Online United Kingdom
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest start date
TUITION FEES
GBP 18,500 / per course *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* £18,500 UK / £20,396 International (2024-25)
Key Summary
Introduction
Progress in your career, or take the first steps towards a brand-new one, with this exciting BSc (Hons) Criminal Psychology. Explore a wide range of topics within the fields of psychology and criminology, while also developing your understanding of core theories.
Explore the fast-moving field of criminal psychology with this internationally focused BSc (Hons) Criminal Psychology. This evolving discipline focuses on the crossover between psychology and criminology, allowing you to apply methods, theories and research to understand some of the critical issues facing the modern criminal justice system.
Created by subject specialists, this course gives you the chance to study alongside classmates and fellow professionals to take part in thought-provoking modules covering topics such as risk management, offender profiling and offender rehabilitation.
A shorter 16-month CertHE is also available for this course, equal to a total of 120 credits.
*Please note: This course is not accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). If you would like to study a BPS accredited course, please check out our BSc (Hons) Psychology.
Who is this course for?
Looking to advance in your job? Or maybe you want to start a new position? This BSc (Hons) Criminal Psychology allows you to fit your education around your family commitments and work, as you’ll study 100% online and part-time. Graduates of the programme will also develop a thorough understanding of both psychology and criminology in addition to a wide range of transferable skills including research, critical thinking, self-motivation and communication.
Teaching methods
We’re a 100% online education provider, so we use a state-of-the-art virtual learning environment (VLE) to deliver our teaching, resources and assessments. Our system tracks and manages the learning process in real-time and provides you with immediate access to your learning materials. The VLE is accessible 24/7 and allows both students and tutors to actively take part in real-time conversations and live Q&As.
We believe you get the most out of your time spent studying when you are kept informed of your performance, and we achieve this by:
- assessing you throughout modules rather than waiting for the end of year assessments
- showing your marks in your grade book which can be viewed whenever you log onto the virtual learning environment (VLE)
- rapid turnaround on work assessed to ensure your grade book is always up to date
- ensuring you have regular contact with your Student Support team
Assessment methods
All assessments are delivered through our virtual learning environment (VLE). There is no requirement to travel to external test centres or to sit exams! Instead, you will submit assignments through the VLE, such as written reports, discussion forum participation or reflective journal entries.
We also have a policy of ensuring that the work submitted by students is authentic – we use a well-established electronic monitoring system to check for plagiarism.
Why Essex Online?
Study online. Graduate on campus.
You will complete your studies and assessments 100% online and your qualification will be awarded by the University of Essex, an award-winning university with a 60-year heritage of teaching and research excellence and one of the top 30 universities in the UK (Complete University Guide 2025). Upon completing your course, you will graduate with the same certificate as campus-based students – your mode of study is only mentioned on your academic transcript.
World-class academic and mentoring support
Our online tutors are leading authorities and specialists in their respective fields. They are passionate about what they teach and combine their knowledge of industry practice with high-quality academic delivery, offering you an unparalleled learning experience.
We also have a dedicated team of Student Advisers and Study Skills Advisers that will support you from your first day to graduation. They will be on hand to help and guide you as you progress through your studies. Whatever the question or issue, they will work with you to find a solution.
We're proud to be rated Gold in the Times Higher Education (THE) Online Rankings 2024. Our achievement, which is based on four pillars - resources, engagement, outcomes and environment - recognises our commitment to excellent online education.
Career Opportunities
Whilst the BSc (Hons) Criminal Psychology degree lends itself to a career within criminal justice, the skills and knowledge obtained from studying the programme are also highly sought after by employers from a wide range of sectors. These include security, marketing, research, academia and business.
Gallery
Curriculum
You can study the following modules on the BSc (Hons) Criminal Psychology:
- Fundamentals of Effective Learning in Psychology*
- Introduction to Social Psychology*
- Crime & Society*
- Introduction to Cognitive Psychology*
- Introduction to Offender Profiling*
- Introduction to Research Methods*
- Dealing with Offending Behaviour
- Personality and Intelligence
- Biological Psychology*
- Advanced Cognitive Psychology*
- Individual Differences, Emotions and Behaviours*
- Quantitative Psychology*
- Psychological Development through the Lifespan*
- Forensic Psychology*
- Criminology
- Risk Assessment and Management
- Criminal Investigation
- Youth Crime and Justice
- Prisons and Penology
- Substance Misuse and Crime
- Critical Social Psychology
- Developmental Science
- Probation and Community Justice
- Criminal Behaviour and Deviance
- Investigative Psychology
- Victimology and Criminal Victimisation
- Policing
- The Economics of Crime
- Criminal Justice in the Information Age: Cyber Crime and Security*
- Final Psychology Project*
*These modules are core and must be passed in order to achieve the award.
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
International students residing in specific regions outside the UK may be eligible for a scholarship of up to 20% on the 2024/2025 intakes of our undergraduate and postgraduate online courses.
Students residing in Africa can also enjoy a 20% scholarship for the 2024/2025 intakes of all eligible undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
- Designated for undergraduate student loans in England.
- Simple monthly payment plan available, enabling you to spread the cost over the duration of your studies.
- Full payment discount of 5% if you pay upfront.
- 10% corporate discount available when three or more of your employees study with us.
Please note, a maximum of two discounts or scholarships can be applied. The corporate discount can only be used in combination with our upfront payment discount, but not in conjunction with any other discount or scholarship. Find out more information about our discounts and scholarships.
A range of scholarships are available subject to applicants meeting certain criteria. To find out whether you're eligible for scholarships, please contact the school.
Program delivery
Teaching methods and style
We’re a 100% online education provider, so we use a state-of-the art virtual learning environment (VLE) to deliver our teaching, resources and assessments. Our system tracks and manages the learning process in real-time and provides you with immediate access to your learning materials. The VLE is accessible 24/7 and allows both students and tutors to actively take part in real-time conversations and live Q&As.
Assessment
All assessments are delivered through our virtual learning environment (VLE). There is no requirement to go to external test centres; instead you will submit written assignments through the VLE.For the few courses where exams are required, we use a virtual system which allows you to take academically rigorous exams from the comfort of your own home.
We believe you get the most out of your time spent studying when you are kept informed of your performance, and we achieve this by:
- assessing you throughout modules rather than waiting for end of year exams
- showing your marks in your grade book which can be viewed whenever you log onto the VLE
- rapid turnaround on work assessed to ensure your grade book is always up to date
- ensuring you have regular contact with your Student Support team
We also have a policy of ensuring that the work submitted by students is authentic – we use a well-established electronic monitoring system to check for plagiarism.