Psychology human mind cogs

BSc (Hons) Psychology and Criminology

UCAS CODE: CM89 (Full-Time) or CM84 (Foundation Year)
TARIFF: 104 - 128 (Full-Time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)
  • Study Mode: Full Time
  • Location: High Wycombe
  • Duration: Three or Four Years
  • Start Date: September 2024

You can also study this course:

Places available to start April 2024.

On our psychology & criminology course, you will learn about the criminal mind, the motivations, causes and social structures that lead to crime and criminality in our population.

Gain the knowledge, skills, and experience to understand crime, as you dive into criminological psychology on our criminal psychology course. Take advantage of the specialist facilities that professional psychologists use day to day to advance your knowledge and take your career where you want it. 

Lectures and seminars are always very informative, interactive and also a good laugh with plenty of open discussion between students and with the lecturers. They are always very supportive of ideas and opinions as well as with our work, through punctual turn arounds on assignments and quick responses through emails.
Emily Crawshaw

Why study this subject?

Whether you’re simply fascinated by psychology, criminal justice, or the prison service, gaining a psychology degree is a great choice. A psychology degree also gives you a strong foundation for a variety of careers, utilizing your knowledge of human behavior and societal trends.

A psychology degree helps you gain an understanding of the root cause of behaviors, thoughts and emotions and explains them within the scope of scientific theory and evidence.

You can expect to build a deep understanding of yourself and how we operate within our social structures, and develop your analytical mind, nurture your curiosity, and understand communication and relationships.

Staff and students discussing student work with one another whilst sat around a table
close-up of High Wycombe campus Gateway building

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

Choosing BNU means choosing to go on a journey of discovery. As one of our students you will continually grow as a professional psychologist and discover our amazing and welcoming community, meet lifelong friends and gain knowledge from expert tutors who are actively engaged in the profession.

Take advantage of the specialist facilities that professional psychologists use day to day, including virtual reality facilities, laboratory facilities containing equipment that tracks eye movement, emotions, communication, brain activity and more.

Most of our specialisms are accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and provide you with a widely recognized qualification throughout the country. 

Upon graduation from a BPS accredited specialism, you’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) and from there you can take steps towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist with the BPS.

Our hands-on practical approach to teaching is designed to impart the skills needed to experiment and excel, developing your own understanding and knowledge, and helping you to push the boundaries of psychological research, whether this is based within the fields of medical science, counselling, forensics, sport, business, or society.

Our specialisms

We believe in giving you the freedom to make your career your own. That's why we introduce you to various different subjects in your first year, and then allow you to choose a course after you've got a taste of them all, if your goals change. You can choose to stay on BSc (Hons) Psychology and Criminology or switch to BSc (Hons) Psychology, BSc (Hons) Counselling Psychology, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Psychology, BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology, and BSc (Hons) Psychological Studies, after your first year in any.

These specialisms are also offered as four-year programmes, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme and are available if you didn't meet the entry requirements

I cannot fault the quality of teaching, it’s excellent. The lecturers do all they can to support students. They are well experienced, kind, passionate, supportive and always available to help students in any way they can. The lectures and seminars are well prepared and delivered. I am enjoying my course, my time at BNU and the whole learning environment.
Homaira Merzai
Homaira Merzai

What facilities can I use?

On our psychology degree, you will benefit from hands-on learning, using our state-of-the-art facilities.

In our laboratory and computing workshops, you’ll use software and equipment that social scientists use in the field to present research data. You will use industry standard equipment as part of these courses to build your own experience using a range of professionally recognizable equipment.

You can use our observation laboratory for the measurement of psycho-physiological responses using eye trackers as well as the activity of the cardiovascular system, brain, autonomic nervous system and more.

You’ll use our eye tracking equipment and virtual reality software to test what happens when our local conditions change, and how the brain reacts to those changes.

The facilities at BNU are always here for your use, and we have heavily invested in them with the goal of providing the best space for your own experiments.

We invite you to use them to push your skills and gain all the experience you feel you need to go on and get a job, as what you do here is what you could be doing when you start work in Psychology.

We’ll also sign you up to our Virtual Learning Environment which means you’ll have access to lots of online resources wherever you are! The VLE is an additional online learning platform that supplements your core degree content.

What will I study?

As part of studying psychology at BNU you will share your first year with the other psychology courses and afterwards you can choose to continue this course or transfer onto one of the other courses if you prefer one topic over another. 

Our Psychology and Criminology course sheds light on the contexts in which crime and social life are discussed. Having criminology as a secondary discipline brings a sociological perspective on crime to core areas of psychology. 

You’ll get to know the psychological reasons behind crime and learn about the criminal justice system. You’ll develop your analytical mind, understand human motivation, and nurture your own curiosity.

You will be able to understand the necessary framework needed to practice psychology at a professional level. We want you to ask questions of us, develop your core skills, build your analytical mind, and more. 

When you graduate from BNU you will have gained the skills you need to be empowered and confident in your future with psychological practice.

This course offers you the skills and framework needed to become a chartered psychologist with the BPS. you’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) and from there you can take steps towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist with the BPS.

If you choose to become chartered with the British Psychological Society (BPS) you can go on to practice Psychology as a scientist, analyst, researcher, commentator, advisor or as a clinician. 

How will I be taught and assessed?

This course is accredited by The British Psychological Society (BPS), which means certain modules are incorporated into the course, which you must pass to achieve the Graduate Basis for chartered membership. 

Upon graduation, you’ll be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) and from there you can take steps towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist, which is a highly desired accreditation.

There are many ways you can be assessed, and assessments are designed to help you learn and identify certain areas you need to improve. We use a variety of assessment techniques to look at your ability and areas you may need support with. You must pass the module assessments to progress with the course. Some of the methods we use are:

  • exams
  • presentations
  • group work
  • projects
  • labs
  • coursework
I have always loved psychology and the further along the course, the more freedom there is. The option to choose modules in the last year also lets me study exactly what I love. The facilities are really great; the library and other course-related facilities are super accessible to students.
Emma Fraser-Mills
Emma Fraser-Mills

BSc (Hons) Psychology Programme Specification

What are the course entry requirements?

A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 104 - 128 (Full-Time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)

UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application.

For this course, you'll need at least two A-levels and a GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4.

For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year; find out more.

Modules

This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.

This course has Opportunity modules.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers. Find out more.

What are the tuition fees

Home

Home, Academic Year 2024 - 2025

£9,250 per year

International

Overseas/International, Academic Year 2024 - 2025

£15,150 per year

Additional course costs and financial support

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.
You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

Questions about fees?

If you have any questions about the fees above, contact our Enquiries team by calling 0330 123 2023 or emailing advice@bnu.ac.uk.

What are my career prospects?

With such a strong academic grounding, as well as the transferrable skills you’ll develop along the way, you are well-placed to succeed wherever you go.

There are many options to explore with your Psychology degree; it’s the first step to starting postgraduate study in a more focused area.

If you’d prefer to dive right into the world of work and explore a career in health, education, local government, or the private and public sector, you could consider careers in the Civil Service, Her Majesty's Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS), local authorities and the NHS.

Graduates can choose to continue their studies at BNU and study a postgraduate course, such as our MSc Applied Positive PsychologyMSc Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education, or even the MSc Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

There are numerous opportunities which your degree could help to open. Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in psychology, clinical psychology, forensic psychology, therapy, nursing, and private and public businesses.

The course seemed very open and I knew it would keep my options open to then specialize later rather than specializing early and therefore restricting my options later in my career.
Piers Bowden
Piers Bowden
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BSc (Hons) Psychology and Criminology
BSc (Hons) Psychology and Criminology with Foundation Year