The course is designed for graduates who wish to pursue a career in psychology but do not have sufficient psychology in their degree to allow them to gain the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS). This was previously termed ‘Graduate Basis for Registration’ (GBR ). You will take modules at the appropriate level in core areas of psychology, as specified by the BPS, and can take one option module from a selection available to Psychology BS c Honours students. If your degree is not in psychology, or it included less psychology than you need for entry to the Diploma, you may be offered a Foundation Pathway consisting of 60 credits of psychology at introductory level (taken on a part-time basis over one year).

Course content

The content of the curriculum of the main Diploma course covers the core areas of curriculum stipulated by the BPS for GBC. This consists of Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, History and Philosophy of Psychology, Individual Differences, Project, Psychobiology, Research Methods, and Social Psychology. History and Philosophy of Psychology is embedded across the other topic areas. The content of the curriculum of the Foundation Pathway is Introduction to Cognition, Introduction to Social and Developmental Psychology, Learning and Personality, and Research in Psychology. In addition, you will choose one module from History and Philosophy of Psychology, or Myth and Method in Psychology. Basic IT Skills for Psychology is also an option.

For admissions enquires please contact Admissions Officer

Alan Pillay  Email:A.Pillay01@westminster.ac.uk

For accademic enquires please contact Admisions Tutor

Dr. Ian Hodges   Email:I.Hodges@westminster.ac.uk

or the Course Leader Professor John Golding
Email:goldinj@wmin.ac.uk

 

Graduate Diploma in Psychology: Course structure

The course can be completed in one year full-time or in two years part-time. Students take modules drawn from the University of Westminster degree programme in psychology as well as some course specific modules.

Modules

Level 5 modules:

Psychobiology for the Graduate Diploma in Psychology (GDP)

This module introduces you to the fundamental concepts of the biological basis of human behaviour, to provide a familiarity with the relevant scientific terminology of psychobiology and to create a basis for the further study of psychobiology. Areas covered include:
• fundamental genetics – inheritance; genetic code, translation, mutation; sex and gender; selected physical and behavioural   errors; Human Genome Project
• evolution – evidence, adaptation, natural selection; course and timing of human physical and cultural evolution; evolution of brain and behaviour; evolutionary psychology; brain and nervous system development; functional anatomy; neurotransmission; thought, language, emotion; brain damage
• principles of neuropharmacology – homoeostasis, control and regulation.

Research Methods for GDP

You will consolidate and extend your understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, and be encouraged to think critically about research problems, non-parametric tests and t-tests, basic experimental designs, levels of data and statistical distributions. This will give you an understanding of factorial designs and appropriate statistical analyses, particularly analysis of variance and post-hoc testing, so that you can develop the computing skills necessary to perform selected statistical analyses, and the techniques that enable you to code, organise and describe qualitative data, including computer-based techniques.

Level 6 Modules:

Cognitive Psychology for GDP

You will develop your understanding of the basic tenets of cognitive psychology via study of the history, methodology and some of the main empirical findings of the discipline. This will promote your appreciation of cognitive theories and models within the context provided by the information-processing paradigm that characterises the discipline. Areas covered include: the cognitive approach • perception • theories of focused attention • memory.

Developmental Psychology for GDP

This module aims to consolidate ande laborate the developmental concepts, extending the breadth and depth of your understanding and appreciation of human psychological development.
Areas covered include:
• the process of development – historical changes in the concept of childhood and in expectations of development; theoretical perspectives on development; research methods, issues and ethics; the social context of development; families and parenting; attachment; siblings; friends and play
• the development of Mind – Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; post-Piagetian challenges from the information processing approach
• language acquisition – topics and issues are selected from life-span development and atypical development.

 

Individual Differences for GDP

This module will provide you with an overview of psychological theory and practice relating to individual differences in intelligence and personality. Material covered will range from historical and conceptual foundations, to current research and applied practice. The topics you will address include: different ways of looking at and measuring individual differences; psychometric, cognitive and cultural views of intelligence; psychometric test use and validation; relative importance of biological and environmental factors; the measurement of individual differences in applied areas such as clinical and occupational psychology; trait-based, psychodynamic and other models of personality.

 

Project for GDP

This module aims to enable you to carry out a research project independently. It is anticipated that this will be of approximately the scale of a pilot study for a larger investigation. The module aims to provide you with the skills to carry out a literature review, and to identify viable and valuable topics for research, to enable you to deploy the practical skills learned in previous modules involved in designing, executing and analysing research, and in presenting a report of the whole process in written form.

Social Psychology for GDP

This module aims to develop yourk nowledge of the distinctive sociopsychological perspective on human behaviour, its relation to psychology as a whole and to adjacent disciplines, and to introduce the core theoretical and empirical material in the discipline. Areas covered include: attitudes • concepts • conformity • disentangling the social and the individual • ethics • methodology • persuasion • self and society • social cognition and attribution • social influence • social psychological approach to groups • the individual in the social world • the social psychology of the environment • the social world in the individual.

Option module

You will choose your option module from a range of Level 6 psychology modules, although not all options will run every year, and sometimes additional option modules may become available. Some option modules may have a timetable clash with core GDP modules if you are studying fulltime over one year, but may be possible to take if you are studying part-time.
Examples of option modules include: Advanced Developmental Psychology • Advanced Social Psychology • Business Psychology • Clinical Psychology • Cognitive Disorders • Critical Psychology • Exercise and Performance • Forensic Psychology • Health Psychology • Issues in Cognition: Theory and Application • Physiological Psychology • Psychology and the Internet • Psychology of Counselling • Psychology of Education • Psychology of Music • Psychology of Prejudice • Psychology of Sport • Psychology of Women • Psychophysiology • Work Experience in a Psychological Setting.

Graduate Diploma in Psychology: Career opportunities

Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC ) is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist. It is the prerequisite for progression to postgraduate professional training in psychology and subsequent registration as a Chartered Psychologist working in any of the fields of professional psychology – including clinical, counselling, educational, occupational, and health psychology. It is a requirement for Masters and Doctorate courses in Psychology that lead to professional qualifications such as Doctorates in Clinical, Counselling and Educational Psychology, and Masters in Organisational/Occupational Psychology.

Graduate Diploma in Psychology: Study mode

Full or part-time.

Graduate Diploma in Psychology: Entry requirements

You should have an Upper Second Class or First Class UK Honours degree or equivalent, plus GCSE Maths at Grade C or above, and have successfully completed 60 credits in psychology. If your degree is not in psychology, or if it included less psychology than is required for entry to the Diploma (60 points), you may be offered a place on the Foundation Pathway. Successful completion of the Foundation Pathway will allow sufficient credits to be gained for entry to the Graduate Diploma. If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent. The University offers pre-sessional Summer programmes if you need to improve your English before starting your course.