Psychology with Criminology with Foundation Year

Psychology with criminology is a pairing that makes intellectual sense: understanding criminal behaviour, the justice system, and the individuals who pass through it requires insights from both disciplines. Psychology provides the scientific framework for understanding how people think, feel, and behave, including the developmental, cognitive, social, and neurological factors that may contribute to antisocial behaviour. Criminology brings in the wider social, structural, and institutional dimensions, examining how crime is defined, measured, and responded to by the state and society.

This four-year programme at the University of Law, which includes a foundation year, is designed for those who are interested in psychology and are considering careers in the criminal justice system or forensic psychology. You will explore the psychology behind criminal behaviour alongside contemporary criminological theories and issues, combining evidence-based psychological knowledge with critical analysis of how justice systems operate in practice. Teaching draws on the expertise of forensic psychologists and practising criminologists, and the programme engages with cutting-edge research and real-world case studies that ground your academic learning in the realities of the field.

You will develop skills in psychological inquiry alongside the broader criminological and sociological understanding the combination demands.

Graduates are well prepared for careers in the criminal justice system, probation and offender management, social work, victim support, the prison service, police intelligence, and forensic settings. Those who wish to become forensic or clinical psychologists will need to pursue further postgraduate training after completing a British Psychological Society-accredited degree. Other graduates go into research, policy, community and youth work, safeguarding, and roles in organisations working with vulnerable populations.

The combination of psychological science and criminological understanding is a genuine asset across all of these contexts.