Psychology with Criminology BSc (Hons)

This course explores the psychology of mind and behaviour, covering key theories and research. You'll also examine how crime impacts individuals and society, with a focus on the criminal justice system.

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging.

Overview

This course combines psychology with criminology, exploring how the mind shapes behaviour and how psychological theories apply to criminal behaviour and societal reactions to crime. You’ll study human behaviour using scientific methods—observation, measurement, and testing—to understand how and why people act the way they do.

You’ll also develop key skills in critical thinking, communication, and scientific research, including data analysis and presentation, preparing you for careers where understanding societal issues is essential.

Graduates succeed in fields such as criminal justice, education, social work, research, advertising, human resources, and healthcare.

You’ll study core areas of psychology including biological, cognitive, developmental, and social psychology, with topics such as personality, intelligence, research methods, and historical perspectives. In your second and third years, you’ll have the opportunity to tailor your learning with elective modules in psychology and criminology.

Key Features

Focused learning: Modules are delivered through our block teaching approach, so you can concentrate on one subject at a time.
Personalise your learning: Choose from a wide range of optional modules in Year 3 to align your studies with your interests and career goals.
Authentic facilities: Access dedicated psychology labs, research spaces, interview rooms, and observation suites, all supported by expert technicians.
Research-informed teaching: Learn from a team of academics with expertise in Health Psychology, Cognition, Neuroscience, and Criminology.
Global experience: Enrich your studies with DMU Global, offering international opportunities like exploring mental health history in Paris or cross-cultural psychology in Kuala Lumpur.
BPS accredited: This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), providing eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, a key step towards becoming a chartered psychologist.

Scholarships

DMU offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

International student scholarships

Find out about available international scholarships or visit our fees and funding page for more information.

UK
EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: C8X3

Start date: September

Duration: Three years full-time

Location: De Montfort University Leicester UK

Fees and funding:

2025/26 fees: £9,535* per year

*subject to the government, as is expected, passing legislation to formalise the increase.

Additional costs: You may incur additional costs for this programme, including the cost of travelling to and from project/placement locations.

How to apply

Submit a study-related enquiry

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: C8X3

Start date: September

Duration: Three years full-time

Location: De Montfort University Leicester UK

Fees and funding:

2025/26 tuition fees for international students: £16,750

Find out more about available funding for international students.

Additional costs: You may incur additional costs for this programme, including the cost of travelling to and from project/placement locations.

How to apply

Submit a study-related enquiry

Becka’s confidence rose as she discovered new people and perspectives – both on her doorstep and across the globe.

Entry criteria

GCSEs

Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English and Maths

Plus one of the following:

A levels

A minimum of 112 points from at least two A levels

T Levels

Merit

BTEC

BTEC National Diploma - Distinction/Merit/Merit
BTEC Extended Diploma - Distinction/Merit/Merit

International Baccalaureate

30+ points

Access course

Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE overall 112 UCAS tariff with at least 30 L3 credits at Merit. English GCSE required as separate qualification. Equivalency not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

Interview: No

Work experience: No

Personal statement selection criteria

Clear communication skills, including good grammar and spelling
Information relevant to the course applied for
Interest in the course demonstrated with explanation and evidence

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.5 overall is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

First year

Block 1: Professional Skills for Psychologists
Block 2: Core Areas and Research Methods 1
Block 3: Contemporary Issues in Criminology
Block 4: Core Areas and Research Methods 2

Second year

Block 1: Mind, Brain and Behaviour
Block 2: Psychology across the Lifespan
Block 3, Choose one optional module from:
- Domestic Violence and Abuse, Children and the Criminal Justice System, Animals and Criminology, Introduction to Probation, Genocide, Restorative Justice, or Drugs and Crime
Block 4: Personality and Social Psychology

Third year

Block 1: Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology
Block 1: Employability Skills and Psychology
Block 2, choose one optional module from:
- Counselling Psychology
- Cognitive Neuropsychology
- Wellbeing and Positive Psychology
- Introduction to Data Science for Psychologists
- Loss, Grief and Bereavement: Cultural, Social, and Therapeutic Perspectives
- Psychology of Addiction
- Psychology and Culture: Global Issues and International Perspectives
- Psychology of Human Rights, Activism and Social Justice
Block 3: Emerging Issues in Criminology
Block 4: Psychology Project

See detailed module descriptions

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

Teaching will be in the form of:

Lectures
Seminars
Workshops
Tutorials

Lectures are primarily presentation-based. Some lectures may have only 10-20 students whereas others may have up to 100-300 students. Seminars and workshops typically involve more interactive or practical exercises and demonstrations and commonly have around 10-20 students. Tutorials may be one-to-one or to small groups. In addition to timetabled teaching you are expected to engage in approximately 20-25 hours of self-directed study, including library research, group work and report or essay writing.

Assessment combines various methods including:

Essays
Written exams
Multiple choice exams
Presentations
Podcasts
Portfolios
Critical Reviews

As well as more innovative methods such as oral presentations, research reports, critical reviews of research papers and portfolio assignments. In your final year you will also complete an 8000-10,000 word dissertation. Modules use different assessment methods, although most employ a combination of examinations and coursework.

Teaching contact hours

Contact hours in a typical week will depend on your year of study and the optional modules chosen. However, typically you will have between 7-12 contact hours of teaching per week. As an example, within the second year of your studies you might typically have:

Personal tutorial/small group teaching: approx. 1-2 hours of tutorials per Block, and as per request

Medium group teaching: approx. 4-5 hours of practical classes, workshops or seminars each week

Large group teaching: approx. 3-5 hours of lectures each week

Personal study: approx. 20-25 hours each week

Teaching across the programme is informed by the research interests and expertise of our staff group. Four key research clusters exist within the division: Health Psychology, Cognition and Neuroscience, Self and Identity and Psychology and Technology. Staff members have diverse research interests including areas such as decision making, language, vision, eating behaviours, reproduction, identity processes, cybersecurity and cybercrime.

Accreditation

This course confers eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society, provided the minimum standard of a second class honours is achieved.

Facilities and features

Health and Life Sciences facilities

Substantial investment has developed our teaching and learning facilities to help you expand your practical experience and theoretical knowledge beyond the classroom.

The 19th century Hawthorn Building has facilities designed to replicate current practice in health and life sciences, including contemporary analytical chemistry and formulation laboratories, audiology booths and nursing and midwifery clinical skills suites.

Purpose-built clinical skills areas allow you to practice in a safe environment. You will receive guidance and support from staff to ensure that your practical ability in the clinical skills suites is accurate.

Further resources to support research projects include test databases, experiment building software, psychophysiological apparatus including eye-trackers, and two dedicated psychology technicians.

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available.

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose.

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub.

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Placements

As part of this course you will have the opportunity to complete a self-sourced work experience placement, which helps you apply your knowledge of academic theory to practical applications. Students are encouraged to source opportunities in line with their own career ambitions from different schemes and providers both inside and outside of the university.

Our Careers Team can help you secure a placement through activities such as mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and you will be assigned a personal tutor to support you throughout your placement.

Graduate careers

Graduates from this course have gone on to work in a variety of roles across a range of well-respected sectors including the police service, criminal justice, education, teaching, social work, human resources, healthcare, research, and advertising.

Psychology graduate Shanley Lewis is now working as an assistant psychologist for the NHS, after she was inspired to pursue a career helping others when her dad suffered a stroke.

"Studying at DMU was exceptional,” she explained. “It was challenging and I learned a lot about myself and had to develop skills such as time management, which still helps me today."

Many of our graduates progress into further postgraduate study, including courses such as Health Psychology MSc and Psychological Well-being MSc.

DMU Global

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Students on this course have undertaken DMU Global trips to places such as Paris, where they explored the history of mental health and neuropsychology, and New York, which provided opportunities to consider inequality and segregation in the city. Students have travelled to Berlin to help support and assist refugees.

Take your next steps

Nine halls of residence and around 2,300 rooms, all of which are within easy walking distance of the campus.

Run by students for students, DSU offers more than 150 societies and almost 40 different sports clubs for you to get involved in.

Psychology with Criminology BSc (Hons)

Block teaching designed around you