Criminology and Psychology

This is a Connected Degree

Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

Overview

When you work with criminals and their victims, the ability to understand people's emotions, thoughts and actions is vital. This combined BSc (Hons) Criminology and Psychology degree gives you a deep understanding of criminal behaviour, for a competitive edge in your career.

You'll explore why people commit crimes, the psychological fallout, and how rehabilitation works. Studying in one of the UK's largest criminology departments, your diverse options will also include specialist subjects such as forensic psychology.

Course highlights

• Tailor your degree for a career path that fits your ambitions – from policing to probation, prisons to rehabilitation

• Be taught by experts, including forensic psychologists and criminologists, whose ground-breaking research keeps your modules relevant and eye-opening

• Develop practical skills, such as lie detection and effective interviewing, in our Forensic Interviewing Suite, founded by a researcher who works with emergency services to develop better ways of interviewing witnesses

• Explore how virtual reality can make a difference to understanding criminal behaviour, inspired by innovative VR research at the University of Portsmouth

• Enjoy a sense of community with your peers, on course-specific socials and field trips – recent examples include visits to courtrooms and Bethlem Museum of the Mind, on the grounds of the infamous 'Bedlam' Hospital

• If you’re interested in policing, probation work or community justice, you can choose modules that give you pre-entry qualifications for a career in those fields

• Make the most of our links with agencies such as youth offender teams, the probation service and prisons, to build your network of potential employers

Careers and opportunities

By studying aspects of two different but related disciplines – psychology and criminology – you’ll open yourself to a wide range of career options. You’ll be a natural fit for roles relating to work with offenders or victims of crime. Both are areas where there will likely always be a demand for skilled professionals.

The psychology aspects of your studies will broaden your career options. Your understanding of the human mind and behaviour could lead you to specialist jobs, such as forensic psychology (with further training). Knowledge of psychology can also be an asset in a diverse range of roles outside of criminal justice - from market research to human resources. With transferable skills in communications, critical thinking and analysis on your CV, you’ll be a very employable graduate.

What areas can you work in with a criminology and psychology degree?

Organisations you could work for include:

• the police force

• the probation service

• the prison service

• academic research

• victim and offender support charities

What jobs can you do with a criminology with psychology degree?

Our graduates have gone on to jobs such as:

• investigative data analyst

• police officer

• defence and security analyst

• probation officer

• counter fraud intelligence analyst

• youth offending support officer

• offender case administrator

Our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the field. You'll also get support for up to 5 years after you leave the University.

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year
• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams
• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/bsc-hons-criminology-and-psychology#modules

You’ll be assessed through:

coursework
examinations
presentations
group projects
a dissertation

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

Year 1 students: 18% by written exams, 7% by practical exams and 75% by coursework
Year 2 students: 17% by written exams and 83% by coursework
Year 3 students: 33% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 59% by coursework