Criminological Psychology
Buckinghamshire New University
UCAS Code: C890 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Grade 4 or above in Maths and English are required. We will consider equivalent qualifications.
UCAS Tariff
A typical offer will be a UCAS Tariff score of 96 - 120. A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis. For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our General Entry Requirements pages.
About this course
Have you ever wondered what drives a person to commit a crime? If the criminal mind intrigues you, then this course will give you the answers. In our BSc (Hons) Criminological Psychology course, you’ll explore areas of forensic psychology, victimology and psychology to find out what makes the mind of a criminal tick…
**Why study this subject?**
Our BSc (Hons) Criminological Psychology course combines studying the core areas of psychology with applied areas of forensic psychology, victimology and psychology in the criminal justice system.
This course looks at how psychology furthers our understanding of criminal behaviour and will give you the opportunity to get involved in research in the social, developmental, cognitive and biological dimensions of the subject.
**Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?**
At BNU, we explore every aspect of psychology on our wide range of courses. Our teaching department is home to an incredible community of Psychology and Social Science students who can collaborate with you on projects, providing a rich supply of volunteers when you run your own experiments.
Our strong links with several local prisons will ensure you’ll be exposed to psychology in an applied context and we regularly invite guest speakers to provide additional insight to the worlds of forensic and clinical psychology.
Our BSc (Hons) Psychology and Criminology programme is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and is a recognised qualification by employers throughout the country. Upon graduation, you’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) and from there you can take your next steps to becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
**What facilities can I use?**
On our BSc (Hons) Criminological Psychology programme, you’ll take part in laboratory and computing workshops where you’ll have the practical use of software used by social scientists in the presentation of research data.
You’ll also have the opportunity to use our state-of-the-art observation laboratory to engage in the measurement of psycho-physiological responses using Biopac©. You’ll be able to measure the activity of the cardiovascular system, brain, autonomic nervous system and more. You’ll also have access to Tobii eye tracking equipment and HTC Vive, a virtual reality software, meaning you can push the boundaries and get creative with your research ideas!
**What will I study?**
You’ll immerse yourself in the psychology present at every stage of the criminal justice system; crime, policing, legal system, prison, probation and rehabilitation).
Over the course of three years, you’ll dive into fascinating topics like developmental, biological, social, cognitive, forensic and police psychology as well as criminology, victimology, disability and mental health in the criminal justice system and radicalisation and terrorism.
**How will I be taught and assessed?**
You’ll be introduced to the core areas of psychology within the British Psychological Society Curriculum and criminology before moving on to explore more complex issues and theories throughout your time on the course.
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, classroom-based activities and workshops, independent learning methods and practical sessions. You’ll always be encouraged to think critically about the ideas you engage with on this course and you’ll be given the opportunity to explore and discuss those ideas with your tutors and fellow students.
You’ll be assessed through a number of methods including poster presentations, essays and assignments, examinations, oral presentations, laboratory/research reports and an empirical dissertation in your final year.
Modules
Year One: Introduction to Criminology; Developmental and Social Psychology; Biological Psychology and Cognitive Psychology; Personality and Applying Psychology, Cross-Disciplinary Psychology, Psychological Research Methods . Year Two: Psychological Perspectives of Criminal Behaviour, Developmental Psychology, Biopsychology, Quantitative Research Methods in Psychology, Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology, Cognitive Processes in Psychology. Year Three: Communication, Interaction and the Criminal Justice System, Radicalisation and Terrorism, Disability, Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System, Police Psychology and the Legal Framework, Investigative and Forensic Psychology, Victimology, Interpersonal Violence, Empirical Dissertation, Historical and Conceptual Issues in Psychology, Social Psychology, Issues in Personality and Individual Differences.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Buckinghamshire New University
School of Human and Social Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Sociology
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.
Sociology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
We have quite a lot of sociology graduates, although numbers fell last year. But graduates still do pretty well. Most sociology graduates go straight into work when they complete their degrees, and a lot of graduates go into jobs in social professions such as recruitment, education, community and youth work, and housing. An important option for a sociology graduate is social work - and we're short of people willing to take this challenging but rewarding career. Sociology is a flexible degree and you can find graduates from the subject in pretty much every reasonable job — obviously, you don't find many doctors or engineers, but you do find them in finance, the media, healthcare, marketing and even IT. Sociology graduates taking further study often branch out into other qualifications, like teaching, law, psychology, HR and even maths, so don’t think a sociology degree restricts you to just one set of options.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Psychology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
£20k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Sociology, social policy and anthropology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£24k
£24k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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