Criminology and Criminal Psychology

Criminology and criminal psychology brings together two disciplines that each address questions about human behaviour and social harm from different but complementary angles. Criminology examines crime as a social and political phenomenon, asking how it is defined, how criminal justice systems respond to it, and what the evidence tells us about what works in preventing and reducing it. Criminal psychology brings a closer focus on the individual, asking what psychological processes, developmental pathways and cognitive distortions contribute to criminal behaviour and how offenders can be understood, managed and rehabilitated.

At Aberystwyth University, taught in the oldest law department in Wales, this programme combines the foundational aspects of criminology with a particular emphasis on psychological approaches to understanding criminal behaviour. You will examine crime causation and the impact of crime on individuals, communities and societies, explore psychological explanations of offending, and study the management and rehabilitation of offenders within criminal justice settings. Research methods are built into the curriculum, giving you the technical and analytical skills to engage with contemporary debates around crime prevention policy and practice.

The programme runs over three years full time.

Graduates are well placed for careers in the probation service, prison service, policing, youth justice, social work, victim support, forensic mental health and the voluntary sector. The combination of criminological understanding and psychological knowledge is particularly valued in roles that involve risk assessment, offender management and evidence-based interventions. Postgraduate study in forensic psychology, criminology, social work or criminal justice is a natural further route for those who want to develop clinical or research expertise.