BSc (Hons) Criminology with Psychology - University of South Wales

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UCAS Code

L3CY
Start Date

September
Location

Pontypridd
Campus Code

A

Fees

Home students

£9,250*
International students

£16,200*
Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

Overview
Module Overview
Entry Requirements
Fees and Funding
Course Highlights
Next Steps

Dive into the complex world of criminal behaviour in our course that blends the study of criminology with psychology.

Career paths

Probation services
Intelligence services
Government departments
Victim support

Skills taught

Investigation
Law
Problem-solving
Expert witness
Critical thinking

USW is the only university in Wales and the South West to operate a Cold Case Unit. Our students have the opportunity to work on live cases and aid police investigations. Students will also have a chance to take part in Innocence Project, examining real cases where potential miscarriages of justice have taken place to establish reasonable grounds for appeal.

students working together looking at evidence on a wall

Police in uniform walking through the University's Hydra Simulation Centre.

Course Highlights

Real-world experience

Work with police forces, visit a crime scene and work on real cases to put your learning to the test outside of the classroom.

Industry partnerships

We work with police forces, private companies and experts in the field to bring you the latest developments in digital forensics.

Dual learning

Learn from experts in both criminal justice and psychology to develop a deep understanding.

Module Overview

You will study a mix of Criminology and Psychology modules throughout the course. You’ll explore each subject separately and then learn how to put them together to enhance your knowledge of criminal justice through psychology and, concurrently, psychology through criminal justice.

Year One
Inside the Criminal Justice System
Exploring Crime and Deviance
From Theory to Impact: Essential Research in Criminology
Critical Perspectives in Psychology
Beyond the Books:Academia, Employment and Professionalism in Criminal Justice
The Real Impact of Crime: Vulnerability and Victims

Year Two
From Cells to Consciousness
Lifespan Development in the Social Context
Researching Crime, Security and Injustice
Unmasking Violent Crime*
Substance Use and Misuse*
Beyond Borders: Serious, Organised and Transnational Crime*

*Optional

Year Three
Health Psychology across the Lifespan
Forensic Psychology
Dissertation (Optional)
Behind Bars and Beyond: Exploring Prisons, Probation and Resettlement
Exploring Homicide: From Corporate Homicide to Serial Killers*
Breaking The Silence: Examining Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence*

Year one provides a comprehensive introduction to criminal justice, exploring areas including the criminal justice system and becoming a criminologist. The final module of the year introduces you to critical perspectives in psychology.

Inside the Criminal Justice System
Explore the legal system in England and Wales, covering criminal law, court procedures, criminal justice and key organisations and crime statistics reporting.

Exploring Crime and Deviance
Explore criminological theory, from evolution to contemporary contexts. Debate and delve into how crime is socially, culturally, and historically constructed and perceived.

From Theory to Impact: Essential Research in Criminology
Cultivate essential research skills. Understand the role of research and research skill development in both academic and professional contexts.

Critical Perspectives in Psychology
Your introduction to cognitive, biological, social, and developmental psychology. Understand key context and differences plus critical theoretical approaches.

Beyond the Books: Academia, Employment and Professionalism in Criminal Justice
Enhance your academic, personal and professional skills in this wide-ranging core skills module.

The Real Impact of Crime: Vulnerability and Victims
Your introduction to victimology covering key theoretical concepts, the nature and extent of victimisation, and the changing role of victims.

In year two, you’ll explore some of the current issues in criminology and psychology in more detail. We’ll look at substance abuse and the impact of imprisonment. You’ll also have the opportunity to complete a work experience placement.

From Cells to Consciousness
Learn about the links between bodily processes, the brain and behaviour, contextualised with detail on individual differences and historical debates.

Lifespan Development in the Social Context
Apply social and development theories of psychology, ranging over typical and atypical development, social cognition, social identity and cultural diversity.

Researching Crime, Security and Injustice
Build your research and evaluation skills. Explore quantitative and qualitative data preparation, analysis, interpretation, and hone presentation abilities.

Unmasking Violent Crime*
Understand violent crime, from UK historical evolution to definitions and typologies of violence, root causes, risk factors, prevention and early intervention strategies.

Substance Use and Misuse*
Examine the historical context of substance misuse, types of substances, causative factors, addiction, societal perceptions, health consequences and media portrayal.

Beyond Borders: Serious, Organised and Transnational Crime*
Study money laundering, fraud, modern slavery, and terrorism plus extremism, radicalisation, the far-right, and the dark web’s role.

Work Experience*
Put your theory into practice and develop your critical thinking, teamwork, and communication in a 70-hour professional placement.

* optional - choose three

In your final year, you’ll complete two compulsory modules and then go on to choose from a selection of optional modules, including writing a dissertation, working in industry, completing a social justice internship or exploring homicide, environmental crime or terrorism.

Health Psychology across the Lifespan
Consider the interaction of psychological, behavioural, physiological and social factors in health and illness across a lifetime.

Forensic Psychology
Gain an understanding of psychological aspects of three broad areas - police and security investigations; criminal and court proceedings; offender management.

Dissertation (Optional)
Pursue your interests with your social science research project, developing competence in research design, data collection, and analysis.

Behind Bars and Beyond: Exploring Prisons, Probation and Resettlement
What are the aims of imprisonment? Dive into theories of punishment and rehabilitation.

Exploring Homicide: From Corporate Homicide to Serial Killers*
Explore homicide’s social and legal aspects, patterns and characteristics, the investigative processes, evidence and potential challenges.

Breaking The Silence: Examining Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence*
Understand theoretical perspectives and policy responses to violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence.

* Optional

Course Highlights

How you'll learn

Our BSc in Criminology with Psychology will give you the knowledge, tools and experience you need for a future career working directly in or alongside the criminal justice system. You’ll combine classroom learning with putting theories to the test in practical settings such as our crime scene house and crime simulation suite. We combine interactive lectures and workshops to develop your understanding of real-world criminological issues. You will also develop your practical psychology skills in our purpose-built laboratories. Outside the classroom, you’ll complete reading, research and project work.

Teaching staff

Your teaching team will bring a broad range of backgrounds to your learning. We prioritise recruiting for difference, not similarity. We call it “Aces in Places”. Our team is highly qualified with professors and assistant professors in the majority. Drawn from the entire criminology field, you’ll most likely find that at least one of your teachers has had a job like the one you want to do and can provide guidance and direction to help you achieve your goals. We’ll also bring in expert practitioner guest speakers and take topic-specific field trips to support your learning.

Placements and work experience

Thanks to our extensive network of industry partners, we’re able to bring the real world to your learning. As well as guest lectures and field trips, we do all we can to provide work placement opportunities to help you test your new knowledge and skills in the real world. In the second year, we have an optional work experience module and in year three you can choose a working in industry module. Throughout your course, we’re focused on your future employability and will facilitate networking and work placements to support that.

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 with access to specialist software for psychology experiments and conducting career guidance interviews.

The Cognitive Neuropsychology Suite houses specialist psychology equipment and we offer psychological services to the general public through our psychology clinics, which include autism, behaviour analysis, health and sport psychology interventions.

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

By the time you finish this course, you’ll have a solid foundation for professional training in social work, probation, youth justice, youth and community work and research. Our graduates go on to careers in the police, prison service and other criminal justice agencies, as well as protection and victim support services, social work and clinical psychology.

Mastering two academic subjects will give future employers a clear sense of your high level organisational skills, which you can use in a variety of rewarding careers. Besides gaining knowledge of two complementary subjects, you will develop key transferable skills that employers value.

Industry partners

Many of our teaching staff have come from industry and make it a priority to maintain their industry contacts for the benefit of our students. We draw on these relationships to provide guest lectures, work placements and industry tools for your learning.

We have partnerships with local police forces and youth justice teams as well as the probation service, the Department for Work and Pensions, prisons, the National Crime Agency and youth justice charities.

Careers support

As a USW student, you’ll have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.

The service offers one-to-one appointments with faculty-based career advisers, in person, over the phone or Skype and via email through the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources to help you when considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, an interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

UCAS Points: 96 (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

A Level: CCC
Welsh BACC: Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and CC at A Level
BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Merit Merit Merit
Access to HE: Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 96 UCAS tariff points

Additional requirements include:

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.

How to apply

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

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 its 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.

Contextual Admissions Policy

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£9,250

per year*

International Full-time Fee

£16,200

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. 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).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

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

Textbooks will be available in the library, but students may wish to purchase their own copies.

Cost: £0-200

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.

Cost: £0-300

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.

Cost: £55.42

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 WHOLE EXPERIENCE DEFINITELY BOOSTED MY EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS, WHICH WILL GIVE ME A COMPETITIVE EDGE OVER GRADUATES WHO ARE STUDYING A SIMILAR COURSE TO ME.

Zoey Morgan

Criminology with Psychology student

BY STUDYING THE BSC (HONS) CRIMINOLOGY WITH PSYCHOLOGY COURSE, I HAD THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO BE GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY OF EDUCATING PEOPLE ON SOCIETAL ISSUES.

Zoey Morgan

Criminology with Psychology student

Life at USW

Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.