Course overview

Our BSc (Hons) Psychology and Marketing degree is designed to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of psychology and marketing and the practical skills necessary to excel professionally.

We will provide you with an understanding of why people behave in the way that they do by considering the complex interplay between biological, psychological, environmental, cultural, and social influences on behaviour. Additionally, you will learn core concepts of marketing theory and develop skills and experience to apply them in real-world settings.

Our degree is dual accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Gain industry-recognised qualifications at an accelerated pace, with a degree accredited by the leading professional marketing body, The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). In this course, you will have the opportunity to complete a career-enhancing placement in the UK or internationally and be taught by leading experts from a range of specialist psychological and marketing fields.

"The staff are very supportive and are always happy to help. We were taught a range of transferrable skills for roles in the academic field as well as clinical. The lectures were engaging and incorporated real-life examples that we were able to understand how skills and theory are used in practice."

Magda Skubera

BSc (Hons) Psychology and Health Psychology MSc

Why Psychology and Marketing at Aston University?

Triple Gold for Teaching

We’re rated Gold across all categories in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF, 2023)

Dual Psychology Accreditation BPS and CIM

Professional accreditation

This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)

Excellent prospects

Ranked 7th in the UK for Graduate Prospects in Psychology (Complete University Guide, 2025)

Future career

Our graduates have secured work in top organisations such as the BBC, HSBC, Jaguar Land Rover, PwC, local government, the NHS, and more

Excellent student experience

92.9% of our students felt positive about academic support provided on their course (National Student Survey, 2024)

Global top 100

Aston University was ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide for marketing (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026)

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Course description

BSc (Hons) Psychology and Marketing

Psychology is a fascinating subject that aims to understand why people behave in the way that they do by considering the complex interplay between biological, psychological, environmental, cultural, and social influences on behaviour.

Marketing is fundamental for organisational success, from business growth to behavioural change. Studying marketing will allow you to understand the core concepts of marketing theory and develop skills and experience to apply them in a real-world setting.

Our BSc (Hons) Psychology and Marketing programme is an ideal combination of complementary disciplines. Psychology will provide you with an understanding of the foundations of human behaviour and insights into methods of changing behaviour. This understanding can then be applied in a Marketing context, providing insights into the consumer mind, from branding to buyer behaviour, resulting in more successful marketing plans. Likewise, studying Marketing will enable you to understand psychological knowledge and theories in the context of a real-world setting.

What we will provide
First-class teaching in the UK's second-largest city, delivered by a diverse array of staff who will inspire and excite you, fantastic facilities that will bring your course to life through hands-on, practical experience; years of close industry collaboration that is harnessed to provide you with learning based on real-world needs.

What you will provide
It is important you learn how to apply a growth mindset to your studies - understand that intelligence and success come from applying yourself, you must be able to demonstrate critical thinking and have ambition and drive to excel.

What skills we teach
Our BSc (Hons) Psychology and Marketing graduates leave with a wide range of transferrable and marketable skills, such as excellent communication skills, critical thinking and problem-solving, project management, marketing research and strategy, information acquisition and synthesis - it’s our aim to make sure you’re well-prepared for an enriching career in a variety of occupational settings.

Placement year
Our programme includes an integrated placement year in a real-life working environment, in the UK or overseas, as part of your learning. The placement you take can focus on one or both of the subjects in your course. This year allows you to gain real-world experience and apply what you've learned in a practical working environment alongside professionals. You’ll gain experience in applying the theory you’ve explored in your course in a real-world situation, boosting your employability skills.

Career prospects
Valued by some of the best-known companies in the world, our graduates go on to work with companies such as the BBC, The Civil Service, Deloitte, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, HSBC, IBM, Jaguar Land Rover, KPMG and Marks & Spencer.

How you will learn

You will complete a range of modules from across the full breadth of psychology and marketing, learning from expert academics in both subjects. These modules will give you an invaluable blend of insight and knowledge about both areas, allowing you to apply theories and practices learned in one subject to the other. This will help you to be successful in your future career and is a key part of what makes our graduates so employable and sought after.

What you will learn

There is a huge range of possibilities for how you could explore psychology and marketing at Aston University, thanks to our leading facilities, expert course leaders, and mutually supportive student community. The range of optional modules each year gives you the opportunity to customise your degree according to your specific interests.

Year 1

In your first year of the BSc (Hons) Psychology and Marketing course, you will establish a strong foundation in the key principles and concepts that underpin both psychology and marketing. This year is designed to introduce you to fundamental knowledge and skills essential for your academic journey and future career.

Year 2

You will build on the core grounding you gained in your first year, and be introduced to exciting new subject areas such as individual differences, health and personality and marketing communications. You’ll gain communication and critical thinking skills, along with developing your ability to use a wide range of statistical and qualitative research methods.

Placement year

This is your opportunity to gain valuable career-boosting experience by setting your studies in the real-world context of a working environment alongside professionals.

Final year

While deepening your understanding of developmental and social psychology, you will select optional marketing modules that fit your interests, alongside conducting a research project in a specialist area with support from our expert psychology and marketing staff.

Facilities

BSc (Hons) Psychology and Marketing students have access to a range of specialist facilities that reflect the hands-on learning within the field. In these settings, you gain practical experience alongside like-minded students, with workshops and lectures guided by industry professionals.

Psychology specialist facilities

An observation suite (with audio-visual recording).
Equipment and tools for psychophysiological measurement, such as eye tracking and motion-capture.
Experiment labs for cognitive experiments.
Larger labs for focus groups and audience-based experiments.

Course objectives

Provides you with the opportunities to realise your academic potential through a range of learning experiences.
Encourages you, through a practical approach, to have a passion for Psychology and Marketing and an enthusiasm for learning.
To provide students with an intellectually rigorous and contemporary education in and understanding of the theory, practice, and methods of psychology and marketing, which will help them to identify and achieve their personal, academic, and professional goals and aspirations in both fields.
To produce highly employable graduates who can bring qualities of critical analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and personal interpretation to their chosen occupation, and who are capable of applying and disseminating knowledge.
To deliver you a programme of a standard which satisfies the accreditation requirements of the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the BPS.
To produce graduates with skills and abilities in research and enquiry, information literacy, personal and intellectual autonomy, and ethical, social and professional understanding in order to tackle effectively the contemporary issues facing people, organisations, and society.
To provide you with a learning environment that responds to the needs of a wide range of entrants from a variety of routes, that allows you to pursue individual interests, and one in which staff’s research activity and involvement inspires and informs students’ learning.

Modules

Modules and learning outcomes

Year 1 modules

In your first year, you will study the following core modules:

Module Title	Credits
Key Skills in Psychology I - Gain a solid foundation in key skills vital for today's psychologists. Delve into critical thinking, research methodologies, data analysis, and ethical considerations. This module provides essential tools for understanding human behaviour, fostering effective communication, and applying psychological theories in practical settings.	15
Key Skills in Psychology II - Obtain practical experience in various research scenarios by using innovative software to make online questionnaires and experiments, analyse quantitative data, and write compelling research reports.	15
Biological and Cognitive Psychology - Learn about core topics in neuroscience and cognitive psychology, including how the brain develops and functions in health and disease.	15
Developmental and Social Psychology - An introduction to the main theories of cognitive and perceptual development and attachment, as well as the theories, findings, and methods in cognitive-experimental social psychology.	15
Marketing Principles	15
Law, Economics and Accounting for Marketers	15
Marketing Communications	15
Consumer Behaviour	15
Total	120

Year 1 outcomes

On successful completion of the first year, you will be able to:

Communicate appropriate understanding of the scope, nature, and applications of psychology and marketing as academic disciplines, including conceptual, ethical, and historical issues, and the contributions of different perspectives.
Communicate appropriate understanding of the scientific method, a range of research designs and qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and a selection of basic descriptive and inferential statistics.
Articulate knowledge of a range of theories and concepts in core areas of psychology (as defined in the British Psychological Society’s GBC curriculum) and marketing.
Competently use information technology for word processing, data handling, communication, and information gathering.
Communicate accurately, effectively, and appropriately, presenting structured and coherent arguments in a range of formats and demonstrating awareness of professional norms.
Evidence a range of transferrable academic skills, including an ability to reflect on own learning and development, to engage effectively with feedback, and to work effectively and collaboratively with peers.
Describe a range of possible career pathways that graduates of the programme might pursue, and able to articulate the employability skills and attributes required in these careers.

Year 2 modules

In your second year, you will study the following core modules:

Module Title	Credits
Applied Psychology and Professional Skills - Develop an understanding of your transferable professional skills and knowledge by exploring how they have been, and are, applied towards the improvement of practice within and across applied professions. Prepare for your post-graduate future by improving your employability through an authentic assessment on the application process.	15
Research Methods and Data Analysis - Learn how to conduct and analyse quantitative research in psychology. Gain hands-on experience of designing questionnaires and experiments and learn a range of advanced data analysis methods.	15
Individual Differences and Personality - Learn about how intelligence and personality measures can be used to understand real-world behaviours. We will also cover theories and the history of these concepts.	15
Cognition and Cognitive Neuropsychology - Learn about different types of reasoning, decision making and problem-solving. Develop a basic understanding of cognitive impairments arising from brain damage.	15
Stakeholder Relations Management	15
Services Marketing & Management	15
Market Research	15
Digital Analytics	15
Total	120

Year 2 outcomes

Critically evaluate a variety of research designs and methodologies.
Use a wide range of basic and advanced descriptive and inferential statistics for analysing data appropriately.
Communicate appropriate critical thinking and to question received wisdom.
Articulate advanced knowledge and understanding of historical and contemporary theories and concepts in core areas of psychology (as defined in the British Psychological Society’s GBC curriculum) and marketing, and of how these link to practice in both fields.
Identify and discuss the most appropriate research evidence and methods for addressing research questions.
Convey a strong understanding and application of formal academic communication styles in their own work.
Synthesise, explain and critically evaluate different paradigms, concepts, theories, and evidence to form compelling arguments.
Articulate, explain, and reflect critically upon their own employability skills and attributes, and be able to map these against possible graduate career pathways.

Placement year modules

In your placement year, you will study the following core module:

Module Title	Credits
Placement year - This module aims to provide a framework for students on placement (including working or studying abroad, working or volunteering in the UK in a variety of contexts) to demonstrate the learning they have achieved through their placement experiences and relate these to future employment opportunities.	120
Total	120

Placement year outcomes

On successful completion of the placement year, you will be able to:

Demonstrate increasing personal and professional development through a placement
Articulate key personal, cultural, professional and disciplinary knowledge and skills relevant to the placement experience, and reflect on performance
Clearly communicate the ways in which placement-related skills can be transferred to support ongoing personal, professional and academic development

Final year modules

In your final year, you will study the following core modules:

Module Title	Credits
Final Year Project - Working closely with an experienced academic, you will showcase and build on research skills taught earlier in the course by designing and conducting a study that adds new knowledge to psychological literature.	30
Critical Social Psychology - Explore different topics in social psychology, for example, stereotypes, norms, prejudice, relationships and identity. You will be encouraged to approach social psychology from a critical perspective, for example, considering how social psychology is culturally and socially situated, and to engage with qualitative methods of data collection.	15
Child Development - Develop your critical understanding of research into development across the lifespan including research into antenatal development, parenting, language and literacy, and cognitive development and theory of mind.	15
Marketing Strategy	15
Ethical and Sustainable Marketing	15
Strategic Brand Management	15
Total	105

and one of the following optional modules for

Module Title	Credits
Strategic Sales Management	15
Retail Management	15
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship for Marketing	15
Total	15

*Availability of any optional modules will be subject to staff availability and a minimum number of students who express an interest in studying the optional modules.

Final year outcomes

On successful completion of the final year, you will be able to:

Identify a research question and hypothesis, and thereupon design, execute, and report a sustained and independent empirical research project, with clear consideration of ethical practice.
Create and present sustained arguments backed up with evidence that reflects a contemporary understanding of the field.
Communicate a detailed, integrated, and critical understanding of issues in – and theories of – psychology and marketing.
Synthesise and critically evaluate concepts, theories, and research evidence.
Use different qualitative approaches for analysing data appropriately.

We regularly review our modules to provide the best possible teaching and learning experience, incorporating academic developments, student feedback and employer feedback.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any changes to modules at the earliest opportunity by updating our course webpages.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints may mean it isn’t possible to take some module combinations. The structure of some courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

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