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Psychology & Criminology BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: P3C5

Explore the complexities of the criminal justice system in our psychology and criminology degree. Understand the relationship between the mind and criminal behaviour. Begin an exciting career in psychology on a degree accredited by the British Psychological Society.

Overview

Course length: 3 years full-time
Start dates: September 2024
Location: Edge Hill University
Example offers: BBB-ABB (A Level) or DDM (BTEC) View full entry criteria
Subject(s): PsychologyCriminology
Faculty: Arts and Sciences
Department: Psychology
Two students chat while working on laptops in a seminar.

We’ve complemented our psychology degree with the addition of criminology studies. So you can compare and contrast different perspectives in these two fascinating areas. You’ll investigate by asking why. Why do we use substances? And how. How does memory affect our ability to recall a crime?

Our degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and is the perfect first step on your journey to becoming a chartered professional. Psychology puts every aspect of the brain and our behaviour under the microscope – how we learn, interact and use body language. In criminology, you’ll discover the nuances of criminal behaviour through insights into the inner workings of the justice system.

Developing research skills is vital too. We’ll help you explore the latest methodologies. At the same time, you’ll develop career skills in creativity, critical thinking and communication.

Outside the lecture theatre, we encourage you to get involved with our Psychology Society and look out for exciting opportunities to work with our experts on their latest research projects. Your psychology degree will be taught by staff who carry out world-leading research and are experts in their fields.

This course is weighted towards psychology. When you finish, you’ll be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC).

British Psychological Society logo

Course features

  • International students can apply

  • Professional accreditation

  • Sandwich year option available

  • Studying abroad option available

What you'll study

In the first year of your BSc Psychology & Criminology degree, you’ll develop the skills needed for applied psychology and we’ll introduce you to elements of behavioural psychology. We’ll develop your skills in data analysis and interpretation that will be essential in the real world. Alongside the main concepts and basic principles of psychology, we’ll unravel criminology, beginning with the criminal justice process then moving onto criminology theory.

Compulsory modules:

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Essential Skills in Applied Psychology
Introduction to Cognitive & Biological Psychology
Introduction to Criminological Theory
Introduction to Personality, Social & Developmental Psychology
Introduction to the Criminal Justice Process
Investigating Methods in Psychology

Year 2 is grounded in the key psychology strands including developmental, social, cognitive and biological psychology. We’ll also help you become confident in designing, conducting and analysing your own research. We’ll then cover criminological theory and how it applies to modern criminal justice. Learn to challenge mainstream crime theories and delve into different social context examples.

Compulsory modules:

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Biological Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Critical Criminological Theory
Developmental Psychology
Research Methods & Data Analysis
Social Psychology

You’ll deepen your understanding of specific areas of psychology and criminology in the final year. You’ll shape your studies with optional modules such as the study of human behaviour, the politics of policing, or imprisonment. Then you’ll draw elements from both subjects together to complete a dissertation and develop your skills in independent study.

Compulsory modules:

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Dissertation
Personality and Individual Differences
Reflections & Future Directions

Three of:

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Crime and Place
Crimes of the Powerful 1
Crimes of the Powerful 2
Expanding the Criminological Imagination
Justice, Rights and the State
Learning to Thrive
The Politics of Imprisonment
The Politics of Policing

Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.

How you'll study

Our teaching methods vary from traditional style lectures to tutorials, seminars and workshops. There are well-equipped laboratory facilities consisting of a teaching lab, audio visual suite and soundproof cubicles for conducting experiments. We have a wide range of IT facilities, including experiment generation and statistical packages.

Timetables for your first week are normally available at the end of August prior to enrolment in September. You can expect to receive your timetable for the rest of the academic year during your first week. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.

How you'll be assessed

Assessment methods include essays, formal examinations, statistical exercises, group research projects, report writing, oral presentations, designing a research proposal and completing a dissertation.

Who will be teaching you

You will be taught by a highly-committed team of research-active, expert tutors whose primary areas of specialism correspond directly with the themes of the modules available across this programme.

The Department of Psychology operates a research internship scheme where you may have the opportunity to volunteer to assist with staff research across a range of exciting projects. Previous projects have focused on subjects including eye movements and memory, alcohol and inhibition, autistic traits, attentional bias to pictures and words, personality and offending behaviour, behaviour change and food awareness, multiple perspective taking, the neural underpinnings of action simulation, and the question of whether emojis reveal true emotions.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Typical offer 120-128 UCAS Tariff points, for which no specific subjects are required, plus GCSE English and GCSE Mathematics at Grade C or Grade 4 or above (or equivalent).

Please note, for the purposes of studying psychology, level 2 literacy and numeracy qualifications are not considered as equivalent to GCSE Grade C or Grade 4 in English Language and Mathematics.

Example offers

Qualification Requirement
A Level BBB-ABB.
BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) Distinction, Distinction, Merit (DDM).
T Level Overall grade of Merit.
International Baccalaureate (IB) We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points.
Access to Higher Education Diploma 45 credits at Level 3, for example 24 credits at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit or 30 credits at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations.

Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.

If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.

English language requirements

International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.

If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.

How to apply

Apply full-time

Apply online through UCAS

Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.

International

Apply as an international student

Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Did you know?

If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.

Discover our accommodation

Facilities

Law and Psychology buildingThe £6million Law and Psychology building provides contemporary teaching and learning facilities for students in the Department of Psychology and the School of Law, Criminology and Policing.

The three-storey building includes a 250-seat lecture theatre, seminar and tutorial rooms, and social learning areas which encourage a more informal and interactive style of learning. There are also specially designed laboratory and experimental facilities for psychological research.

Where you'll study

Law and Psychology

Learning resources

Psychology resources include state-of-the-art eye trackers, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) methods, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for examining cognitive functioning and brain activity. Other specialist laboratories include a group testing laboratory, bi-directional observation rooms, a ‘bar simulation laboratory’ (for alcohol research), audio-visual suites and dedicated IT facilities equipped with subject specific software installed to support experimental work.

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Full-Time

£9,250

a year

International

£16,500

a year

The University may administer a small inflationary rise in tuition fees, in line with Government policy, in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.

Your future career

This degree opens up a range of career paths. Our graduates work across a range of sectors.

Because your psychology degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), you’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), provided the minimum standard of a lower second class honours is achieved. This is the first step towards becoming a chartered psychologist.

However, you might decide to kickstart your career as soon as you graduate. Many psychology graduates apply their skills to rewarding roles in:

  • the NHS
  • private healthcare providers
  • public health providers
  • local authorities
  • HM Prison and Probation Services
  • civil service

It’s important to note that if you want to train as a psychologist, you’ll need to undertake postgraduate education. This undergraduate degree is the perfect first step to becoming a chartered psychologist.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Track changes to this course

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