BSc (Hons) Psychology with Forensic Investigation

Program Overview

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Accredited by the British Psychological Society, the program equips students with knowledge of forensic law, evidence recovery, and human behavior in criminal settings. Graduates pursue careers in security, investigation, and other fields where psychological insights are essential.

Program Outline

• Learn from forensic investigation experts about the criminal investigation process and relevant legal issues.
• Develop research skills and methods to investigate human behavior and cognitive processes within the criminal justice system.
• Enhance transferable skills including critical thinking, project management, presentation skills, and professional practice.
• Gain real-world experience through optional placements in industry, building a network of professional contacts.

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Outline:

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Foundation Year (Optional):

• This year is for students who do not meet the entry requirements for the degree course.
• It provides a grounding in scientific skills required for the program, building confidence, knowledge, and skills for further study.
• Core units include:
• Academic and Professional Study Skills: Develops fundamental academic and research skills, including literature searching, review, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and ethical practice.
• Applied Sciences: Introduces basic understanding of fundamental aspects of science and its impact on human life.
• Introduction to Biology: Covers plant and animal cell biology, key themes in human, environmental, and ecological sciences.
• Introduction to Psychology: Prepares students for advanced coursework in psychology, covering various areas and explanations of behavior.
• Mathematics in Science: Builds confidence in mathematics for scientific data analysis and presentation.
• Foundation Year Project: Students conduct a research task on scientific topics, devising their own investigation and producing a scientific report.

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Year 1:

• Core units include:
• Experimental Methods & Statistical Analysis: Introduces planning, designing, conducting, analyzing, and communicating experiments and research studies.
• Qualitative Research Methods: Develops further skills in planning, designing, conducting, analyzing, and communicating experiments and research studies.
• Biological & Cognitive Psychology: Examines the relationship between brain biology and information processing, thinking, and decision-making.
• Social Psychology & Individual Differences: Explores how social context affects human behavior and individual differences.
• Developmental & Clinical Psychology: Explores developmental change across the lifespan and introduces concepts and principles of clinical psychology.

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Year 2:

• Core units include:
• Statistics & Research Methods: Further develops experimental and non-experimental research skills, statistical analysis, interpretation, and reporting of research findings.
• Research Methods & Analysis: Continues from Statistics & Research Methods, focusing on research methods before the final year project.
• Developmental & Applied Forensic Investigation: Expands knowledge of developmental psychology and its application in forensic investigation contexts.
• Personality, Intelligence & Social Psychology: Explores the measurement of personality and intelligence differences, identity, self-perception, attitudes, social cognition, and group processes.
• Biological Psychology: Studies the neural correlates of core brain functions and impairments associated with brain damage.
• Cognition & Language: Examines the psychology of attention, memory, and problem-solving, including the effects of brain damage.

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Optional Placements:

• Students can choose to complete an optional 4-week work placement between their second and final year or an optional 30-week minimum work placement anywhere in the world.
• Placements offer opportunities to gain experience and make professional contacts.

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Final Year:

• Core units include:
• Psychology Project: Students conduct their own research, exploring an area in psychology in depth, designing and conducting experiments, gathering and analyzing data, and producing a scientific report.
• Forensic Psychology: Demonstrates how psychological research underpins the understanding of forensic psychology and professional practice within the criminal justice system.
• Forensic Law and Practice: Provides insight into the criminal justice system, covering criminal procedures, including police investigation, trial process, appeals, and rectifications of miscarriages of justice.
• Option units (choose two):
• Neuroimaging: Provides in-depth technical knowledge and understanding of neuroimaging and neuroscientific techniques.
• Forensic Applications for Face Processing: Examines the psychological processing involved in face recognition within a forensic psychology context.
• Applied Clinical Psychology: Explores therapeutic practice, NHS, local authority, and third-sector service provision, and the role of service users and carers in mental illness recovery.
• Mind Over Matter in Medicine: Covers key issues in placebo, nocebo, hypnosis, suggestibility, and clinical communication research, including experimental, medical, and neuroscience techniques.
• Health Psychology: Provides an understanding of the role of psychology in promoting health and well-being, including the impact on aging.
• Educational Psychology & Special Educational Needs (SEN): Introduces educational psychology, SEN, labeling, and inclusive education, discussing how psychological theories and research influence understanding of child learning and teaching.
• Cultural Psychology: Focuses on human behavior and neural correlates of the human mind across cultures, highlighting cross-cultural differences in psychological phenomena.
• Current Trends in Cognitive & Clinical Neuroscience: Provides comprehensive knowledge of current trends in clinical and cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychological research and practice, and related methodologies.
• Psychology of Social Media & Videogames: Critically examines and understands the impact of social media and videogames on individuals, groups, organizations, and society.
• Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare: Studies the psychological factors that influence individual engagement with cybersecurity.
• Counselling Psychology: Provides in-depth knowledge and understanding of concepts and principles relating to real-world applications of counselling psychology.
• Emotions, Mental Health & Affective Neuroscience: Explores the role of emotions in mental illnesses and the link between emotions and cognition.

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Assessment:

• Details of assessment methods and contact hours for each unit are available in the program specification.
• Assessment methods may include exams, coursework, presentations, and research projects.

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Teaching:

• Teaching is delivered by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge, including senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians, and research students.
• Teaching methods may include lectures, seminars, workshops, practical sessions, and independent study.
• The program integrates research and professional practice into teaching.
• Guest lectures from industry, including alumni, may be included.

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Careers:

• The program is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), making it widely recognized by employers.
• Potential career paths include:
• Security and forensic
• Criminal investigation
• Cybersecurity
• Online training
• Teaching
• Management consultancy
• Social media marketing and advertising
• Health promotion
• Personnel work
• The degree provides a basis for postgraduate studies in various psychology disciplines, including forensic, educational, occupational, sports, clinical, and health psychology.

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Other:

• The program offers a virtual tour to provide a feel for the Talbot Campus where students will be studying.
• The program emphasizes the value of placements, offering every new student the opportunity to undertake a work placement.
• The CareersBU service offers support throughout the program, including CV checking and careers fairs.
• Placement Development Advisors provide support during sandwich placements.
• The program includes a range of facilities, including industry-standard specialist facilities, IT labs, a library, and a virtual learning environment.
• The program includes a section on course changes, outlining changes made to the program over the years.
• The program provides information on staff profiles, including areas of expertise and research interests.
• The program includes a section on repeat units, outlining the pricing for repeating units.

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Note:

The program specification provides definitive records of the University's taught degrees and describes the program's aims, structure, content, learning outcomes, teaching, learning, and assessment methods.

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Tuition fees per year for UK, ROI and CI students are £9,250. For international students it is £17,800. Placement year: £1,850