On our popular combined course we’ll give you an expert insight into the causes and consequences of crime – and how it is dealt with by the criminal justice system.

You’ll gain a thorough understanding of core criminological theories, and we’ll help you develop the psychological knowledge you’ll need to apply your insights to real-world issues and problems.

You’ll take a social sciences approach to criminology by studying and classifying crime, and you’ll also learn how society responds to criminal behaviour by examining institutions and roles such as the police, courts, prisons and probation service.

In the psychology part of the course, you’ll study behaviour and its causes in biology, social contexts, mental processing and development. And you’ll use your knowledge to explore how criminal behaviour might be explained by understanding the factors that motivate people to commit crime.

In the first two years you’ll gain a solid grounding in both subjects, with introductions to the main aspects of criminology, criminal justice and psychology.

For the criminology part of the course, your studies will include contemporary issues in criminology, key theories, the legal framework, the characteristics of the criminal justice system and the historical context of crime and punishment.

In psychology, you’ll gain knowledge and understanding of key and highly relevant areas such as developmental psychology, social psychology and forensic psychology, which is the study of criminal conduct.
As you progress into your final year you’ll have a huge choice of around 27 options across both subjects to tailor your degree to areas of particular interest to you.

The modules you can choose from include Mentally Disordered Defendants and Suspects, Psychological Criminology, Preventing and Correcting Offending Behaviour and Mental Distress in Context. You’ll also work on an in-depth project, carrying out your own research on a topic of your choosing.

Throughout this combined course you’ll be taught by specialists through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and group work. You’ll find this variety of approaches, backed by your own independent study, to be stimulating and challenging as you get to grips with the key concepts of each subject.

We also offer a work-based learning module, which offers you the chance to make a contribution to a local community organisation or business and learn lessons that you can apply to your academic studies.

For psychology, you will have the chance to use the specialist facilities to conduct experiments and in both subjects you’ll also learn from a programme of leading guest speakers who are at the top of their professions.

You’ll also attend conferences and events off-campus to build your knowledge, understanding and experience, and benefit from the chance to extend your professional network.

Senior Lecturer Dr John Morrison says: “By embarking on a degree in Criminology and Psychology here at UEL you'll be learning about some of the most fascinating debates about human behaviour, personality and decision-making in relation to the broad psychology of individuals and groups while also specifically applying it to understand why and how people engage in criminal activity.“

This degree aims to develop your critical analysis of some of the central issues in the two fields, while also allowing you to specialise in your final year.

By combining the two subjects, you will gain not just an understanding of crime and criminal behaviour. You will also achieve an understanding of criminals and what might lead them to criminal activity.”

Who will teach on this course

Emma Davies

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

UEL Criminology and Psychology graduates have found work in a wide variety of stimulating roles. Some build their careers in directly related fields while others use the transferable skills they’ve learnt to pursue other opportunities.

We place a strong emphasis on preparing you for employment, with a specific employability module in year two geared towards providing you with the best advice on how to prepare for the job market and apply for positions.

Whether you decide to pursue a directly relevant career or not, you’ll learn skills such as writing and presenting, the ability to make a case, meet deadlines and work independently – all skills that will appeal to employers in any sector.

Students have found jobs in a number of related areas, such as:

• The police, prison and probation services
• Central and local government
• Social work
• Voluntary organisations such as Victim Support
• The NHS

Our graduates have also found roles in other fields such as market research, journalism, and jobs in the public sector. Others have gone on to postgraduate study, either at UEL or elsewhere.

To enhance your career prospects, we run a dedicated employability programme for students in the School of Business and Law. Called 'Employ', it includes employability workshops, skills training sessions, guest speaker events, voluntary work, student ambassador roles and work experience opportunities.