Criminology with Psychology

Criminology and psychology together address one of the most persistent questions in social science: why do people commit crime, and how should society respond? Criminology situates crime within its social, structural, and political context, examining the patterns of offending across different communities, the institutions of justice and punishment, and the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour at a societal level. Psychology brings a focus on the individual, exploring how personality, cognition, emotion, trauma, and mental health intersect with the choices people make and the circumstances in which they find themselves.

At Leeds Beckett University, this three-year full-time programme develops both disciplinary perspectives in a way that is genuinely integrated. You will engage with criminological theory alongside psychological science, building an evidence-based understanding of offending and victimisation that goes well beyond stereotypes or surface explanations. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different national context and to encounter how other countries approach crime, justice, and offender rehabilitation.

You will examine a wide range of offending behaviour, from everyday offences to serious and complex crime, always attending to the social, psychological, and contextual factors that shape behaviour and the responses of criminal justice systems.

You will develop research skills, critical analytical thinking, and the capacity to engage thoughtfully with difficult and sensitive material, all qualities that have wide professional value.

Graduates pursue careers in probation, prison psychology, victim support, social work, youth justice, the police service, community safety, and the broader criminal justice system. Research roles in criminology and forensic psychology, and careers in NGOs and policy are also common destinations. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in forensic or clinical psychology, social work, or criminology, which opens further pathways into professional practice.