Program Overview

Criminology with Psychology (with Foundation Year) BSc (Hons)

Overview

Criminology is the study of crime within society, but, what is crime, why do people offend and what should we do with criminals? Why do we focus on crimes of the powerless, are crimes of the powerful more harmful? What is the role of the police and the criminal justice system? How does the news and media shape our understanding and experience of crime? How do race, gender, age, sexual orientation and class shape experiences of crime and victimisation? How does our more globalised world shape localised experiences of crime?

Course Details

Foundation Year Core Modules

• Discovering the Social Sciences, Humanities and Law: You are introduced to the historical and contemporary development of social science disciplines, exploring examples of theoretical challenges and ways in which research is practically applied in society.
• Investigating Society and Culture: The Case of Crime: Taking a multidisciplinary approach, explore crime through history, politics, English and creative writing, criminology, sociology, psychology and education to investigate the problems within society and culture.
• Your Foundation Year Project: Identify and explore an area of interest related to your area of study through small-scale research using secondary data or desk-based research.
• Your Toolkit for University Success: You develop your personal and academic skills to help prepare you for searching and retrieving information, evaluating different types of evidence, critical thinking and reading skills, note-taking and summarising evidence, presentation skills, groupwork, digital literacy and employability.

Year 1 Core Modules

• Becoming a Social Scientist: Develop academic skills, knowledge and understanding to support successful study within a criminology and sociology higher education learning environment.
• Crime and Society: Study the foundational elements and key questions in sociology and criminology.
• Criminal Law for Criminologists: Criminal law, perhaps the best-known aspect of the legal system, presents an interesting and challenging area of study.
• Issues in Criminal Justice: You study the criminal justice system and a range of agencies and institutions that operate within it.

Year 2 Core Modules

• Biological and Social Psychology: The module is divided into two halves: biopsychology and social psychology.
• Criminological Theory in Practice: You develop your understanding of the major developments in criminological theory from the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
• Future Directions and Research for Social Scientists: Develop an understanding of employment pathways, opportunities, reflective practice, experiential learning, and social research methods in criminology and sociology, ready for employment.
• Police and Policing: Explore the development, organisation and practice of policing in modern society.

Final-Year Core Modules

• Applied Forensic Psychology: Focus on the application of psychological research and theory to practice in the criminal justice system.
• Criminology and Sociology Dissertation: Your dissertation provides the platform to produce a piece of independent research, with academic supervision.
• Current Issues in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: This module is aimed at students who have an interest in applied aspects of cognitive psychology, especially educational psychology, as well as those interested in developmental and bio-psychology.
• Penology: You study the relationship between philosophies of punishment, methods and strategies of penal intervention, including sentencing, imprisonment, community sentences and community supervision.

Entry Requirements

• A typical offer is 32-64 tariff points from at least two A levels, T level or equivalent, and GCSE grade 4 (grade C) or equivalent in English.

Employability

• You can enter a broad range of careers including the probation service, the prison service, the police, voluntary organisations, the public sector and postgraduate training or study.

Tuition Fees

• Full-time: £9,535 a year (UK applicants), £17,000 a year (international applicants)
• Part-time: Not available part-time

Other Course Routes

• Full-time: 4 years, UCAS code: M9C0 BSc/CrPFY
• Part-time: Not available part-time

How You Learn

• Modules are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars workshops and online learning.

How You Are Assessed

• Our varied assessments develop the skills most valued by employers. They include essays, exams, group and individual presentations, poster presentations, portfolios and a dissertation.