Criminology with Psychology BSc Honours

In the first year you will study three compulsory criminology modules and one compulsory psychology module. These modules give you a grounding in criminology, providing essential knowledge and skills, and introducing key areas of study, including psychology that will be explored throughout the degree. Content covers issues around criminological and psychological theory, concepts of crime, key criminal justice institutions, foundations of ethical qualitative and quantitative social research, core academic study skills and the relationship between crime, culture and society. The psychology module introduces the core areas of mental health, developmental and social psychology.    

This module introduces the diversity and breadth of approaches in the discipline of psychology and the many ways psychologists study the human mind, mental health, development and societal influences. Research informed topical introductions will be provided in selected areas of mental health, developmental and social psychology. As well as a theoretical introduction and overview to these areas of psychology, students are encouraged to adopt a reflective and critical perspective on the subject matter covered. This module challenges some westernised approaches to psychology and introduces you to diverse ideas and theories that question traditional psychological approaches. You will be encouraged to consider both commonalities and diversities in human thoughts, feelings and behaviours facilitating an inclusive approach to learning.

Explore the dynamic nature of crime across law, politics, society, and culture. The module challenges conventional perceptions of crime, and will help you understand the impact of social factors on crime including issues of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion.

You will learn about the relationship between crime, culture and society, and the seeming paradox between society’s fear and fascination with crime. You will build a strong foundation of major theoretical approaches in criminology, which will provide a cornerstone for further studies.

The module also facilitates the development of key academic skills including the synthesis and interpretation of information and research data, the construction of oral and written assignments and citation and referencing.

This module introduces you to key criminal justice institutions, exploring contemporary issues within the police, courts, prisons, probation, immigration detention, youth justice, and the forensic mental health system. You will learn about the current policies and practice, emphasising international and cross-national influences on criminal justice.

Additionally, the module introduces the UK legal system, and its role in shaping criminal justice responses to crime, deviance, and public insecurity. You will engage with legal frameworks, procedural rules, and explore various punishment measures, while developing skills in synthesising official statistics and evaluating research data.

This module introduces you to social research inquiry as a way of seeing and interpreting the world. You will explore how qualitative and quantitative social research is carried out in an ethical way. You will also learn the basic components of social sciences research. Through looking the lens of 'communities', you will understand the context in which the events, issues and problems we study, occur within.

Through completing a range of skills-based tasks you will build your research portfolio that will be assessed. You will be able to apply knowledge through practical activities. Many of these skills will have relevance beyond your degree and will be attractive to future employers.

In the second year you will enhance your knowledge and skills on essential areas of theory, knowledge, skills and practice for criminology and psychology. The core modules will provide you with key knowledge and skills in research methods, develop your understanding of criminological and psychological theory and enhance your understanding of how your degree can equip you with the skills and knowledge that are required for graduate employment in the field of criminology with psychology in focus. The second semester of the second year offers you the opportunity to select one out of three optional modules that will shape your degree in relation to your academic interests and employment aspirations.    

At the end of the second year you may opt to take a year-long placement module before returning to complete the final year of study.  

The module explores cutting edge research and contemporary ideas in applied psychology. Evolutionary and biological concepts will be explained and defined in terms of their relevance to current theory and application. The module will also deliver a critical reflection of recent research in these areas. Alternative aspects of applied psychology will also be reviewed. These will include forensic and clinical aspects of applied psychological research and theory. You will be encouraged to evaluate and disseminate this information through the application of policy design and psychological reasoning. 

You will propose a methodological research project on a topic of interest, including a review of the literature and research questions. This must be suitable for a mixed method project, and a portfolio. The portfolio involves forming a conversational guide and a survey, collecting and analysing data.

This module equips you with the knowledge and skills to use the software known as SPSS for data analysis and thematic analysis to analyse qualitative data. By studying this module you will be prepared to undertake qualitative and quantitative research for their dissertation.

This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of key theoretical ideas and debates in criminology. You will reflect on the impact of putting issues such as power and rights at the centre of criminological theory and practice, and what this means for crime, justice and punishment. The module will cover developments and trends influencing criminological discussion, debates and research. They will be assessed in relation to emerging social, political and cultural patterns. You will develop knowledge and understanding of how criminological theory is constructed and will be required to apply theoretical knowledge to a range of contemporary issues and trends of prominent criminological interest and concern.

The module will explore the concept of victimisation, will help you assess societal responses to victimisation, and look at who we consider to be a victim. You will explore multiple crime types including sexual and domestic violence, homicide, sex work, hate crime, financial crime, state crime and other types of crime. You will compare and contrast different theories and perspectives in relation to the concept of victimisation. In addition, the module will develop your reflective learning skills both by looking at your own learning and sharing feedback with others.

This module introduces you to the intersections between the criminal courts, sentencing, prisons and rehabilitation. It has a particular focus on the aims of punishment, the use of imprisonment and key developments in penal policy and practice. It will help you apply theoretical perspectives to sentencing, punishment and prison issues. It will also help you analyse the impact of policy on the experiences of those who are imprisoned, and the work of the key professionals and practitioners working in the prison system. The module will develop your skills in drawing on a range of documentary evidence to analyse and evaluate sentencing aims, the purpose and place of prisons in society and to foster a critical interest in prison and punishment reform.

The module explores key ideas about race and social justice, both in the UK and globally. You'll learn about the social construction of race, power and privilege, including white power and privilege across different spaces, racism and intersectional oppression. The module will also focus on institutional racism and resistance and the power of the state and legislation, using insights from a range of academic fields.

You will engage with race and social justice topics for your dissertations and/or those wanting to pursue a career in a related field. With guest lectures from practitioners and a range of creative and academic assessments, the module encourages co-leadership, practice-led learning, digital literacy and technology-enhanced learning and employability.

This module will strengthen, extend and apply the knowledge, skills and experiences you have gained from your course in a working environment, and to complement, stimulate, reinforce and encourage the development of discipline-specific technical knowledge, and your transferable skills. You will gain knowledge of professional requirements in an industry context and record and critically reflect on your personal practice

In your final year you will undertake either the Ethical Research and Project Management module and the dissertation in the broad area of criminology, or a 60-credit work placement module. You will also complete a core psychology module to further enhance your knowledge of critical forensic psychology and educational psychology.

In the second semester of the final year you have the opportunity to select one out of four optional modules that will shape your degree depending on your academic interests and employment aspirations. Each of the optional modules available will complement the knowledge and skills you have already developed during the first two years of study.  

This module will develop your understanding of research project design while equipping you with ethical research skills needed for independent social science research projects. These skills include a criminology or sociology topic for research, conducting a literature review to justify proposed research questions, selecting appropriate research methodologies and methods while considering the ethical issues around the research project. You'll develop project design and management skills including taking leadership of your learning and being reflexive of the process.

This module will synthesise learning from the criminology and sociology programmes of study, providing an opportunity for you to study independently and investigate a topic in depth, in accordance with the Sociology and Criminology Benchmark Statement. It fosters academic curiosity and an inquiry-based approach. You will learn and apply research skills which will expand your understanding of theory. 

This module uses the workplace as a site of learning and inquiry. It supports the integration of theory and practice and provides opportunities to apply methods of inquiry to practice related problems in order to recommend solutions and improve work practice. The module also immerses you in a process of reflection, cultivates knowledge of ethical and professional behaviours and builds some of the key understandings associated with the worker-researcher. In sum this module supports the development of a range of skills and knowledge necessary for career and professional development.

This module explores the application of psychology to social problems in the areas of crime, conflict and violence, considering individual, group and social factors. It covers how individuals and groups become involved in these problematic behaviours, and also considers the consequences for victims, government and justice responses, and approaches to prevention. The module introduces you to a range of applied approaches and develops your capacity to respond proactively to real world problems. Forensic psychology will also be considered in the context of your future employability and career trajectories. You will learn to consider commonalities and diversities in human thoughts, feelings and behaviours facilitating an inclusive approach to learning.

This module will critically engage you in contemporary debates surrounding drugs, drug use and their control. It will develop your knowledge and understanding of the processes involved in social definitions of drugs, drug use and people who use drugs and your skills in applying theoretical perspectives to drug issues. It will stimulate critical analysis and evaluation of the laws, policies and institutions of drugs control and their social, economic and political contexts. The module will foster and develop your critical interest in the reform of drugs control policy.

The module will advance your critical and creative understanding of how digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping our social life, from personal relationships and vulnerabilities to transformations in crime and violent extremism. The module allows you to examine how digital communications are embedded in everyday life, linking theoretical approaches, empirical material, and your experiments with digital tools, particularly generative AI.

This module facilitates your critical engagement with the crimes such as white-collar, corporate, environmental and state crime (crimes of the powerful) as well as transnational organised crimes, often committed by both formal and informal powerful organisations. The module provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the causes, consequences of such variety of crime as well as equip them with the ability to identify effective legislations, policies and policing strategies. You will engage and assess the main theories that explain these types of power crime and evaluate policies and judicial response at international and transnational level.

This module will discuss the dynamics of violence from a gender-informed perspective, how it is used by perpetrators, controlled, and used to control. The module highlights the interconnections between violence, gender, sexuality and crime, and illustrates the blurred boundaries between interpersonal, self-inflicted, community and structural violence. On completing the module, you will explore and learn about the social and spatial parameters of violent crime, theoretical and layperson perspectives on violence, the links between sex, sexuality and violence, and how violence is gendered.

You will gain knowledge and understanding through teaching sessions, key concept videos, guest speakers, workshops and seminars, guided reading and independent study, group work, computer-assisted data analysis, fieldwork, case studies, community-based and work-based learning opportunities, and online and in-class exercises.  

There will be a strong emphasis on diverse, practice-based approaches to teaching and learning which will be fully supported by a wide range of online materials via the Mylearning facility. You will be supported throughout your studies by course leaders, module leaders, graduate academic assistants, student learning assistants, as well as wider support services provided by the Learning Enhancement Team, subject librarian and MDX Employability Services.

You will study two 30-credit modules per term totalling 120 credits each year. In year one, you are required to attend a total of 10 hours of classes in a week (5 per module). In years two and three, you will attend six hours of classes per week (3 per module).  

  Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and exams.

Here is an indication of how you will split your time:

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Our excellent teaching and support teams will help you develop the skills relevant to your degree from research and practical skills to critical thinking. Our Sheppard Library is open from 7am to 11pm Monday to Sunday during term time. And we offer free 24-hour laptop loans with full desktop software, free printing and Wi-Fi to use on or off campus, even over the weekend.

There are no exams for this course. Instead your knowledge and understanding will be assessed by a variety of authentic, industry-relevant methods.  For every module you undertake, we will provide feedback for you to use to reflect on and reinforce your knowledge and understanding.  

You will demonstrate how your knowledge is expanding and developing through written work, including policy critiques, case study analysis, reports, position papers, ‘in tray’ exercises, essays and a final dissertation or project report. 

Your work will also involve self-reflective writing, such as blogs or essays, offering further opportunity for self-reflection and engagement with the ethical questions at the heart of the discipline of criminology.  

You will also demonstrate how well you are learning through individual and group presentations, computer-based exercises and data analysis and creating academic posters.  

We will assess your learning throughout the course and at the end of each module and provide ongoing feedback to help you develop.