Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Psychology with Human Biology (Optional Placement)

at University of Plymouth United Kingdom

Discover the core principles of human geography while also exploring key international political and economic issues. In your geography modules you study the relationships between people, place and environment, while in International Relations the focus is on understanding the international political landscape. Gain knowledge and skills our supportive academic staff who are expert researchers in their field. Study abroad, international field trips and placement opportunities are available.

Our geography degrees make the most of geography’s strengths in tackling head on the biggest global challenges we face. Modules have been designed to address many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – developed by the UN as the 'blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all' – all of our degrees are fully accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Key Features

• Our newly designed Geography curriculum places sustainability challenges at the centre, with modules designed to help address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• Choose from an exciting range of human geography and international relations choice modules.
• Our supportive staff are expert researchers and many are world leaders in their field.
• Teaching is innovative and student-centred. You will learn through lectures, seminars, practicals, national and international residential fieldwork, tutorials and one-to-one dissertation support.
• Learn to use Geographical Information Systems to analyse and communicate complex spatial data.
• Take advantage of a wide range of study abroad possibilities in Europe, North America and Australia.
• Experience a valuable work placement programme, opening up a range of career opportunities such as consultancy, policy development and management, teaching, planning and conservation.
• LABplus is a unique open access laboratory and resource centre designed for students studying science and engineering courses. The lab provides a flexible workspace, computing facilities, specialist software, access to microscopes, microscope cameras and bespoke resources.
• We’re very proud of our National Student Survey (NSS) 2020 return which shows student satisfaction overall at 96 per cent for human geography.
• Benefit from our unique location, in the heart of the historical city of Plymouth, bordered by Dartmoor National Park as well as the Tamar Valley and South Hams Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Devon and Cornwall have glorious beaches, coasts, rivers and estuaries.

In this hands-on degree, one of the best in the UK and with an international reputation, you’ll explore the diversity of marine life from coastal margins to the deep sea and gain an in-depth understanding of the biology of marine organisms. Teaching takes advantage of the South Devon coast as well as some of Europe’s best marine facilities – so you’ll have the opportunity to not just experience marine biology but to practice it at the highest levels in both the laboratory and out in the field.

You'll gain an understanding of marine life at the level of the biology of organisms – ranging from microbes found on coral reefs, the physiology and behaviour of marine vertebrates, to the biology of the marine algae that underpin the vast majority of other marine life. The aim of the degree is not only to teach you about marine biology, but to equip you with the practical, intellectual and scientific skills to be a practising marine biologist.

Key Features

MA Acting is a full-time programme that works for you with innovative online modules and intensive advanced acting workshops culminating in a Solo Showcase supported by Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Integrated classes with final year students of our Equity and Spotlight accredited BA Acting programme enable intergenerational collaboration and make MA Acting students part of the rich cultural life of our vibrant, diverse and accessible Plymouth Conservatoire community

Key Features

• Solo Showcase performance with Theatre Royal Plymouth.
• Work professionally alongside your studies with innovative digital modules.
• Train and study your craft with leading researchers in the field.
• Integrated teaching with final year Equity and Spotlight accredited Acting programme.
• World-class and award-winning studios and theatre spaces.

Take a fresh look at childhood. Exploring the theory and reality of children’s early years from many points of view, this innovative course will help you find your niche in this competitive sector and graduate with a clear view of where your career is going. Investigate issues through the lenses of sociology, social psychology, history, and philosophy.

Work directly with young children and their families during the Work Based Learning module or choose the option of gaining professional recognition of your practice. Our Work Based Learning Plus module enables you to meet Early Years Educator standards and be counted in the ratios in an early years setting through relevant assessed practice experience.

Key Features

• Explore the relationships between play and learning in your own studies as well as in child development
• Expand your options beyond traditional teaching and open up further career opportunities in education, social care, community work, psychology, management and research.
• See for yourself how theories and policies are applied in practice by visiting a wide range of provision for children and families.
• Learn on the job during the work-based learning placement.  You will gain the practical skills employers are looking for.
• Take a broader view of children’s development by studying the subject in practical, historical and international contexts.
• Develop essential skills through a variety of coursework-based assessments – from essays, surveys and child observations to group presentations and video commentaries.
• Learn from experienced lecturers and tutors who are actively engaged in national and international research projects.
• Make the most of the opportunities presented by being part of a department that has strong links with universities in Europe, Canada, Africa and the USA and through the International Students’ Exchange Programme.

The impact of human activity on our marine ecosystems has become more evident and high profile in recent years, such as from overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, coastal development, plastics and climate change. So what do we do about it – how can we preserve and recover marine habitats and species populations while also allow sustainable use and exploitation of our seas?

This new MSc program, taught by leading experts in the field, focuses specifically on marine conservation in practice and is targeted at producing the next generation of ocean guardians with the skill set to address this question. The MSc Marine Conservation program does not have any exams within its range of assessments.

Key features

 Chemists plays a vital role in tackling key societal challenges, including sustainability, health, energy and protecting the environment. To ensure our graduates can apply their chemistry, our course places problem solving, communication, and project management at the core of what we do. Taught by world-class researchers, our students gain both the academic knowledge and practical laboratory skills needed to be a professional chemist in a wide range of careers.

Work and learn in our ISO 9001 certified laboratories, our unique offer to undergraduates to train in a regulated professional laboratory environment. Chemistry at Plymouth is ranked 14th in the Guardian University Guide 2021: top in the UK for ‘satisfied with feedback’, 2nd in both ‘satisfied with teaching’ and the ‘value-added score’, and 6th on ‘satisfied with the course’

Key Features

• Benefit from outstanding teaching - our degree is ranked 1st in the UK for academic support, 2nd for assessment and feedback and 4th for overall teaching quality (NSS, 2019).
• Equip yourself for successful employment in a competitive job market – our focus on practical, professional skills means you graduate primed to enter the workplace.
• Benefit from award-winning teaching in small groups and be inspired by staff who are world-leading researchers.
• Hone your practical problem solving skills in our newly-refurbished laboratories, kitted out with the latest analytical instrumentation.
• Our tutorial system ensures that you receive the support and guidance you need to reach your full potential.
• 70% of assessment is based on coursework.
• Experience chemistry in the real world and boost your employability by taking a placement, work-based project in your final year, or working alongside PhD and post-doctoral researchers in our high specification laboratories.
• Graduate with in-demand skills for a range of career paths, from research and development in the pharmaceutical industry and lab-based roles in the food and energy industries, to positions in the science, engineering, healthcare, environmental or technology sectors.
• Accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry, the professional body representing chemistry in the UK.

Zoology is the science of animals and you will study the whole diversity of animal life, from tardigrades to elephants. You'll gain in-depth knowledge of how animals work, develop key lab skills in molecular biology, physiology, and cell biology that are sought after by employers and build fieldwork skills on two residential field trips.You'll also gain the expertise and skills to be a professional zoologist and work across a diverse range of professions or go on to further study.

Key Features

• Study the biology of animals in marine, terrestrial and freshwater aquatic habitats. A spectacular range of these habitats are right on our doorstep.
• Gain a strong foundation in theoretical aspects of ecology, physiology, anatomy, behaviour, evolution and genetics.
• Develop high-level laboratory skills across animal biology in a wide range of taxa and habitats and gain key transferrable skills that are sought after by employers.
• Undertake in-depth field studies of animals, including residential courses in the UK and abroad that develop field techniques and familiarity with a wide range of ecosystems and fauna.
• Undertake self-study throughout your course, using our well-equipped library and range of online scientific journals, as well as LABPlus, our unique laboratory and resource centre designed for science and engineering students.
• Have the opportunity to boost your employability by taking a placement year between your second and final years of study, working in the industry, anywhere in the world - you can read more about this in the 'course details' section of this page.
• Take an extended personal research project on a range of topics, often linked to ongoing staff research, in your final year.
• Benefit from our strong links with external organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts, the Natural History Museums in London and Plymouth, the National Marine Aquarium, the Field Studies Council, Whitley Wildlife Trust, the Donkey Sanctuary, Dartmoor National Park.
• Explore a range of contemporary issues in zoology.

In today's global economy, the ability to think and work across geographic and political boundaries is imperative to not only conduct business in an international context but also to survive in such a competitive, globalised environment. This MSc is designed to give you the essential skills for professional and practical development, covering topics such as competitive marketing strategy, global supply chain management, leadership and management and international business environment.

Key Features

Do you want to make a difference to patient care? Radiography is one of the core diagnostic healthcare roles, helping patients get the treatment they need. It is also at the forefront of technological developments, offering a dynamic career full of potential. With hands-on, interprofessional learning and patient care at its heart, this innovative, evidence-based course, will give you the knowledge, skills and confidence to become an outstanding radiographer for the modern health care setting.

Nurturing critical thinking and a caring approach to your practice, we’ll help you develop the clinical and communication, teamwork and leadership skills for a top career in radiography. The University of Plymouth BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and once you have graduated you will be eligible to apply for HCPC registration as a diagnostic radiographer.

Key Features

• Train using advanced medical imaging technology, at the forefront of modern patient care.
• Learn using state of the art teaching facilities.
• Take part in expert-led discussions around clinical case studies and the latest medical science breakthroughs, through our structured small groups teaching approach, including enquiry-based learning. These are also a great opportunity to learn from other students’ knowledge and experience.
• Develop empathic, technical and professional healthcare skills in a practical, innovative modern training programme.
• Benefit from close relationships and training with our hospital partners, including the Southwest Regional Trauma centre, Derriford Hospital and the Peninsula Radiology Academy.
• Train alongside other health profession students to enrich your experience and understanding of different healthcare roles.
• Learn from real patients from the outset, with clinical placements starting in the first semester of Year 1.
• Practise your clinical and communication skills in the safe setting of our Clinical Skills Resource Centre (CSRC), which features specially designed replicas of hospital wards and emergency rooms, with high-specification patient-simulators.
• Utilise online systems to support your learning including the student logbook, custom-made for our students to access lecture notes, online assessment systems and lecture sessions.
• Deepen your understanding of the structure and functionality of the human body at our Life Sciences Resource Centre (LSRC), with expert-led life science sessions helping you apply this information to radiography.
• In Year 1, students will study in Plymouth, with all of their clinical placements within daily commute. In Years 2 and 3, all students will complete a semester in Plymouth for the academic delivery, and then a semester on clinical placement in the following locations: Plymouth, Truro or Taunton.

Our industry-recognised BSc (Hons) Building Surveying course is designed to build your knowledge and skills in the physical care, repair, conservation and restoration and refurbishment of buildings. The combination of lectures, site visits, tutorials and an optional year-long paid industry placement will prepare you for a range of routes in the construction and surveying sector including building surveying, property management, project management, or building regulation.

This course will help you gain the problem-solving skills and technical knowledge necessary to survey buildings and identify defects. You will also participate in real-world group projects involving the refurbishment of existing, historic and listed buildings, as well as new-build, which will help you understand the surveyor’s role, the client’s requirements, and develop project management skills.

Key Features

• Our course is fully accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE).
• This course is designed around a common first year with BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying and BSc (Hons) Construction Project Management, allowing you to transfer to these courses after successful completion of Year 1.
• You will gain valuable experience with an optional, paid year-long placement in a leading surveying company in the UK or abroad. Our industry links will help you find a placement, boosting your studies with practical experience and providing the contacts that can lead to future employment.
• You will be part of a vibrant multidisciplinary learning environment, working with students from other built environment disciplines, including construction project managers, architectural engineers and quantity surveyors.
• You will have access to a wide range of industry standard facilities, resources and equipment, including, a designated design studio space, specialist laboratories and workshops, Mac and PC suites, a 360 degree immersive vision theatre.
• Each year the building surveying knowledge and skills you develop come together in a real-world design and build project with an actual client and project brief. Guided by our panel of industrial advisers, you will develop the professional skills to stand out in the sector.
• Learn from leaders in their fields. Our staff come from both industry and research backgrounds. Industry professionals also play an active role in the course participating in guest lectures, workshops and tutorials.
• Our built environment courses have been running for over 25 years.