Overview
Get ready with a foundation year and learn the foundational skills and knowledge to complete a full Honours degree. You'll be able to embark on this qualification without meeting the level 3 entry requirements, giving you the opportunity to study at degree level through this four year course.
Dive into the fascinating world of criminal behaviour and human psychology with a Criminology & Psychology degree at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Taking an interdisciplinary approach, you'll explore challenges related to crime, harm, and justice through a psychological lens. From understanding violent behaviour to improving victim support and rehabilitation, you'll gain the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful difference in society.
What you’ll learn
- Investigate why people commit crimes and how mental health and trauma shape behaviour.
- Explore how society responds to crime and how psychology can offer solutions to social issues.
- Examine the roles and functions of policing, punishment, and rehabilitation within the criminal justice system.
- Understand the complexities of human experience and behaviour.
- Develop practical skills for working in multi-agency environments, from youth justice to victim support.
Our expert staff, many with practitioner and research experience, will guide you through a curriculum that blends theory, practice, and social relevance. You'll learn in a supportive, dynamic environment that will prepares you for careers in criminal justice, mental health, policy, or research.
This degree in Criminology & Psychology will empower you to challenge assumptions, understand complexity, and build a career that creates real impact. Begin your journey into the psychology of crime and justice today.
Entry requirements
64
UCAS Tariff Points
Accepted qualifications
We accept a wide range of general qualifications that attract UCAS Tariff points either on their own or in combination with others. Below are some common examples.
| Qualification | Grades |
|---|---|
| A Levels | DDE |
| BTEC | MPP |
| Access | Pass 45 Credits |
| International Baccalaureate | TBC |
More information
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Module information
Core/optional modules
How you’ll learn
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, workshops and tutorials and you will typically have contact time of around twelve hours per week, supported by additional online materials. Your actual contact hours depend on the optional modules you select.
Key knowledge is provided through lectures, guided reading and online materials, and this is supported by class activities and discussion, which help you to apply theory to real life scenarios and problems. Some teaching is also delivered through workshops which blend knowledge delivery with discussions or activities, as well as helping with the development of key study and transferable skills. Teaching sessions are interactive, allowing you to engage with material on a deeper level. Tutorials are available to provide one to one support. The team is dedicated to developing the whole person and therefore provide many sessions to help you develop your personal skills, as well as your academic skills.Where possible, you will have the opportunity to attend visits and trips and we support you in getting work experience.
When not attending lectures, seminars, workshops, or other timetabled sessions you'll have access to a range of resources to help you continue learning through self-study. This typically involves reading journal articles and books, undertaking research in the library, working on projects, and preparing for coursework assignments/examinations, workshops and seminars, as well as viewing relevant documentaries, films, tv series and listening to podcasts.
Your lecturers will direct you towards specific readings and/or activities where appropriate to complete before / after class and provide tutorials where necessary to support your learning.
We also recommend that you set up student study groups and support each other with your studies as research shows that we learn much better in communities. Independent study does not have to be solo study.
A range of additional study skills and employability workshops are available within the University to help you reach your full academic and career potential. Similarly, the Criminology Team set-up additional bespoke sessions throughout the year to support your learning.
Teaching is structured to allow for flexibility. Your actual contact hours will depend on the optional modules you select. However, typically you will have up to 12 hours of structured contact time per week.
For every hour of contact, you'll be expected complete two to three hours of independent study (e.g. research, reading, completing tasks set by the lecturer, preparation for presentations or class discussion etc.).
The teaching team have academic expertise across a range of criminological and psychological issues, including: policing, mental health, criminal justice and crime, the history of crime and punishment, migration and crime, drug related crime and drug treatment, youth justice and victimology, social, developmental, environmental, forensic and contemporary psychological approaches. They are also involved in research activities in these and other areas, and they bring this research expertise into their teaching. Staff have published in these areas and have experienced practitioners in a range of criminal justice professions.
The core team is supported by other teams in the University, such as the law, policing and forensic investigation teams, and a range of professionals currently working in the field who provide guest lectures.
Staff use their research expertise to inform teaching, and they provide you with opportunities to be involved with research to help develop you academically and personally. Our criminology staff and students were central to a pilot of the Bystander Initiative, which aims to support students and staff to identify and prevent sexual harassment, assault and coercive behaviour. The pilot was successful, and a modified version of the initiative is now available University-wide.
The Criminology Team is committed above all else, to your personal and professional development and we will work closely with you throughout your degree to ensure you achieve your aspirations and thoroughly enjoy your time in our learning environment. We care about our students and take the time to ensure you have the guidance you need to develop your knowledge and understanding of crime and crime control.Dr Dan BurrowsCourse Director
How you’ll be assessed
Assessments are a core part of the course and each module has 1-2 assessments that contribute to the assessment quota. Each assessment is well supported by written guides, study skills sessions, a study toolkit and staff guidance, and is designed to allow you to develop your skills as a professional in a variety of criminal justice related settings.
We also provide opportunities for you to gain informal feedback before you complete your assessments, helping you to maximise your final mark, by providing opportunities to gain feedback on your ideas for your assessments and associated assessment plans.
We use a range of assessment methods, designed to help with the development of your core skills, subject knowledge and critical understanding, including:
- Essays
- Reports
- Briefings
- Portfolios
- Oral presentations in groups and as individuals
- Written and online examinations
- Podcasts
- Reflective writing
In your final year you can undertake a dissertation project in an area of your choosing that you find particularly fascinating. You will receive close supervision support from a member of academic staff with specific expertise in your chosen topic. This can include conducting your own research project and offers a valuable opportunity to demonstrate that you can manage your work independently and deploy the range of skills you have learnt across your degree, thus further enhancing your employability.
The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark and feedback is provided to ensure that you can continually improve throughout your degree journey.
Your future career
Our Criminology and Psychology degree is designed with you in mind, equipping you to create sustainable futures while addressing critical social issues, promoting justice, and influencing criminal justice practice and policy reform.
Our course emphasizes an industry-led approach, partnering with agencies, including traditional law enforcement, NGOs, and voluntary organizations. This helps prepare you for diverse career opportunities where knowledge of criminology and psychology is an asset. The Criminology and Psychology course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage with contemporary justice challenges. By embedding the curriculum hallmarks of inclusivity, innovation, and industry-responsiveness, we ensure that you are prepared to work in diverse, evolving, and impactful roles within criminal justice and agencies associated with the field, policy-making and research.
Our degree is designed to synthesise Criminological and Psychological ideas, providing you with training in aspects of Psychology, which are relevant to careers within frontline criminal justice and beyond.Dr Dan BurrowsCourse Director
Regulated by the Office for Students
The Office for Students (OfS) regulates Canterbury Christ Church University. The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Further details about its work are available on the OfS website.
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Duration:
4 yearsLocation(s):
Canterbury Campus*We are advertising this course as ‘subject to approval.’ When we add new courses or update existing courses, we advertise the course as ‘subject to approval’. We do this to let you know the University still needs to agree to run the course. It is rare for a course not to gain approval, but it is not guaranteed. There may be changes to course and module titles, content and assessment, but we will tell you about these if there is a change. You can still apply to study a course subject to approval. We have prepared some questions and answers to tell you more.