Criminology and Psychology

Criminology and psychology together examine the causes and consequences of crime from two complementary perspectives. Criminology situates offending within the social, economic, cultural, and institutional contexts that make it more or less likely, asking how society defines, responds to, and is shaped by crime. Psychology investigates the individual dimension, examining personality, cognition, emotion, and development to understand why particular individuals behave in the ways they do, and what psychological processes are involved in offending, victimisation, and the work of criminal justice practitioners.

The University of Chester's three-year full-time degree in criminology and psychology includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at a partner institution in another country. Chester has strong traditions in both criminology and psychology, and the joint programme develops you in both disciplines with rigorous attention to theory, research methods, and their application to real-world questions about crime and behaviour. You will study criminological theory, the sociology of crime, policing, courts and sentencing, forensic psychology, abnormal psychology, psychological research methods, social influence, and the ethics of working with offenders and victims.

The year abroad adds a comparative dimension to both the criminological and the psychological content of the programme, since approaches to crime and justice, and the psychological assumptions underlying them, vary considerably between societies.

Graduates in criminology and psychology go on to work in probation, youth justice, forensic psychology support roles, the prison service, social work, victim support, policing, community justice, and research. Many continue to postgraduate training in forensic psychology, criminology, or social work, and the combination of evidence-based psychological thinking and criminological understanding provides a strong foundation for any career at the intersection of behaviour and justice.