Mathematics and Psychology BSc (Hons)

About the course

Mathematics

This course will enable you to develop a solid understanding of the fundamentals of mathematics. In addition, it will develop your understanding of applications of mathematics that provide support to studies in business, computing, economics, engineering and the sciences.

In your first year you will refresh and build upon your understanding of topics covered at A level.

In your second year these topics will be extended and explored further. If you are studying the Joint study route (50% mathematics) you will also develop additional skills and those on the major study route (75% mathematics) will explore computer techniques.

Your final year will focus on applying the knowledge and skills you’ve gained to practical problems drawn from a wide variety of areas.

Psychology

This course gives you an advanced understanding of human psychology, and its application in a wide range of settings. You will also develop core transferable skills highly valued by employers such as time management and effective communication skills.

Your first year of study will provide you with a good foundation in the subject enabling you to progress on to your second year where your module options will depend on the proportion of time you choose to study psychology for.

Psychology can be studied as a joint or minor subject within the Joint Honours programme. The course does not allow graduate membership to the British Psychological Society but this can be obtained through a further year of study on a Psychology Conversion Course

Please note that from September 2012, the Psychology field will no longer be available as a Major route on the Joint Honours Programme.

Why choose this course?

Mathematics

• Study mathematics in a department with a long tradition of high quality teaching 
• Improve your understanding of advanced mathematical concepts taught in an approachable format 
• Gain a relevant degree that provides transferable skills that are highly valued by employers

Psychology

• Benefit from our psychology department’s exciting multidisciplinary approach to experimental research, world-class facilities and highly respected teaching staff 
• Develop an advanced understanding of human psychology 
• Learn to critically evaluate and integrate various psychological approaches into everyday situations

Study routes

• Part Time,
• Sandwich,

Locations

• University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Careers

This programme gives you flexibility in your studies at university resulting in flexibility in your choice of career at the end of your course. You will acquire a much broader base of knowledge and experience that could really widen your employment opportunities. Graduates have found employment in diverse roles such as computer programmers, design engineers, management development specialists, accountants and project managers. Over 72% of our graduates had entered employment six months after graduation, and a further 17% had gone on to further study or training.

Teaching methods

You experience a wide variety of learning styles when you study on the programme. During your time with us we will develop your capacity for self-learning and your interpersonal skills. We particularly emphasise the importance of structured research; well-prepared written and verbal presentations; and computer literacy. Alongside elements of standard lectures, seminars, tutorials and laboratories, you also learn through case studies, individual and group projects and other student centered activities. In your final year you will normally have the opportunity to practise your self-learning and interpersonal skills by undertaking a Major project or dissertation.

Work Placement

You will have the opportunity to take a paid work placement or study abroad for a year between your second and final years, extending your degree from a three year to a four year qualification. You will not be required to pay tuition fees for this year and you will gain excellent experience that sets you apart from the crowd in the graduate jobs market.

Study Abroad

You can study in most European countries, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, South Africa, Russia, China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. You will study a programme of taught modules and/or project work with one of our partner universities, which will complement your studies on the Joint Honours Programme. You may need to study the language of your chosen country in your first and second years. Depending on where you choose to study you may be eligible to apply for certain grants, scholarships and financial support to help finance your study abroad experience.

Work Placement

A work placement provides you with an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience and put your theoretical knowledge and understanding from your studies in to practice.

Our Careers and Placements service will help you to develop your CV and support you through the application process for a wide range of placement opportunities in a variety of sectors and organisations.

Structure

Year 1

Core Modules

• Mathematical Techniques 1 (L1)

  On entry students will have different mathematical knowledge and this module has been designed to standardise their mathematical knowledge. The module will initially review core areas of A-Level Mathematics which will be extended to improve students' knowledge. You will learn the standard mathematical techniques in calculus, matrices and vectors.

• Linear Algebra and Analysis

  You will learn fundamental ideas and language on which the rest of mathematics is based. The module also investigates the idea of tending to a limit, on which calculus is based, and some of the ideas of linear algebra which occur throughout mathematics.

• Small Group Tutorial

  The module will require students to attempt a range of problems, mostly of a mathematical nature, broadly in the students' subject area. Some problems will be associated with other specific taught modules on the programme, while others will have a synoptic role sitting across several modules. The work will challenge students to develop problem solving skills that enable them to approach unfamiliar as well as familiar problems.

• Introductory Developmental and Language Psychology

  The greatest changes in cognitive and social development arguably occur in childhood. This is therefore a period of particular interest in psychology. This module introduces students to topics in child development including language. Consideration will be given to research methods applicable to the research questions and to working with children. In addition, an applied area of interest (e.g. the classroom, interventions, health care, parenting, advertising) will be presented and discussed with a view to students learning how theory and research can be drawn on to explain and understand contemporary questions.

• The Academic Mind

  This module helps students to make the transition to undergraduate level study by providing direction and a chance to practice the skills that are essential to psychology graduates as well as transferrable skills that will equip them for more general employment.

• Foundations of Social and Cognitive Psychology

  This module introduces students to: a. theory and research that seeks to understand the way in which individual attitudes and behaviours may be influenced by other people with particular reference to a contemporary issue; b. theory and research that seeks to explain the way in which individuals learn, store and use knowledge to make sense of everyday experiences and how understanding of these processes can enable others to manipulate individual attitudes and reactions.

• Brain & Behaviour

  This course will introduce the beginner to the terms and ideas necessary to understand biological psychology. The course will give an appreciation of how neurons and brains work, and, to some extent, why and how, from a biological point of view, we and other animals behave as we do. In addition, the course will consider what psychologists may learn from the effects of brain damage, for example following a stroke or in neurological/mental health disorders.

Optional

Year 2

Core Modules

• Mathematical Techniques 2

  You will learn how to integrate functions of two and three variables along plane and space curves and how to evaluate multiple integrals of such functions. You will learn about gradient, divergence and curl. You will be able to obtain Fourier series expansions of simple functions and perform calculations involving functions of a complex variable.

• Differential Equations

  This module employs a variety of mathematical methods and techniques to explore, describe and predict the behaviour of scientific, industrial and engineering phenomena. The subject appeals to individuals interested in applying their mathematical interests and skills to real-word problems. In this module, we will focus on ordinary differential equations. The emphasis is on the development of methods important in applications. Topics include:- Theory and applications of first, second and higher order differential equations, The Laplace transform methods, Systems of linear differential equations.

• Numerical Methods

  You discover how to use numerical methods to solve mathematical problems, and to discuss relative performance of different methods in terms of accuracy and efficiency. You also learn about the theoretical background to the methods. Refer to the teaching plan for a more detailed description.

• Developmental Psychology

  This course provides students with knowledge of research methods appropriate for investigating age-related change. Students will be introduced to age-related development in specific cognitive and social areas in both normal and exceptional populations and to the theories offered to explain such change. Where appropriate, the application of research findings to applied settings will be explored.

• Cognition

  This course will examine evidence, theory and applications relating to selected areas of current research interest in cognition. Topics such as knowledge representation, problem solving and psycholinguistics will be addressed.

Optional

• Contemporary Social Psychology

  The course will introduce students to a variety of recent theoretical developments in Social Psychology and how these may be relevant in various applied settings. Topic areas to be studied will typically include prejudice, stereotype suppression, the effects of culture on the perception of self and others, terror management theory, evolutionary approaches in social psychology, motivated reasoning, reconciliation, tyranny.

• Psychology of Performing Arts

  The content will include: The psychology of magic, humour and charisma, theatre and human expression, social facilitation, the psychology of role preparation, delivery and role-play, the psychology of memory and language in the theatre and the therapeutic use of drama and dance.

• Cyberpsychology

  The course will introduce students to a variety of recent theoretical developments in Cyberpsychology and how these may be relevant in various applied settings. Topic areas to be studied will typically include online behaviour, (e.g. consumer, gambling, addiction), online education and health, online impression formation, social-networking, online relationships, online security, cyber-ethics, general principles of human computer interaction.

• Understanding Individuals: Personal Construct Psychology

  This module introduces the student to Personal Construct Psychology ("PCP"). PCP is a particular psychology based on George Kelly's personal construct theory. PCP offers a means of understanding both the behaviour of other people and one's own behaviour. PCP has a wide range of applications in both clinical and non-clinical settings and because it is rarely considered in any detail within undergraduate degrees in Psychology, this module offers students an unusual opportunity to discover an alternative way of thinking about how to make sense of why people behave in the ways they do and how attempts at behaviour change might be undertaken,. Practical methods of applying PCP will be taught in the module.

• Nonverbal Behaviour

  This module examines the nonverbal behaviour of individuals (including facial expression, eye gaze, posture) with a focus on hand gestures. Over the course of this module, students will gain insight into the social, cognitive and developmental aspects of gestures and understand the wider, real world implications of nonverbal behaviour. Specific topics include: the formation and interpretation of facial expressions, the communicative and cognitive functions of gestures, the role of gestures in development and the implications of nonverbal psychology in the real world. Students will be asked to review and critically evaluate current published research in this area.

• Schools of Psychotherapy

  The module begins with an overview of the theories in psychology, over the last century triggering multidimensional discussion of the practical constraints in which psychotherapy takes place. It discusses major schools of psychology and psychotherapies and their founders. Various methods of psychotherapies are explored. Clinical methods and weaknesses of interviews are considered, as are ways to improve clinical assessment's validity. The design and use of clinical interview is covered, as are psychometric measures (ability and personality). Students are made aware of legal and broader clinical issues relevant to psychotherapy practice. Evaluation of psychotherapy's procedures is also addressed. The module will also focus on practical, methodological and ethical issues that are likely to affect the efficiency of psychotherapy in the different clinical workplaces.

Year 3

Core Modules

Optional

• Professional Placement

  Supervised work experience provides students with the opportunity to set their academic studies in a broader context, to gain practical experience in specific technical areas and to strengthen their communication and time-management skills. It greatly assists them in developing as independent learners, so that they are able to gain the maximum benefit from the learning opportunities provided at level 3 of the programme.

• Year Abroad

  The Year Abroad will provide students with the opportunity to expand, develop and apply the knowledge and skills gained in the first two taught years of the degree within a different organisational and cultural environment in a partner academic institution. The host institution will appoint a Programme Co-ordinator who will oversee the student's programme during the Year Abroad and will liaise with the appointed UH Supervisor.

• Year Study Abroad

  The content and learning/teaching methods will be determined by modules that the student chooses and that are agreed as appropriate by the relevant schools in both institutions. These will be recorded in the learning agreement document.

Year 4

Core Modules

• Personality: Past and Present Debates

  This module introduces students to a critical analysis of personality theory and measurement, with particular reference to historical background and conceptual debates. Approaches typically included are: - Psychodynamic - Humanistic - Trait - Biological - Interactionism

• Linear Optimisation

  You learn to tease out the relevant information from business problems and to develop linear models to represent them. A number of different solution methods are developed and used to solve these problems. You will develop the ability to interpret the results in management terms and how to handle changes in the data after the problem has been solved. You also learn about other practical difficulties involved in the process. Refer to the teaching plan for a more detailed description.

• Boundary Value Problems

  You will learn how to solve one and two-dimensional boundary-value problems both analytically and numerically. Through practical sessions you will use suitable numerical software to investigate the numerical processes. Refer to the teaching plan for a more detailed description.

Optional

• Occupational and Work Psychology

  This module will provide an introduction to some of the key topics relating to people’s behaviour in the workplace. Topics will include stress; relationships in the workplace; error and accidents; leadership; and career development as well as other relevant aspects of organisational behaviour.

• Cognitive Neuropsychology

  This course attempts to show how a variety of disorders of perception, language and memory can provide a critical sourse of evidence through which to understand normal cognitive function. The course will focus on current models of cognition, through the relationship between cognitive function and neuropsychological systems will also be considered. The aim of the course is to provide students with a thorough grounding in understanding higher mental processes .

• Topics in Psychopathology

  The course addresses substantive and methodological issues relating to mental illness from a cognitive perspective.

• Topics in Forensic and Criminal Psychology

  Forensic Psychology concerns the application of psychological theory and principles to the understanding of crime, crime control and the legal process. This module is designed to equip students with an overview of current psychological theory as applied to forensic topics. Particular attention will be paid to the psychology of judicial proceedings, eyewitness testimony, false allegations, offender profiling/investigation the causes of offending behaviour and methods of tackling crime and offender behaviour. In addition, students will examine the role the media plays in the construction of ideas about crime, fear of crime and policy in relation to crime.

• Advanced Topics in Memory

  This module examines contemporary research into the structures and representations of memory and the roles of memory in broader cognitive functions. Laboratory and naturalistic approaches will be compared. Specific topics may include working memory, autobiographical memory, prospective memory. Students will be asked to review and evaluate current published research.

• Health Psychology

  Health psychology is the practice and application of psychological research into: the promotion and maintenance of health; prevention and treatment of illness; the analysis and improvement of the health care system and health policy formation. This module introduces some of the key theories and principles of health psychology in relation to the maintenance of health, the adoption of healthy behaviours as well as the development of, recovery from and adaptation to illness. In particular the emphasis will be on health in its broadest sense, i.e. a state of social, physical and mental well-being, rather than simply the absence of illness.

• Advanced Topics in Thinking

  This module presents and examines recent research into how knowledge of things in the world may be organised and how basic mental abilities such as the evaluation of similarity and difference may affect a number of cognitive processes. Students will be asked to review and evaluate current published research in these areas.

• Development and Self

  This course examines research on how cultural events contribute to the development of the self. In particular, it focuses on the nature of the relationship between bodies, intersubjectivity, language and our grasp of who we are. The interaction between learning to talk and using language for planning and moral judgements will also be covered. In reviewing this evidence, we will examine research from within the domains of first (child) language learning, cognitive science, anthropology, developmental science and the study of language impairment.

Fees & funding

Fees 2013

UK/EU Students

Full time: £8,500 for the 2013 academic year

International Students

Full time: £9,500 for the 2013 academic year

Discounts are available for International students if payment is made in full at registration

View detailed information about tuition fees

Scholarships

• National Scholarship Programme

Find out more about scholarships for UK/EU and international students

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

How to apply