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Level 7 Diploma · Diploma

Level 7 Diploma in Psychology

A bridging qualification for anyone heading towards an MSc in psychology, including people whose first degree was in something else entirely. Six units build the academic foundation. Important: it prepares you for further study, not for practising as a psychologist.

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Quick Highlights

Gatehouse Awards Ltd
Ofqual, on the RQF
120 credits, 6 mandatory units
360 hours
Coursework and Portfolio of Evidence
Academic preparation for MSc study, not a licence to practise

1,200 hours (360 GLH) Level 7 Diploma

Programme at a Glance

Full qualification titleGA Level 7 Diploma in Psychology, QAN 610/7550/4

Scope, in Gatehouse's words"This qualification provides academic preparation for postgraduate study in psychology. It does not confer eligibility to practise as a psychologist or deliver psychological interventions."

Awarding organisationGatehouse Awards Ltd, Reg. 07298045, England and Wales, regulated by Ofqual on the RQF at Level 7

Size120 credits over six mandatory units, each 20 credits with 60 guided learning hours and 140 study hours

Total Qualification Time1,200 hours, split as 360 guided learning and 840 independent study

EntryAge 21+ with an honours degree or Level 6 (no prior psychology required). Or, relevant human interaction experience assessed via CV/portfolio, interview, development evidence, references & a written task. Non-native speakers require English CEFR B2.

Note: Duration will be based on your experience and it can be advanced bachelors too which differs from prospects to prospects

Programme Overview

About this Programme

Gatehouse describes this award in unusually direct terms: a broad bridging qualification for learners from psychology and non-psychology backgrounds who need a comprehensive academic foundation across the core areas of the subject before starting MSc-level study. If your degree was in nursing, teaching, social work or business and you now want to move into psychology properly, that is the gap this is built to close.

The six units cover the discipline rather than a slice of it. Philosophical and theoretical foundations come first, then biological, cognitive and affective processes, then social, cultural and developmental influences, then psychopathology and intervention, then individual differences and psychometrics, and finally research methods. Each is 20 credits at Level 7, adding up to 120.

Read this next line carefully, because it is Gatehouse's own and it matters more than anything else on the page. The qualification provides academic preparation for postgraduate study in psychology. It does not confer eligibility to practise as a psychologist or to deliver psychological interventions. Treat any provider who suggests otherwise with caution.

Gatehouse Awards

Why Choose

Why Choose This Programme?

Designed as a conversion route

Gatehouse built it for people coming from outside psychology who need the full academic grounding before an MSc will take them seriously.

The whole discipline, not a corner of it

Foundations, biological and cognitive, social and developmental, psychopathology, individual differences and research methods are all compulsory.

Research training aimed at postgraduate work

Unit 6 goes as far as designing robust, ethically informed research proposals suitable for postgraduate level study.

Psychometrics included

Individual differences and the principles of applied psychology sit in one unit, so testing and measurement are covered rather than skipped.

Honest about what it is not

Few Level 7 diplomas publish their own limits. Gatehouse states plainly that this is not a route to practising, which protects you from mis-selling.

Entry open to several sectors

Applicants without a degree can be considered on experience in education, health, social care, business or other fields involving human behaviour.

An internationally recognised pathway awarded by Gatehouse Awards.

What You'll Learn

Learning Outcomes

Students in a collaborative learning environment

Trace where psychological ideas came from and why the theories disagree

Explain behaviour through biological, cognitive and affective processes

Account for social, cultural and developmental influences on how people think and act

Understand psychopathology, mental health and the main forms of intervention

Work with individual differences and the principles behind psychometric measurement

Compare competing explanations of the same behaviour and judge which holds up

Evaluate published research critically rather than taking findings at face value

Design an ethically sound research proposal fit for postgraduate study

Programme Structure

Your Journey, Year by Year

A structured curriculum that builds from foundations through to advanced study.

Part 1 — Mandatory units

All six units are required. Each is Level 7, 20 credits, 60 guided learning hours and 140 hours of independent study.

Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Psychology (T/652/1920)
Biological, Cognitive and Affective Psychology (Y/652/1921)
Social, Cultural and Developmental Psychology (A/652/1922)
Psychopathology, Mental Health and Psychological Intervention (D/652/1923)
Individual Differences and Principles of Applied Psychology (F/652/1924)
Research Methods in Psychology (H/652/1925)

Part 2 — Rules of combination

All six mandatory units and 120 credits are required. There are no further rules of combination and nothing optional to choose between.

All six units mandatory
120 credits in total
No optional units
No further rules of combination

Part 3 — Assessment and quality assurance

How the qualification is judged and verified.

Coursework alongside a Portfolio of Evidence
No written examination
A research proposal at postgraduate standard in the final unit
Unit sign off at the centre, then internal moderation
External moderation by Gatehouse before the certificate is issued

The University

Gatehouse Awards

Your Learning Partner