BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice

Program Overview

This BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice degree combines psychology and criminology to provide a comprehensive understanding of the criminal mind and the criminal justice system. It prepares students for careers in forensic psychology, criminal justice, and related fields through a blended learning approach and practical experience opportunities. Graduates are well-equipped to pursue roles such as trainee forensic psychologists, police officers, and probation officers.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society, offering students a comprehensive understanding of the criminal mind and the criminal justice system. The program aims to provide students with a strong foundation in both psychology and criminology, allowing them to explore the intricate relationship between these two disciplines. The interdisciplinary approach enables students to apply psychological principles to real-life criminal justice scenarios, fostering a deeper understanding of human behavior in relation to criminal activity.

Outline:

The program is structured over three years of full-time study, with a focus on core modules that cover fundamental psychological concepts and criminal justice principles. Students will delve into areas such as developmental, cognitive, and social psychology, alongside modules specifically designed to explore the intersection of forensic psychology and criminal justice.

Level 4:

• Core Modules:
• Criminal Justice System:
This module explores the criminal justice process in England and Wales, covering topics like police powers, crime control models, and sentencing.
• Criminological Theory: Students gain an understanding of historical and contemporary criminological theories, examining their influence on the modern criminal justice system.
• Introduction to Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice: This module focuses on the interaction between forensic psychology and criminal justice, including historical developments in these fields.
• Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology 1: Relationships and Associations: This module introduces students to research methods, data collection, statistical analysis, and report writing.
• Introduction to Developmental Psychology and Individual Differences: This module covers key topics in developmental psychology and individual differences research, including methods for understanding these areas.
• Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology 2: Testing for Differences: Building on the previous module, this module introduces more complex statistical tests.
• Introduction to Biological and Cognitive Psychology: This module explores fundamental issues in cognitive psychology, including memory, attention, and perception, as well as introducing biological psychology.

Level 5:

• Core Modules:
• Professional Development in Criminal Justice:
This module focuses on developing self-awareness and employability skills for careers in criminal justice and related fields.
• Exploring Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice: This module delves deeper into the relationship between forensic psychology and criminal justice, exploring key concepts in modern psychological research and their impact on crime and criminal justice.
• Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology 4: Advanced Quantitative Research Methods: This module examines advanced statistical tests, including ANOVA, MANOVA, and regression analysis.
• Cognitive and Biological Psychology: This module builds on the previous level's introduction to cognitive and biological psychology, exploring current research on biological underpinnings of cognitive functions.
• Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, and Individual Differences: This module covers psychological development across the lifespan, including cognitive development, identity development, and developmental disorders.
It also explores concepts from individual differences research, such as intelligence, gender, personality, and well-being.
• Optional Modules:
• Decision Making in Criminal Justice:
This module builds on students' knowledge of decision-making processes within the criminal justice system.
• Victimology: This module examines the experiences of victims of crime and their role within the criminal justice system.
• Study Year Abroad - Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice: This optional module allows students to spend a year studying at an approved overseas partner institution.

Level 6:

• Youth Justice: This module focuses on the relationship between youth and crime, examining the criminal justice response to youth crime in England and Wales.
• Regulation, Harm and Victimisation: This module investigates non-conventional harm and victimisation, exploring concepts like regulation, accountability, and justice.
• Green Criminology and Environmental Crime: This module raises awareness of environmental crime, exploring its nature, extent, and responses.
• Cybercrime and the AI World: This module investigates cybercrime, its definition, extent, responses, and the role of AI in crime prevention.
• Violence and Society: This module examines various typologies of violence in society, exploring their nature, extent, and challenges of regulation.
• Terrorism and Counter Terrorism: This module explores key concepts related to terrorism, including definitions, ideologies, tactics, and counter-terrorism strategies.
• Health Psychology: This module explores psychological theory in relation to public health care, examining major threats to public health and the concepts and methods used in health psychology.
• Positive Psychology: This module explores the concepts and research methods used in positive psychology, focusing on human strengths, flourishing, and positive emotions.
• Psychopharmacology and Addictive Behaviour: This module introduces students to drugs of abuse, their mechanisms of action, and their effects.
• Face Perception: Processes and Disorders: This module explores the processes of attending to, categorizing, and recognizing human faces, examining forensic applications of research in face perception.
• Social Cognition: This module examines theories and research concerning social cognition, analyzing key models and exploring contemporary applied issues.
• Work Psychology: This module provides an introduction to work psychology, covering contemporary research and key themes in the field.
• Substance Use, Society and Criminal Justice: This module examines the sociocultural place of substance use, investigating different paradigms and perspectives on substance use and exploring relevant drug policy.

Assessment:

Assessment methods vary depending on the module, but typically include a combination of exams and coursework. Examples of assessment methods include:

• Group presentations (some pre-recorded and edited by students)
• Student-led lectures
• Exams (seen/unseen)
• Online multiple-choice exams
• Essays
• Literature reviews
• Reports
Students receive feedback on assessments within three weeks, allowing them to identify areas for improvement.

Teaching:

The program utilizes a blended learning approach, combining face-to-face and online learning. This approach provides students with a diverse learning experience and allows them to access support from their personal tutor through various means, including on-campus meetings and video calls. Teaching methods include lectures, tutorials, laboratory work, online activities, and private study. Students are also encouraged to engage in voluntary work with relevant agencies to gain practical experience.

Careers:

Graduates of this program are well-prepared for a wide range of careers in forensic psychology, criminal justice, and related fields. Examples of careers secured by recent graduates include:

• Trainee forensic psychologist
• Clinical support worker
• Police officer
• Trainee probation officer
• Probation service assistant
• Arrest referral and bail support team worker
• Drug and alcohol support worker
• Victim support worker
• Witness support worker
• Youth worker
• Cognitive behavioral program facilitator for the prison service

Other:

• The program is based within the John Foster Building on the Mount Pleasant Campus, which offers excellent facilities, including IT suites, a student common room, and dedicated study areas.
• Students have access to the Aldham Robarts Library, which provides 24-hour access to a wide range of resources.
• The School of Justice Studies works closely with partners in criminal justice to provide students with relevant voluntary experience.
• The university offers a range of support services, including personal tutors, study skills support, and careers advice.
• Students have the opportunity to study abroad for a year at an approved partner institution.

Home full-time per year £9,250 International full-time per year £18,250