BA (Hons) Criminology and Psychology (Full Time)

While psychologists seek to understand human behaviour and how people think, act and interact, criminologists focus on crime and control, the social dimensions of crime and justice, and criminal justice structures and procedures. This course gives you a detailed understanding of the principles involved in both subjects.

Key elements include:

• Both course teams include staff with expertise in the applications of their disciplines to professional criminal justice experience, including crime related psychology, criminal law, probation, policing, drugs services and government research
• Enthusiastic, approachable and supportive tutors dedicated to your academic and professional development
• Associate lecturers with very high-level professional experience
• Study of how crime is defined, investigated and prosecuted and how defendants and victims are processed by the criminal justice system in England and Wales, in comparative context
• Wide variety of guest speakers able to offer up-to-date professional and academic insight
• Opportunities for voluntary work experience, internships and work shadowing
• Active learning through seminars and formative assessments
• A wide, imaginative and professionally relevant range of assessment strategies and activities
• Teaching programme under continuous review, via engagement with student representatives and feedback exercises
• Joint degrees coordinator to ensure that you are fully integrated into the Criminology and Psychology programmes.

The Criminology team at Solent has consistently scored well in many areas of the National Student Survey. One external examiner also noted that the team had generated ‘a community of scholars’.

Industrial focus

Employability is at the heart of this course. Students graduate with professional and managerial skills and knowledge used in frontline criminal justice organisations. These include the police, courts, probation and victim services and prisons in addition to their support services in the public and private sector.

Graduates from this course are attractive to a wide range of employers and are now working in all of these fields. Tutors are working to smooth the process of applying for these roles via enhanced application and employment training.

A wide range of criminal justice professionals give lectures on the practical aspects of criminal justice and potential careers in the field. There are also many opportunities to undertake voluntary work in relevant fields, and to take part in work shadowing and internships.

The course is international in orientation, drawing comparisons in approaches and practice from a variety of jurisdictions. This emphasis is important, both professionally and academically, in the context of increasing globalisation.

Course content

Year 1

Six core units:

• Introduction to Cognitive, Developmental and Social Psychology
• Introduction to Abnormal, Biological and Personality Psychology
• Criminological Research Methods and Skills
• Criminal Process and Responsibility
• Psychological Investigations 1
• Introduction to Criminology.

Year 2

Six core units:

• Social Psychology
• Criminological Research Methods and Skills 2
• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Criminal Law in Context
• Critical Issues in Criminal Justice and Penology.

Year 3

Three core units and two option units:

• Project Design and Dissertation
• Personality and Individual Differences
• Comparative Criminal Justice.

Options:

• Crime, Risk and Community Safety
• Dangerous Offenders
• Landmark Cases in Criminal Justice
• Security, Policing and the State
• The Psychology of Crime
• Visual Perception
• Work and Occupational Psychology
• Cyber Crime
• Curriculum Plus (L2 and 3).

Why choose Solent?

The course is delivered by experienced staff in both criminology and psychology. They are drawn from diverse academic and professional backgrounds and supported by a wide range of visiting speakers and professionally qualified associate lecturers from the criminal justice community.

If you are interested in developing a broad awareness of crime, deviance and social control, combined with an understanding of the scientific study of human behaviour, then this is the ideal course for you.

• There are currently field visits to a range of locations relevant to your chosen study pathway. Recently these have included visits in collaboration with academic and criminal justice agencies in the USA.
• The course is particularly well connected with local and national criminal justice agencies who contribute to the development of the programme and offer opportunities for professional engagement.
• The course has a consistently excellent record for student satisfaction and supports a range of opportunities to undertake voluntary work and internships in preparation for employment in the criminal justice sector.

Assessment

A wide and innovative variety of methods is used, ranging from conventional essays and exams to group and individual projects and presentations.

Projects/work experience

• Opportunities for internships and temporary work experience, including at the Association of Chief Police Officers Criminal Records Office and the Prison Service.
• Positions on Criminal Justice panels, such as the Youth Offender Panel.
• Special constables, work shadowing and volunteering opportunities in a range of criminal justice settings.

Key career skills

Research methods, critical analysis and interpretation of information, communication, teamwork and leadership.

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Key info from UNISTATS