BSc (Hons)
Undergraduate degree - combined honours
Gain a deep understanding of the psychological, sociological and biological causes of criminal behaviour, as well as crime prevention, intervention, and criminal rehabilitation.
Our Psychology and Criminology degree develops your critical thinking skills, research abilities, and an understanding of the complexities of criminal behaviour. You'll develop skills that you can take into a range of careers, including:
In your Criminology modules, we explore crime and disorder, such as green crime, maritime crime and crime on social media. You’ll also examine criminal justice and crime prevention. In your study of Psychology, you’ll learn the core perspectives of psychology, along with research methods, data collection and analysis.
After graduating, you'll be able to pursue a career in which understanding the mind and criminal behaviour is essential. For example, you could enter law enforcement, criminal justice or social work. Our accreditation from the British Psychological Society means you can also study Psychology at a higher level in preparation a career as a psychologist.
Both our single and combined honours Psychology courses are accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). This provides Graduate Basis for Registration with the BPS to gain Chartered Psychologist status, provided you achieve a 2.2 overall and pass the final year dissertation.
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Chloe Ghent, BSc (Hons) Criminology alumna, discovered her ideal teaching role in a prison whilst studying at BSU. Chloe now works as a Maths Lecturer at HMP Bristol.
Read more about Chloe’s career journey
for Value Added in Criminology (Guardian University Guide 2025)
Explore the five main psychological perspectives: biological, cognitive, developmental, individual differences and social. Learn how to use research methods to ask psychological questions, engage with the historical and conceptual underpinnings of Psychology, and explore contemporary concepts and their application.
In your Criminology modules, you’ll look at crime from a variety of angles and perspectives. Core modules focus on the main theories, debates, issues and research problems in criminology and criminal justice.
Year one
Build the foundations and develop the core knowledge and skills you’ll need in both strands of your course.
In your Criminology studies, you'll examine crime statistics, criminal justice and criminological theory.
You’ll also explore the main areas of psychological science, with an introduction to research methods and data analysis skills.
Year two
In your second year you’ll take on further depth and challenges.
In your Psychology modules, you’ll take a closer look at biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology, and advance your understanding of research methods. In Criminology, you’ll study contemporary debates, criminal justice, and policing.
You'll also be supported and encouraged to take a work placement, and you can choose to take an optional Professional Placement Year between your second and final years.
Year three
You’ll explore how Psychology is applied socially and commercially to solve real-world problems. You’ll also design and develop your Psychology dissertation project. Working under specialist supervision, you'll collect and analyse data and write up your dissertation research report.
You can choose from Criminology modules that focus on punishment and penology, victimisation, and terrorism.
We use a range of assessments to gain a comprehensive measure of your performance. Assignments may include essays, debates, book reviews, exams, portfolios, creative work, contributions to online resources, presentations, reports, in-class tests, reflective writing and individual and group projects.
You’ll participate in a wide variety of activities including lectures, seminars, workshops, one-to-one tutorials, and sessions with visiting speakers.
To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.
Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.
We encourage you to apply your learning in the real world and explore potential careers.
We have excellent links with local criminal justice organisations including police services and prisons, as well as a programme of visiting speakers which includes people with lived experience of the criminal justice system.
As a social sciences degree, this course gives you a range of transferable skills that you can take into many different careers (some of which require further training). Our graduates have been employed in a wide range of roles and career paths, including:
The BPS accreditation of your Psychology studies means you’ll be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS). This is an essential stepping-stone for students who are looking to progress to become a Chartered Psychologist after graduation.
As a graduate of Criminology and Psychology you may also wish to continue your studies with our MSc Criminology.
At the end of the final academic year, we award prizes to recognise achievements in academic success and reward effort and excellence. Prizes specific to Psychology are:
The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.
As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.
You'll be taught at our Newton Park campus. Nestled in the countryside at the edge of Bath, the campus offers a blend of modern and eighteenth-century buildings and good access to the city.
From your lectures, you’ll be able to visit the library, the Students’ Union, and access our student information and support teams, as well as many of our facilities.
Laboratories
Online resources
| Student | Annual tuition fee |
|---|---|
| UK full time | £9,535 |
| UK part time | £4,768 |
| International full time | £16,460 |
During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.
You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.
Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.
We're looking for hardworking, articulate applicants who are interested in all aspects of crime and psychology, justice and punishment. You'll be fascinated by human behaviour and the workings of the mind, and curious enough to ask questions that will help drive science forward.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:
If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Course enquiries
For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.
Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.
Course leader (Criminology): Dr Faye Vanstone
Email: f.vanstone@bathspa.ac.uk
Course leader (Psychology): Dr Agnieszka Janik McErlean
Email: a.janikmcerlean@bathspa.ac.uk
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed under 'Typical offers' in the main column below. For combined courses, please check both subjects. If your qualification is not listed, please email admissions@bathspa.ac.uk with your specific details.