Helston Community College

Psychology Extended Certificate

Is this course for me?
If you enjoy thinking about why people behave in the way that they do or if you want to understand yourself better, then this course will be of interest. You will learn about your memory, stress, psychological disorders, obedience and conformity and will study a range of other topics. Since all jobs involve dealing with people, having some understanding of human behaviour is going to be an advantage. Psychology is a well established course at Helston Community College and has remained a consistently popular choice for Post 16 students because they find the course interesting, challenging, satisfying and fun.

What qualifications do I need?
You will need at least 4 grade 4s in GCSE subjects (not equivalents); successful students tend to have at least 2 grade 6s from English, Maths or Science. It is also advisable to study the Core Maths qualification alongside this subject.

What does the course involve?
A wide range of teaching methods alternating between teacher-centred and student-centred lessons. Students will find out about the different ways of understanding and explaining human behaviour, including the behavioural, cognitive, biological and social approaches. These are then applied to areas such as gender, aggression and consumer behaviour. In the first year, there is also a coursework unit where students learn about ways of conducting psychological investigations and then conduct their own. In the second year students learn about the psychology of health, including explanations and treatments for addiction and stress related illnesses. There is also a coursework unit in which students can focus on criminal and forensic psychology.

How will my work be assessed?
For the complete course there are four units:

Unit 1: Psychological Approaches and Applications (Exam)
Unit 2: Conducting Psychological Research (Coursework)
Unit 3: Health Psychology (Exam)
Unit 4: Criminal and Forensic Psychology (Coursework)

What can I do afterwards?
If you think you will end-up working with people or animals then this is a relevant course! Psychology has grown to be one of the most popular subjects taken in Post 16. Part of the reason for this is the subject's engaging content, but it is also due to both universities and employers recognising the value of the course and the skills it develops. Students with degrees in Psychology can enter a whole range of graduate professions and after additional training can become clinical psychologists, diagnosing and treating those with mental illness.