide the opportunity for you to create an appropriate teaching environment for learners to acquire physical, emotional and social skills.
Year 3 Modules
The module provides an opportunity for you to build upon and
apply the key intellectual, transferable and practical skills gained at previous levels to an appropriate research project.
Throughout the module, a series of lectures, seminars and talks by guest speakers will further develop your research design and analytic skills in experimental, quasi-experimental and qualitative research methods.
This module focuses on the historicisation of psychology and prompts critical thinking about the perceptions of psychology, and how individuals and society understand and identify with it in both professional and personal settings.
The module will focus on equipping you to undertake an ethically approved research project. During this module you will follow your methodology, carrying out data collection before performing the analysis and discussion of results, resulting in a sustained piece of work.
This module will include a study of the contemporary social, cultural, political and ethical issues in sport and physical education. The focus of the module will vary according to changing issues in the sporting world, and you will be given the opportunity to explore, research, discuss and critically evaluate a particular contemporary issue from within your chosen theme.
Through analysing different types of sport and exercise activities, you will be able to apply physiological and psychological principles to practical situations ranging from exercising for health to physical training for enhanced athletic performance. You will have opportunity to work in groups and will conduct an investigative project to examine the reliability and validity of a specific measurement protocol or technique.
Academic Staff
Jan Machalski
Academic Staff
Jan Machalski teaches on the Psychology degree. Jan joined the staff of Bishop Grosseteste University in 20
Claire Maskrey
Academic Staff
Claire Maskrey teaches on the undergraduate programmes of Sport. Claire is a physical education specialist;
Gianina-Ioana Postavaru
Academic Staff
Dr Gianina-Ioana Postavaru has a background in health psychology. Before joining BGU in October 2016 as a L
Support
Studying at BGU is a student centred experience. Staff and students work together in a friendly and supportive atmosphere as part of an intimate campus community. You will know every member of staff personally and feel confident approaching them for help and advice, and staff members will recognise you, not just by sight, but as an individual with unique talents and interests. We will be there to support you, personally and academically, from induction to graduation.
Fees & Finance
A lot of student finance information is available from numerous sources, but it is sometimes confusing and contradictory. That’s why at BGU we try to give you all the information and support we can to help to throughout the process. Our Student Advice team are experts in helping you sort out the funding arrangements for your studies, offering a range of services to guide you through all aspects of student finance step by step. Click here to find information about fees, loans and support which will help to make the whole process a little easier to understand.
Undergraduate course applicants must apply via UCAS using the relevant UCAS code. The application fee is £12 for a single choice or £23 for more than one choice. For all applicants, there are full instructions at UCAS to make it as easy as possible for you to fill in your online application, plus help text where appropriate.
