Psychology and Criminology

Psychology and criminology is a pairing that makes natural sense: understanding why people commit crimes, how they are processed through the criminal justice system, and how rehabilitation and prevention might be achieved all require insight into how the mind works alongside an understanding of how social structures and institutions shape behaviour. Psychology provides the scientific framework for studying cognition, emotion, development, and behaviour; criminology uses that framework, alongside sociology and legal theory, to examine crime, deviance, and the systems society creates to respond to them.

At the University of Suffolk, this part-time degree in Psychology and Criminology develops your understanding of psychological theories and research methods alongside the scientific study of crime, examining both the individual motivations that underlie criminal behaviour and the broader social, environmental, and institutional factors that shape it. You will learn to critically evaluate psychological theories and apply them to questions of crime and deviance, developing the analytical skills to reach well-informed conclusions about both the nature of behaviour and the design of criminal justice policy. The part-time mode offers flexibility for students who are balancing study with work or other commitments.

Graduates from psychology and criminology programmes move into careers across the criminal justice, health, and social sectors. Probation, prison and offender management, social work, community support roles, the police service, youth justice, and research positions are all common destinations. The psychological dimension of the degree also opens doors in human resources, counselling support roles, and the charity sector.

For those who wish to pursue a career as a chartered psychologist, postgraduate training accredited by the British Psychological Society is the standard route, and this degree can provide a foundation for that pathway depending on its BPS accreditation status.