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BSc (Hons)

Forensic Psychology

Attendance

Campus

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Duration

3 Years

Start

September 2023

UCAS Code

C8B1

Delivery

Campus Taught

Foundation entry

Develop a broad understanding of Psychology relating to Law and the Criminal Justice System, focusing upon areas including detection, prevention and rehabilitation.

Our Forensic Psychology degree will provide you with a broad understanding of Psychology relating to Law and the Criminal Justice System.

The comprehensive nature of the course means that you will have the opportunity to learn about expert testimony, eyewitness accounts of crime, rehabilitation, domestic and honour based violence, lie detection, crime prevention and many other areas of Forensic Psychology.

Your in-depth understanding of Forensic Psychology will be underpinned by an understanding of the core areas of Psychology. By the time you graduate, you’ll have the specialist skills and understanding you need to pursue a career in understanding, treating and combating criminal behaviour.

Why study with us

Learn from a team who not only conduct world-class research but also apply it in real-life forensic psychology settings settings – within the NHS, Prison Service, Victim Services or Police.
Progress to the sector-leading MSc Forensic Psychology course and pursue a career as a Chartered Forensic Psychologist.
Applied Psychology (BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology) is ranked top in the UK for overall satisfaction with 95% (National Student Survey 2022).

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What you'll do

Learn not just from academics that lead their fields, but a range of guest lecturers who share their own experiences. Previously these have included a criminal classed as ‘Britain’s Most Wanted,’ and a Detective Superintendent who was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for their role in a high-profile murder investigation.
The core BPS curriculum is taught alongside coverage of the core areas of Forensic Psychology. This leaves the final year available to concentrate your studies upon an in-depth understanding of Forensic Psychology and to undertake a related research project.
You’ll learn through a variety of different approaches including interactive workshops, learning from Forensic Psychologists and probation officers who will share their experiences of working with offenders in prisons and hospitals.

Module overview

Course delivery

Following the pandemic, we have found that some courses benefit from a blended learning and teaching approach. Therefore, the majority of your teaching will be face-to-face on campus aside from a small amount of online teaching where we have learnt it works best.

90%Face-to-face

10%Online

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

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Accreditations

This course is accredited by the BPS, the learned and professional body, incorporated by the Royal Charter, for Psychology in the UK. We will provide you with the breadth and depth of knowledge that allows you to graduate with Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) provided you achieve at least a lower second class honours degree.

Academic expertise

Future careers

As a Forensic Psychologist you could work in a range of professional settings providing the research evidence to support practice, offering evidence in court, advising parole boards and mental health tribunals.

This course offers you a balance of specialist understanding of Forensic Psychology and a well-rounded understanding of the wider discipline. As such, it can be the foundation for a variety of different careers.

The largest single employer of Forensic Psychologists in the UK is the HM Prison Service, though your specialist skills could also lead you to roles in secure hospitals, rehabilitation units and social services, as well as research organisations and consultancies.

As you will graduate with an understanding of all of the core areas of Psychology, you can progress to postgraduate study in any area of Psychology, or use this as the basis for a career in research, or study towards a PhD level.

Whatever path you aim for, we can offer the support to help you get there. We offer the flexibility to pursue work placements during your studies – whether as part of a module, or as a sandwich year – helping you develop valuable skills and vital workplace experience that will give you a competitive advantage in the busy job market.

Fees and funding

2022/23

Full-time£9250 per year

Sandwich year£1000 for the sandwich year

Part-time£1540 per 20 credits

International

Full-time£14250 per year

2023/24

Full-time£9,250 per year

Sandwich year£1,385 for the sandwich year

Part-time£1,540 per 20 credits

International

Full-time£14,900 per year

Sandwich year£2,000 for the sandwich year

Scholarships and bursaries

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries and funds available to help support you whilst studying with us.

Select your country and see eligibility information and how to apply by selecting more info on the cards below.

Select your country/region

To become a great Forensic Psychologist you first need to become a good psychologist. Therefore in the first year of the course you will gain an understanding of the core areas of Psychology whilst beginning to develop your understanding of Forensic Psychology through both the ‘Topics in Forensic and Criminal Psychology’ module and the ‘Current Topics in Psychology’ course that introduces a range of exciting and new research developments.

The second year of the course provides you with the coverage of the core BPS defined curriculum that ensures both your professional body accreditation and your ability to progress, should you wish, to postgraduate study. These modules are studied alongside Forensic Psychology and you can develop your knowledge further by selecting an additional module from our options list to complement your interests and career goals.

In the final year of your degree you will be able to spend two-thirds of your time studying Forensic Psychology through the project and the specialist final year Forensic Psychology modules. In addition, you select two further modules from related areas to enable you to focus upon the areas that you are interested in and develop the expertise that you need for either employment or further postgraduate study.

Throughout the course, your modules will involve a mixture of lectures, seminars and tutorials, as well as practical workshops to help reflect the professional practice of a Forensic Psychologist. Independent study is also an important aspect. Assessments don’t just take the traditional approach of essays, presentations and research reports. Instead, where practical, they mirror the work that you might undertake as a Forensic Psychologist. This provides you with a range of experiences to take with you to a potential employer.

Much like the facilities, our staff are world-class; you’ll be taught by specialists in their fields who not only will provide you with the information you need to become a great psychologist but inspire you to become involved in collaborative research.

Our links with the Professional Body are such that we will provide you with Student Membership of the British Psychological Society, which provides you with the monthly magazine The Psychologist containing information on new developments in Psychology and developing career opportunities.

Applications for advanced entry to this course will be considered on an individual basis. We can recognise prior learning from other institutions but must ensure that all our graduates have covered the curriculum required by the British Psychological Society for the award of Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). No exemptions can be made against the empirical project.

The major aim of this postgraduate course is to equip psychology graduates with the British Psychological Society Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) for Stage 1 professional training in Forensic Psychology, and to equip them with some of the knowledge needed for future practice as Chartered Forensic Psychologists, following completion of Stage 2 training - a minimum of two years supervised practice.

Progress to the sector-leading MSc Forensic Psychology course and pursue a career as a Chartered Forensic Psychologist: MSc Forensic Psychology reflects the academic skills underpinning the application of psychology to a forensic setting. It is currently accredited by the British Psychological Society to provide Stage 1 (academic) training for Full Membership of the Division of Forensic Psychology. In common with other accredited MSc courses, Stage 2 training for Full Membership (supervised practice element) is not provided via the MSc.

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This course is based in the School of Psychology and Computer Science located in the Faculty of Science and Technology

For information on possible changes to course information, see our essential and important course information

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at the University of Central Lancashire on our student contract page