Applied Psychology BTEC - Extended Certificate

L3 Level 3
Full Time
3 September 2025 — 23 June 2026
City Centre Campus, Cardiff

About this course

The course is an excellent introduction to applied psychology, allowing students to consider its importance across many aspects of our lives, including practical applications. 
A psychology qualification allows the learner to develop a broad range of transferable skills such as critical thinking and writing along with access to a broad range of careers from counselling and therapy to forensics and law.
Assessments are in the form of one internal and one external assessment each year and topics studied include Health Psychology and Criminal and Forensic Psychology.

What you will study

Unit 3 – Health Psychology
External assessment: 2 hour written examination 

Health psychologists are interested in how psychological and physiological factors affect health and ill health. This unit includes approaches, theories and studies that explore the reasons why individuals engage in specific behaviours such as addiction and why individuals may experience high levels of stress and the impact this has on health. In addition, the unit explores how health psychologists can help improve health behaviours using psychological theories of persuasion and learn about specific physiological and behavioural treatments.

Unit 4 – Criminal and Forensic Psychology
Internal assessment – Written assignment comprising of 3 reports

Are criminals born or made? This unit looks at a number of different explanations for criminal behaviour, linked to the approaches from unit 1, and analyse the best way to treat criminal behaviour; punishment or modification? Students will also learn about different methods of creating an offender profile and will create their own as part of the final assignment.

Entry requirements

5 GCSEs A* - C including English Language, Maths and Double Science. Science and Maths should be Grade B or higher.

Important points

  • The College welcomes contact with parents/guardians of students who are under 18.
  • Additional support is available for students with learning difficulties and disabilities.
  • Cardiff and Vale College is committed to inclusion and values diversity. We are determined to promote equality of opportunity and to treat everyone fairly and with respect.
  • Cardiff and Vale College reserves the right to make changes to this course without prior notice.
  • Course fees are subject to change. Your fee will be confirmed prior to enrolment.
  • All courses are accurate at the time of upload or print.
  • Courses can only run if there are sufficient numbers.
  • Please note, if you choose three or more course choices, then you may be referred for a careers appointment first. This does not apply to A Level or GCSE choices.
Key information

Start date

3 September 2025

End date

23 June 2026

Time of day

Day Time

Full Time

4.5 hours per week

Location

City Centre Campus, Cardiff
Maps & directions

Course code

GECC3SF1
L3

Qualification

Applied Psychology

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CAVC is a great place to study A Levels – the teachers, the support, the facilities and social experience has been so good – I’m delighted to have gained all A’s in my AS exams. The support to apply and prepare for university is brilliant and I’m looking forward to progressing after college.

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Career prospects & further study

500

Fantastic university progression routes! With hundreds of students gaining places at Oxbridge, Russell Group and other leading universities. In fact, this year more than 500 students achieved their firm or insurance choice through UCAS, with nearly 100 being Russell Group universities!

This course will enable progression onto university courses such as BA/BSc Psychology, Human Sciences, Counselling, Marketing or Criminology 
Alternatively, the qualification allows learners to gain the required understanding and skills to be able to consider employment within some aspects of the criminal justice system, marketing, education and the civil service. A sought-after qualification by many employers due to the development of transferable key skills such as critical thinking and writing.

Locations

City Centre Campus, Cardiff
City Centre Campus, Cardiff

City Centre Campus,

Dumballs Road,

Cardiff,

CF10 5FE