Criminology and Psychology

Criminology and psychology form a combination that addresses criminal behaviour from both a sociological and a scientific perspective. Criminology examines the social, structural and political dimensions of crime, asking how definitions of crime are produced, how the justice system responds to offenders and what the relationship is between inequality and criminalisation. Psychology brings the tools of science to bear on individual behaviour, cognition and emotion, exploring the developmental, cognitive and biological factors that shape why individuals act as they do, including in ways that cause harm.

Together they develop a nuanced and evidence-based understanding of crime and criminal behaviour that neither discipline alone provides.

At the University of Surrey this three-year programme develops your knowledge in both fields, integrating criminological theory with psychological research methods and evidence. You will study offending behaviour, victimology, risk assessment, rehabilitation and the psychology of legal processes alongside social learning theory, developmental criminology and the sociology of punishment. The programme builds your ability to work with research evidence, design studies and interpret data, developing the empirical rigour that employers in justice, health and research settings value.

Surrey also embeds digital skills and AI literacy across its programmes, preparing graduates for a professional landscape in which these capabilities are increasingly expected.

Graduates work in probation and offender management, youth justice, victim support, police and investigative settings, mental health services within the criminal justice system, social care and research. Some go on to further professional training in clinical, forensic or educational psychology, which typically requires a BPS-accredited degree and postgraduate professional training. Others move into policy research, academic criminology or roles in organisations working on justice reform and rehabilitation.

The combination of sociological analysis and psychological understanding makes graduates versatile and effective across the range of roles where evidence, empathy and critical thinking matter.