School of Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology (Criminal Behaviour)

BSc (Hons) Part-time 6 years, Full-time 3 years

You will build the foundations for future study through research into the core areas of psychology, developing your understanding of the interactions between the mind, emotion, motivation, and behaviour.

You will build the foundations for future study through research into the core areas of psychology, developing your understanding of the interactions between the mind, emotion, motivation, and behaviour.

Award
BSc (Hons)
Start date(s)
September 2024, September 2025
UCAS Code
C816
Course specifications
Course length
Part-time (6 years),Full-time (3 years)
Campus location
University: City Campus
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

This course is a BSc Psychology with specialist content from forensic and criminal psychology, accredited by the British Psychological Society

BPS

Under the tutelage of expert teaching staff trained in forensic psychology and the study of crime, over 3 years (full-time) or 6 years (part-time) you will develop a scientific understanding of the mind and human behaviours, exploring the biological, cultural, environmental, and social factors that influence them. These studies make use of the University of Wolverhampton’s state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, which grants a valuable practical dimension to the course. With the degree’s accreditations and the range of relevant partners associated with the University, BSc Psychology creates the opportunity for a career-enhancing placement, dramatically improving your employability upon graduation.

 The British Psychological Society

What happens on the course?

You will build the foundations for future study through research into the core areas of psychology, developing your understanding of the interactions between the mind, emotion, motivation, and behaviour. Underpinning these ideas, you will research the historical and scientific contexts behind core debates and key competencies in psychology, as well as training your critical analysis skills by examining the use of research and studies in society. You will develop critical thinking and advanced skills via the application of theory to real-world contexts, particularly the myriad careers that will become available to you when you graduate. Your second year will allow you to study in advance for your third-year research project, specialising in an area of particular interest to you. Accompanied by personal tutors and learning from professionals in this chosen field, your research project will have real-world application and ensure that you graduate with a wealth of transferrable skills. Psychology contexts studied include forensic, clinical, cyber, health, evolutionary, and developmental.

The course is part of the School of Psychology in the Faculty of Education, Health, and Wellbeing.  The School of Psychology is the professional home to over 50 teaching and research staff, bringing a broad range of interests and experience to benefit students learning on our portfolio of courses.  The School is recognised as one of the leading providers of psychology education in the UK, and uses innovative teaching methods focused on the application of scientific and theoretical principles to the study of people’s lives. Our psychology staff are grouped into a variety of highly active research clusters through our Centre for Psychological Research, publishing in the latest academic journals and working to make a real-world impact on people’s lives.

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Professional psychology career routes

  • Counselling psychologists work in the field of mental health, weaving psychotherapy training together with evidence-based practice to address issues such as depression, trauma, and eating disorders.
  • Clinical psychologists work with cases of anxiety and depression but also with serious and enduring mental illness, neurological and developmental disorders, addictive behaviours, childhood behaviours, and family relationships.
  • Educational psychologists work in schools with students, with the local education authorities, schools, special education units, colleges and nurseries, and work with children who are experiencing social, emotional, or learning difficulties by providing assessments, counselling, and other interventions.
  • Occupational psychologists focus on human behaviour in the workplace, and work to increase aspects such as productivity, job satisfaction, and organisational effectiveness.
  • Health psychologists consider the many factors that can impact directly on our wellbeing, using their knowledge and skills to further understand wellbeing and to promote healthier lifestyles.
  • Forensic psychologists work in prisons, with law enforcement agencies, rehabilitation centres, law firms, and other government agencies. They carry out psychological assessments of prisoners, explore evidence for psychological disorders, and evaluate the mental health of defendants.

Professional routes require postgraduate study and supervised practice to reach chartered status with the British Psychological Society, and/or registration with the Health and Care Professions Council. Please talk to us to plan your career, or visit: careers.bps.org.uk

A degree in psychology opens many career routes. Graduates have gone on to work in a range of work domains, including:

  • Commercial companies (analyst, statistician, public relations)
  • Charities (engagement worker, fundraiser, project leader, grant writer, PR)
  • Advertising, Press and Media financial organisations (insurance, banking, statistician)
  • Human resources (recruitment company, HR manager, careers consultant, coach)
  • Office management (supporting staff, leading teams)
  • Local and national government the legal sector (e.g. legal researcher)
  • The NHS (creative therapies, mental health support work, speech and language therapy, management training programmes)
  • Security services (intelligence officer with MI5, customs officer, police forces
  • National Probation Service
  • HM Prison Service
  • Schools, sixth form colleges and colleges of further education
  • Social services.

By choosing a BPS-accredited degree with us, you are ensuring doors are open to you to match your aspirations. 

Graduate destinations

  • The National Health Service as psychology assistants, psychological wellbeing practitioners, and data analysts.
  • HM Prison Service, working in prisons, alongside Chartered & HCPC Registered psychologists providing training, support, and assessment.
  • NHS Children & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
  • The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
  • The British Psychological Society (BPS)
  • Social services
  • Facebook
  • Google

Upon graduating from this course, you could progress onto one of our Masters or Doctorate courses, and take your studies to an advanced practitioner level.  There are also many career options for graduates entering the workforce. 

 

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

 

 

The British Psychological Society accreditation grants this course several benefits, including professional input on course content and direction in its career-focused angle. Upon graduation, you will become automatically eligible for Graduate Basis of Chartered Membership with the society, aiding in your pursuit of positions in the psychology sector. Placement opportunities throughout your studies will further embellish the career-credibility of your degree, granting you a professional focus and applied experience of psychology.

School of Psychology staff are experienced practitioners and published experts in a multitude of fields in psychology, bringing their experience and adherence to guidelines from nationally recognised teaching quality bodies (Advance HE) to your curriculum.

You will be accompanied through the production of research projects that focus on innovation and real-world application, alongside other practical-oriented assessments. The University of Wolverhampton boasts an active, supportive research community, fostering opportunities through our participant system to give you researcher access in your final year.

Furthermore, you will have access to the University’s unique facilities, including various computer labs, libraries, and observation rooms. Some of our highlights include our cyberpsychology research laboratory, psychological test library, and research-based mental health clinic. You will use a range of cutting-edge tools such as VR and eye-tracking equipment, state-of-the-art psychometric tools, and psychology-specific software.

The University has a diverse community of people, with staff and students from 120 different countries. In an increasingly global world, we ensure that our curriculum enables you to develop key skills that are valuable to an international workplace.

 

 

Knowledge gained throughout this course will be widely applicable to a number of employment fields, in addition to specialist psychology positions. Where your course-specific knowledge will aid in careers focused on human behaviour – mental health practice, psychology, teaching, or business – your range of transferrable skills will grant access to career paths including journalism, research, policing, media, and politics.

In the process of creating written work and receiving feedback from staff, you will develop your writing skills, improving communication of your ideas in clear, concise, and impactful ways. Your aptitude for high-quality research will also necessarily improve, requiring critical thinking to consider sources used, assumptions made, methods undertaken, and the ethics of your practice. The ability to solve complex problems will require out-of-the-box thinking and comprehension of underlying factors in real-world issues, helping you achieve autonomy in your studies and future work.

Throughout the course you will also develop your communication skills and collaborative abilities, both of which are highly desirable attributes to modern employers.

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2022-23
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2023-24
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2024-25
Home Part-time £3120 per year# 2022-23
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2023-24
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2024-25
International Full-time £13450 per year 2022-23
International Full-time £14450 per year 2023-24
International Full-time £14950 per year 2024-25

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

# Undergraduate part-time fees for 50% rate of study

96 UCAS points

  • A Levels grades CCC
  • BTEC L3 Extended Diploma or OCR Cambridge L3 Technical Extended Diploma- grades MMM
  • BTEC Level 3 Diploma - grades DD
  • Access to HE Diploma (60 credits) of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3 (96 UCAS point equivalence, minimum 45 credits at merit)

Use the UCAS Tariff calculator to check your qualifications and points

Other Requirements

Students must usually have studied for a minimum of two years post GCSE level. However, we will consider applications from mature students who do not have two years of post-16 study, where they have relevant work experience. Please see http://wlv.ac.uk/mature for further information.

 

"During my time I felt all the staff genuinely wanted me to do well and were more than happy to invest their time and effort in achieving this. They were always extremely helpful and understanding, not to mention patient." 
Mel West

"Following graduation from an undergraduate psychology degree, I acquired the position of trainee practitioner with the National Autistic Society. Currently I am in the process of applying for a postgraduate course in clinical psychology. Although competition is high, with my education and experience I am hopeful that I will secure a placement."  
Yukyee Chang

"There are many great aspects to studying at the University of Wolverhampton. For me, it meant that I could live locally, using the free shuttle bus between the campuses. The on-site facilities were very good too, giving me easy access to computers, books, and journal articles."

Kirsty Lee

"I can’t thank you all at the University enough for providing me with the healing that comes from gaining an education in a supportive environment. I continue to grow and hold my head high now!"

Gail

"Being at the University of Wolverhampton has literally changed my life. It helped me to realise my intelligence, skills, gifts and talents. It helped me realise my potential and gain my identity. It has helped me understand my own mental health, have better reflection, and respect the world in a whole different way. I'm not here really to declare a sob story, but just to share a little about how you have changed my life through your care, compassion, and empathy as a department. I sincerely mean it from my heart. Thank you for always believing in me."

Fiona

British Psychological Society (BPS)

Accredited against the requirements for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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