Criminology and Psychology

Criminology and psychology are disciplines that have a great deal to say to each other. Criminology asks why crime occurs, how it is defined and measured, how the criminal justice system responds, and how societies attempt to prevent offending and support those affected by it. Psychology, and particularly the branches concerned with cognition, development and social behaviour, addresses the underlying questions about why individuals think and act as they do, what shapes personality and decision-making, and how mental health and social context interact to produce behaviour.

Together, the two subjects offer an integrated framework for understanding crime and the people involved in it.

This three-year full-time degree at the University of St Mark and St John develops your understanding of the mind and its relationship to crime and society. You will study the causes of criminal behaviour, theories of criminological explanation, the structure and practice of the criminal justice system, victimology and restorative justice alongside the psychological foundations of behaviour, cognition, developmental psychology and research methods. The programme prepares you for a wide range of careers in and around the criminal justice system by developing both your theoretical knowledge and your ability to think critically about evidence and practice.

Graduates pursue careers in the probation service, youth offending teams, police services, prison and custody settings, social work, victim support, community safety and rehabilitation. Those who wish to practice as psychologists will need to go on to postgraduate training, and the undergraduate degree provides a foundation for that route. More broadly, the analytical and communication skills developed by studying criminology and psychology together are relevant to a wide range of roles in education, health, social care, policy and research concerned with human behaviour and social disadvantage.