BSc (Hons) Criminology and Criminal Justice with Psychology
Criminology and psychology inhabit a rapidly changing world and through this course you will study not one, but two topical, challenging and fascinating disciplines.
Covering two distinct and yet complementary areas of study, this major minor Criminology with Psychology degree allows you to study the fundamental elements of each discipline.
Not only will you be able to gain an advanced understanding of crime and criminal justice systems, but you’ll be able to consider the psychology of crime in relation to such issues, making for a stimulating programme of study.
The ability to combine two academic disciplines is also a great way of broadening your knowledge base and opening up opportunities for a wide range of interesting career options.
Find us on Twitter @USWCriminology.
Get a glimpse of what it's like to study at USW before you apply
You will study a mix of criminology and psychology modules throughout the course. Each year your studies will focus on a series of criminology modules which will be supplemented with additional psychology study.
Year One
- Perspectives In Criminology: Developmental Criminology
- Becoming a Criminologist
- Dod yn Droseddegwr (Through the medium of Welsh, Optional)
- Inside the criminal justice system
- Perspectives In Criminology: Power and Society
- Critical Perspectives in Psychology
Year Two
- Prisons and Imprisonment
- Contemporary Issues in Substance Misuse (Optional)
- Applied Criminological Inquiry
- Ymholiad Troseddegol Cymhwysol (Through the medium of Welsh, Optional)
- Understanding VAWDASV
- Work Experience (Optional)
- From Cells to Consciousness
- Lifespan Development in the Social Context
Year Three
- Health Psychology across the Lifespan
- Forensic Psychology
- Dissertation (Optional)
- Working in Industry (Optional)
- Social Justice Internship (Optional)
- Applied Criminal Investigation (Optional)
- Understanding Homicide (Optional)
- Green Criminology: Animal abuse and Environmental harms (Optional)
- Terrorism, Security & Extremism (Optional)
Teaching
The Criminology with Psychology degree is taught through a combination of lectures, discussion based or practical seminars, participative workshops and tutorials. There is a strong emphasis on research methods and you will develop your practical psychology skills in our purpose-built laboratories. We also invite guest speakers from a range of professions, such as the youth service, the police and the various branches of psychology.
Research-informed teaching
The Centre for Criminology has a long history of research on the probation service and custodial institutions, and related topics such as the rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders, effectiveness and accountability in policy and practice, inter-agency partnerships and relationships between the criminal justice system, the Third Sector and the UK and Welsh governments. It also conducts high-quality research into the use of drugs and alcohol, violence and homicide, and criminal investigation.
Assessment
You will usually have to complete coursework as you progress, and normally sit exams at the end of each academic year.
Facilities
Facilities include observation and interview rooms equipped with a two-way mirror, CCTV and audio, which allows research and interview practice sessions to be conducted and recorded. We also have a custom-built air conditioned PC laboratory which provides access to specialist software for running psychology experiments and conducting careers guidance interviews.
The Cognitive Neuropsychology Suite houses specialist psychology equipment such as eye tracking equipment, EEG (electroencephalogram) and ECG (electrocardiogram) facilities for recording electrical activity in the heart and scalp and a driving simulator.
The University offers a wide range of psychological services to the general public through our psychology clinics which include autism, behaviour analysis, health and sport psychology interventions.
We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
The entry criteria below reflect our standard entry requirements for the course for September 2023. However, all applications received by the University are reviewed holistically and individually. Entry criteria for September 2024 is changing and will be published on ucas.com from 8th May 2023. Entry criteria for September 2024 will be updated on our website from the end of October 2023.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions. USW prides itself on it’s a student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Here is a link to our Contextual Admissions Policy.
Other qualifications and experience
We can also consider combinations of qualifications and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable. We can sometimes consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or advanced entry to year two or three of a course where this is possible.
To find out which qualifications have tariff points, please refer to the UCAS tariff calculator.
If you need more help or information or would like to speak to our friendly admissions team, please contact us here
Typical A-Level Offer
BCC - CDD (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Welsh BACC Offer
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C/D in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CD at A Level (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical BTEC Offer
Pass the International Baccalaureate Diploma with higher grades of between 655-445 (this is equivalent to 112-80 UCAS tariff points)
Typical IB Offer
Pass the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 29 overall including 5 or above in English at standard level
Typical Access to HE Offer
Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points
Additional Requirements
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
International Entry Requirements
We also welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications. Please visit the country specific pages on our international website for exact details.
English Requirements
In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an overall IELTS grade of 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.
However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details. If your country is not featured please contact us.
Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course
August 2023 - July 2024 Fees
Full-time UK: £9000
Full-time International: £14400
August 2024 - July 2025 Fees
Full-time UK: TBC
Full-time International: TBC
Student Perks
At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.
Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.
Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.
Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
* Obligatory
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DBS | £55.42 | For 2nd year students electing to do the Professional Practice module where their placement requires it. The fee covers the cost of the enhanced check, online admin fees and the post office checks. |
| Placement expenses: work placement | 2nd year students can undertake a period of work placement if they take the Professional Practice module. Students undertaking placement may incur costs associated with travel and expected workplace attire will vary according to the placement. |
|
| Other: Text books | £0 - £200 | Text books are available in the library, but students may wish to purchase their own copies. |
Funding
Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs
Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.
UK students
Apply via UCAS if you are a UK residing applicant, applying for year 1 of a full-time undergraduate degree, Foundation Year, Foundation Degree or HND and you have not applied through UCAS before. If you are applying to study part-time, to top up your Foundation Degree or HND, or to transfer to USW from another institution, please apply directly.
International and EU students
Apply directly to the University if you live outside the UK.
The course gives you a solid foundation for professional training in social work, probation, youth justice, youth and community work and research. Other popular career routes include the police, prison service and other criminal justice agencies, as well as protection and victim support services. From social workers and counsellors to clinical psychologists, our recent graduates have attained positions in a variety of roles across the country.
The ability to master two academic subjects demonstrates a high level of organisational skill and enables you to enter a variety of rewarding careers. Besides gaining knowledge of two complementary subjects, you will develop key skills that employers value such as evaluating evidence and making conclusions, writing reports, the application of IT and the confidence to present logical reasoned arguments. Many of our graduates are also seen as attractive employment options because of their critical and independent thinking, analytical skills and knowledge of today’s society.
Our Careers and Employability Service
As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.
This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.
Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.
The Pontypridd Campus is made up of two sites: Treforest and Glyntaff. Our students love the community atmosphere, as well as living and studying in the same place. It’s quieter than the cities, with green open spaces and views across the valley.
It’s the community and friendships you’ll build that make this place special. Outside your studies you can experience our amazing sport facilities and Students’ Union.
Living in Halls is a great way to meet new people and make friends. We have high quality accommodation in Treforest, Cardiff and Newport.