Psychology BSc Welcome Pack
Welcome to Psychology 2026.
Psychology All pathways
BSc Psychology, BSc Psychology (Counselling), BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational), Forensic Applications in Psychology BSc (Hons), BSc Psychology (with Integrated Foundation Year), BSc (hons) Psychology (Clinical Applications)
Our British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited course gives you all that you need to cover the main areas of psychology, as well as expanding your knowledge into areas that you are passionate for, whether that is counselling, educational, forensic, or other areas of interest.
You will learn about wellbeing, the workings of the brain, and what influences our behaviour. If you are studying BSc Psychology, you will have the opportunity to explore diverse areas such as parapsychology, occupational psychology, and forensic psychology. If you are studying BSc Psychology (Counselling) you will also explore specialist areas like counselling theory and practice, positive psychology and wellbeing, taught by trained counsellors and psychotherapists. If you are studying BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational) you will explore areas such as lifespan development, the psychology of learning and teaching, and positive psychology. If you are studying BSc Forensic Applications in Psychology you will explore criminal behaviour, risk assessment, and support in forensic settings. If you are studying BSc Psychology (Clinical Applications), you will explore mental health, psychological disorders and therapeutic approaches.
The Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) route offers a new and exciting route into studying for a degree, attracting ambitious and driven students who are willing to learn and advance. The IFY course may be for you if you don’t have the right combination of subjects or do not meet the expected entry requirements for direct entry into year 1 of a three year BSc Psychology course. This four-year course will enable you to successfully follow the psychology degree pathway of your choice, allowing you to develop the required skills and knowledge to successfully complete the rest of your degree.
You will be joining a diverse and engaged community of students, and taught by a specialist and research-active team who are passionate about how psychology plays a part in our everyday lives.
Your Course Leaders
- BSc Psychology – Dr. Charlotte Dann charlotte.dann@northampton.ac.uk
- BSc Psychology (Counselling) – Dr Alasdair Gordon-Finlayson – alasdair.gordon-finlayson@northampton.ac.uk
- BSc Psychology (Developmental & Educational) – Dr Rachel Maunder – Rachel.maunder@northampton.ac.uk
- BSc Forensic Applications in Psychology – Dr Aman Asif-Malik – aman.asif-malik@northampton.ac.uk
- BSc Psychology (Clinical Applications) – Dr Evgenia Volkovyskaya – Evgenia.volkovyskaya@northampton.ac.uk
- BSc Psychology (Foundation) – Natasha Mastourakou – Natasha.Mastorakou@northampton.ac.uk
Your Course Leader oversees your academic experience and is here to help you understand how your course fits together, what to expect, and how to make the most of your studies. While your Personal Academic Tutor is your first point of contact for day‑to‑day support, your Course Leader can help with broader academic queries or concerns about your course.
If you are unsure of who to contact at any point, or are looking for answers to general queries, you can get in touch with the Psychology team directly through our course email address: Psychology@northampton.ac.uk.
Welcome and Induction
This is your induction timetable for the week commencing 21 September 2026, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact induction organiser, Dr Elena Altobelli (elena.altobelli@northampton.ac.uk).
When you arrive at the University of Northampton, there’s plenty to get involved with during Welcome Week. However, there are specific (face-to face) sessions taking place as part of your course induction that’ll help you settle in and prepare for teaching to start the following week.
Note for Foundation Students: If you have completed your Foundation Year (Level 3) and are progressing into Level 4/First Year, please follow this Welcome Week programme. On Day 1 (Monday), all courses will be together. From Tuesday onwards, the programme will differ by course, so please attend the sessions for the course you are joining (e.g. if you are joining BSc Psychology with Counselling, please attend the sessions listed for that course).
Monday 21 September 2026
Get Ready for UON: What to Know Before You Begin Your Course
For students with surnames starting with A to G: 10am – 12pm
- Location: Waterside Campus, Learning Hub Building, room LH013
For students with surnames starting with H to P: 10am – 12pm
- Location: Waterside Campus, Learning Hub Building, room LH014
For students with surnames starting with Q to Z: 1PM – 3pm
- Location: Waterside Campus, Learning Hub Building, room LH013
Please do bring your laptop on the day.
Tuesday 22 September 2026
Welcome to Your Course: Meet the Team and Discover Your Journey, and the Psychology Social event
Today there are two important events:
A) “Welcome to Your Course: Meet the Team” – Session times and locations vary by course, so please check the information specific to your course.
B) Psychology Social Event – An informal opportunity to meet some of the lecturers and your new colleagues. Further details about this session can be found at the end of Tuesday’s schedule section. This session is open to all Psychology courses.
“Welcome to Your Course: Meet the Team” Session details (course specific)
BSc Psychology
Time:
- For students with surnames starting with A to M: 10am – 12.30pm
- For students with surnames starting with N to Z: 1.30pm – 4pm
Location: Waterside Campus, Senate Building, room SN204
Please do bring your laptop
BSc Psychology (Counselling)
Time:
- For students with surnames starting with A to M: 10am – 12.30pm
- For students with surnames starting with N to Z: 1.30pm – 4pm
Location: Waterside Campus, Learning Hub Building, room LH345
Please do bring your laptop
BSc Forensic Psychology
Time:
- For students with surnames starting with A to M: 10am – 12.30pm
- For students with surnames starting with N to Z: 1.30pm – 4pm
Location: Waterside Campus, Learning Hub Building, room LH346
Please do bring your laptop
BSc Psychology (Clinical Applications)
- Time: 10am – 12.30pm
- Location: Waterside Campus, Learning Hub Building, room LH231
Please do bring your laptop
BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational)
BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational) students will attend a course session in the morning. In the afternoon, they will meet their Personal Academic Tutor (PAT). Therefore, they will not need to come in on subsequent days to meet their PAT, unlike students on other Psychology programmes.
- Time: 10am – 4pm
- Location: Waterside Campus, Learning Hub Building, room LH347
Please do bring your laptop
“Psychology Social Event” details (for all courses)
- Time: 4.30pm – 6.30pm
- Location: Waterside Campus, Engine Shed
A relaxed and informal opportunity to meet fellow students and members of the teaching team. It is a great way to start getting to know people so that, once teaching begins, you’ll already recognise some familiar faces—whether staff or peers. All are very welcome.
Wednesday 23 September – Friday 25th September 2026
Session: Personal Academic Tutor Introduction and Induction Session
Note: This session applies to all students, with the exception of those on the BSc Psychology (Developmental and Educational) programme, as they will attend it on Tuesday.
During the remainder of the week, all students are required to meet with their Personal Academic Tutor (PAT). You will receive a notification confirming the day of your PAT session, which will take place between Wednesday and Friday. This information will be sent via email on the Monday at the start of Welcome Week, so please ensure you check your inbox. The email will include the date, time, and location of your meeting.
Please remember to bring your laptop with you on the day.
Plus, there will be plenty of fun and engaging Students’ Union and University-led events happening throughout the week—so why not stick around and make the most of these great opportunities?
Preparation and Pre-Arrival tasks
You will need a laptop for the course, so please ensure you have one and are familiar with how it works. As part of your university enrolment, you will be given access to Office365 and SPSS, so you do not need to pay for subscriptions to these.
Please note that because you need to use specialist software (e.g. SPSS for statistical analysis), a Chromebook or tablet will not be suitable for your course.
Please start following us on social media (Instagram @UONPsyched) and subscribe to Psyched!, our blog for regular Psychology updates which you can find at MyPad.
Reading Ahead
If you want to get ahead with your reading, there are a few texts that you’ll find useful throughout your degree. After you are enrolled, you will always have access to online versions of your textbooks until you leave us – but many people like a physical copy of the most important texts too. We realise that textbooks can be expensive when bought new; it’s generally fine to have a second-hand copy of an earlier edition.
- Dancey, C. P., & Reidy, J. (2024). Statistics without maths for psychology (9th Edition). London: Pearson.
- Holt, N., Bremmer, A. J., Sutherland, E., Vliek, M., Passer, M. W., Smith, R. E. (2019) Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour (4th Edition). London: McGraw Hill Education.
- Howitt, D. & Cramer, D. (2020) Research Methods in Psychology (7th Edition). Pearson.
