BSc (Hons) Environmental Psychology

Program Overview

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In addition to the core topics in Psychology (Biopsychology, Cognitive, Social and Developmental Psychology, Individual difference and Research Methods), you will develop specialist knowledge and skills regarding the reciprocal behaviour-environment relationship. You will learn about how the environment influences human behaviour: this includes how we perceive and navigate our environments, the role of built and natural environments on behaviour; as well as how other environmental influences - such as noise, temperature crowding - can shape and impact on our behaviour. You will also study how human behaviour impacts the environment: you will learn about the environmental issues that we face today (such as climate change, air pollution), and what we can contribute as psychologists to encourage pro-environmental behaviour.

You will learn how to apply your theoretical and research knowledge to practical problems. This programme is led and hosted by the

School of Psychology

, and we work in collaboration with the UEL's centre of excellence - the

Sustainability Research Centre (SRI)

- to deliver some of the material, placement work and co-supervise projects. In joining us at UEL, you will have a unique student experience as well as learning the requisite knowledge base and skills to contribute to the creation of a sustainable future.

Upon graduation, you will be able to progress your career in central and local government focused on research-based policies on a variety of environment-related behaviour issues, climate science and environmental communicators, private sector in the research and design of behavioural interventions in different environmental contexts, or further study at MSc or PhD level.

This  course accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and covers the core content you need to apply for graduate membership.

Program Outline

The course includes all the core material you'll need for accreditation by the British Psychological Society through modules shared with our other BSc Psychology courses. In addition to this, you will learn about how the environment influences human behaviour, and how our behaviour impacts the environment. The British Psychological Society states that "psychology has an important role in combating climate change". Changing human behaviour and public acceptability of 'green' policies are, however, not straightforward.

This course aims to teach and engage you with the importance of the psychology in different environmental contexts and sustainability. We will explore theories, methods and research into environment and sustainability.

You will develop specialist knowledge and skills of psychology applied to the different environments around us and sustainability. Including:

How do we perceive and process the environment around us?

How can a change in environment restore our attention when fatigued?

Why do we travel the way we do?

How can we create persuasive environmental campaigns?

How can we reduce our contribution and exposure to air pollution?

During your studies, you will be offered teaching support, organised placements with industry partners and co-supervise research projects, led and hosted by the School of Psychology and in collaboration with UEL's centre of excellence - the

Sustainability Research Institute (SRI)

.

We consistently review our courses to ensure we are up to date with industry changes and requirements from our graduates. As a result, our modules are subject to change.

The programme will be delivered and hosted by Psychology. We will also partner with UEL's

Sustainability Research Institute (SRI)

in the delivery of some of the material, placements, and supervision of some projects. This presents a unique opportunity for students at UEL, as well as creating partnerships and synergies among the staff across the University. Both the School of Psychology and SRI are active in real-world applied research.

Within the School of Psychology, we currently have an exciting opportunity working with Thames Water to apply social psychological strategies to work towards achieving public safety around the Walthamstow Wetlands. Many of the projects UEL's Sustainability Research Institute conduct are local e.g., 'Ride Barking', and students taking this course will have the chance to get involved in an active research project.

Teaching

You will be taught by our internationally renowned expert academics who will employ the most up to date and advanced learning techniques to ensure that you get a broad understanding of psychology through your degree.

Guided independent study

This will depend on the module. Typically, each module will require 200 hours of mixed staff interaction learning time and guided independent study. Student/tutor interaction will vary depending on the module - but typically, teaching time is two or three hours per week during term time. The rest of the learning time is made up of independent study, such as seminar reading, assignment preparation, background reading, group work, feedback reflection and assimilation.

Academic support

Academic support will take the form of lectures, seminars, tutorials by staff relevant to the module/topic. Students will also be assigned an academic advisor.

If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential.

You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses.

Dedicated Academic Advisor

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal Academic Advisor. This is the member of staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

Your timetable

Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9am and 6pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.

You can follow us on Twitter @UEL_EnvPsych

We will be assessing your academic work and supporting you in producing it. Assessment methods include group work, exams and individual work including essays, presentations, case studies, professional development and practical activities depending on the nature of the module. All grades count towards module marks, and assessment is through a mixture of coursework and exams. These are mainly spread across the year to make things more manageable.

You won't have any exams in the first year. The balance of coursework and exams in your second year will depend on your choice of option modules. The second year includes a core, work-based learning module (Work-based Learning in Psychology, for which a minimum of 30 hours work experience over one term is included in the module's study hours). You will not be assessed on performance in the workplace. Instead, you will be required to reflect on your experience, make links to relevant psychological research and theory and to your own personal and professional development. In your third year, a significant part of your assessment will be based on your final research project coursework. More details are included in the programme handbook and module guides when you enrol.

Feedback is provided within 15 working days in line with UEL's assessment and feedback policy.