Dr Julie Hulme

UK Higher Education Academy ICOPE 6, August 2014

Psychology teaching in the UK

Typical student progression:

• Three or four year undergraduate degree – BSc – majority confer Graduate Basis for Chartership, includes independent and substantive research project;

• Work experience;

• Postgraduate training (stage 1 and 2) to achieve professional status – HCPC registration and BPS Chartered status.

15-20% of Psychology graduates enter Psychology-specific careers (QAA, 2010).

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Psychology teaching in the UK

Psychology undergraduate education is currently undergoing a process of change – or gradual evolution? – in the UK:

Trapp, Banister, Ellis, Latto, Miell and Upton (2011). The Future of Undergraduate Psychology in the United Kingdom.

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/subjects/psychology/Future-undergrad-psych-uk.

Identified several priorities – transition, psychological literacy, internationalisation, employability.

Subsequent longitudinal research project by BPS into graduate destinations.

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Psychology teaching in the UK

Revised in 2012 to incorporate changes consistent with Trapp et al’s recommendations:

• More flexible curriculum allows room for placements and study abroad;

• Core areas remain but spread out across all years of undergraduate study;

• New emphasis on psychological literacy, internationalisation, employability and research/application;

• Removal of requirement to independently and separately assess core areas - allows interdisciplinary approach. 4

BPS accreditation criteria

The “first year” problem - tackling transition:

• 58.5% of Psychology undergraduates in the UK have studied Psychology prior to university;

• Issues around expectations, understanding of the subject, complacency, psychological adjustment, widening participation;

• Current HEA project – report due to be published online in September (Hulme and De Wilde).

HEA resources also support academics to embed psychological literacy, employability, internationalisation into the Psychology curriculum.

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Remaining challenge

Requirement to meet requirements of both the BPS (Chartership) and the HCPC (regulatory and registering body).

Postgraduate training providers are assessing competencies.

Recent harmonisation process by the BPS to bring the different professional areas into line with each other.

Topical issue: widening participation into postgraduate Psychology and the professions (currently majority white, middle class, female).

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Postgraduate Psychology