Criminology with Social Psychology (Including Placement Year) BA (Hons)

What is BA Criminology with Social Psychology?
BA Criminology with Social Psychology is a three-year degree, or four years with an optional placement or study abroad year.

You’ll explore the nature of crime, criminal justice, and punishment within wider social and psychological contexts. Criminologists engage with some of the most pressing issues, decisions, and dilemmas facing societies today, and this course helps you understand how crime is shaped by individuals, groups, and society.

Why this course
How do we understand crime? Should crime be punished? This course encourages you to engage with fundamental questions about crime, criminal behaviour, and justice in contemporary society.

You will receive a thorough grounding in the foundations of criminology, while also exploring how social psychological approaches help explain criminal motivation and the interpersonal dynamics within crime control organisations. This combined perspective deepens your understanding of both individual behaviour and wider social structures.

You will study crime, criminals, and criminal justice systems within broader social and psychological contexts, developing the analytical tools needed to examine complex real-world issues.

The course is delivered by the Department of Sociology and Criminology, which is ranked 2nd in the UK for research power in sociology (Research Excellence Framework 2021, Times Higher Education analysis).

Who should apply
Students interested in understanding crime, criminal behaviour, and justice systems
Those curious about how psychology and society influence criminal motivation and decision-making
Learners who enjoy exploring social issues through both criminological and psychological perspectives
Future practitioners, analysts, researchers, or professionals in criminal justice or related fields

What you’ll learn
Crime and its control: Explore theories of crime, criminal justice systems, and approaches to crime prevention
Power: Examine how power operates within society and influences criminal justice processes
Identity: Investigate how identity shapes and is shaped by criminal behaviour and social context

Your learning experience
Research-led teaching: Learn from academics specialising in criminology, sociology, and social psychology
Interdisciplinary perspective: Combine criminological and psychological approaches to understand crime and justice
Applied understanding: Explore real-world issues in criminal justice organisations and crime control settings
Independent dissertation: Complete a supervised research project on a topic that inspires you
Supportive academic environment: Study within a department recognised for its research excellence and teaching quality

Careers and outcomes
A BA Criminology with Social Psychology degree can prepare you for careers in:

Criminal justice and policing: Police services, probation, prisons, and youth justice
Forensic and behavioural roles: Work involving behavioural analysis and offender rehabilitation support
Public policy and research: Policy development, social research, and think tanks
Community and support services: Roles supporting victims, offenders, and community safety initiatives
Further study: Postgraduate training in criminology, psychology, forensic psychology, or related disciplines