BTEC Psychology

Course summary

Psychology is the study of the relationship between behaviour, performance and mental processes. Applied psychology is the application of this knowledge in order to understand events, treat mental health issues, improve sporting performance, and understand how children develop and how to treat criminals. Everyone taking this qualification will study three mandatory units, covering the following content areas: • Applications of psychological approaches • Conducting psychological research • Health psychology The mandatory content allows you to concentrate on the development of your knowledge and understanding of psychology, as well as the application of skills that are important in psychology, over an extended period. An optional unit will also be selected. In a similar way to all post 16 subjects you will have formal lessons which could be teacher led, coursework seminars or tutorials as well as planned revision in preparation for external assessment. The qualification carries UCAS points and is recognised by higher education providers as contributing to admission requirements to many relevant applied psychology courses. When combined with other qualifications within a two-year study programme, such as AS/A levels or BTEC qualifications, you can progress into higher education, such as a: • BSc (Hons) in Occupational Health • BSc in Education and Child Psychology • BSc (Hons) in Sport Psychology • BSc in Forensic and Criminal Psychology Each of these could lead to careers within a variety of fields such as Human resources, or education. You should always check the entry requirements for degree programmes at specific higher education providers. In addition to the applied psychology sector-specific content outlined above, the requirements of the qualification mean that you will develop the transferable and higher-order skills that are highly regarded by higher education and employers.