Psychology and Criminology BSc

UCAS code: C820, C821 (with professional placement year), C822 (with year abroad)

Key information

Course type:

Joint honours

Delivery mode:

Campus

Study mode:

Full time

Required A-level:

A*AA

Full entry requirements, including contextual requirements

Duration:

Three years (or four years with a year abroad or a professional placement year)

Start date:

September 2025

Application deadline:

31 January 2025

Optional study abroad

Optional year in industry

Apply via UCAS

This new Psychology and Criminology BSc will equip you with a strong understanding of theory, research, and practice in core areas of psychology and criminology. You’ll learn how the disciplines interrelate and how they are applied in real-world contexts to challenge issues like crime prevention, mental health and their impacts on the criminal justice system. During your psychology and criminology degree, you’ll benefit from the research and expertise of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), which is one of the world’s leading centres for interdisciplinary research in psychiatry and psychology, and the Dickson Poon School of Law (DPSoL), which is one of the oldest law schools in England and recognised as one of the best in the world. Our BSc in psychology and criminology is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as providing a graduate basis for chartered membership of the society (GBC). This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist and an essential step for undertaking further professional training in psychology in areas such as clinical psychology. It’s also possible to spend a year in a professional placement or studying abroad if you wish to.

Key benefits

Learn from world-leading experts who enhance their teaching with current research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and the Dickson Poon School of Law.
Strengthen your skills with placement and voluntary opportunities with partners such as the South London & Maudsley Hospital.
Qualify for BPS membership when you graduate and become eligible to train as a clinical psychologist.
Prepare for the world of work from the very start of your studies, with a focus on employability and transferable skills embedded throughout your learning.
Get individual support from a personal tutor who will help you throughout your degree, offering pastoral support and skills training.
Option to spend a year in a professional placement or studying abroad.

Employability

Graduates of this Psychology and Criminology BSc have many career opportunities based on their wide-ranging knowledge of human behaviour and how the mind works.

The British Psychological Society (BPS) has accredited this degree as providing a graduate basis for chartered membership of the society (GBC). This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist and an essential step for undertaking further professional training in psychology in areas such as clinical psychology.

However, a psychology and criminology degree also provides graduates with a broad skill set, including data analysis, problem-solving, scientific and statistical literacy and effective communication.

Employability skills are taught from the very start of this degree, which was highlighted as a particular strength of this course by the BPS. Some of these are practical and include being able to engage with sustainability issues, link theory with practice, work confidently as part of a team or independently, resolve complex challenges and demonstrate digital competencies.

Other transferable skills you’ll develop include thinking critically and creatively, having a broad appreciation of competing perspectives and enhanced empathy, and the resilience to be challenged to develop in areas that you may feel less confident about.

Psychology and criminology graduates are notably flexible in the workplace and go on to succeed in a variety of professions, including:

Further study to become a research, forensic, educational or clinical psychologist or to specialise in different aspects of criminology and criminal justice
Entering the public or private sector, including in roles associated with crime and crime control
Applying this knowledge to a range of roles in the fields of health and social care, education, public administration and defence, criminal justice, crime prevention, crime investigation and offender management, civil service, marketing and communication, finance and insurance.

If you wish to pursue a legal career, please note that you would need to undertake a Law Conversion course after your graduation from this BSc.