Overview
This course aims to explore what makes people commit crime and to identify the factors which may predict criminal behaviour. You will engage with both the theories and application of psychological perspectives, methods and techniques, with a particular focus on forensic settings.
Coventry University is ranked 16th overall and 6th for career prospects in Psychology in the Guardian University Guide 2020.
In addition to the core areas of psychology required by the British Psychological Society accreditation and a focus on psychology in criminal contexts you will also have the opportunity to study optional modules in a range of interesting and contemporary areas of psychology including mindfulness and meditation, drug use and addiction, and forensic psychology in popular culture. The course utilises internationally relevant ‘real-life’ themes and you will have the opportunity to learn about the applicability of Forensic Psychology in a global context, whilst also ensuring that you study the required level of subject content to meet the standards, and accreditation criteria of the British Psychological Society (BPS)*.
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
COVID-19
The University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2020/2021 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to Covid-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Global ready
An international outlook, with global opportunitiesEmployability
Career-ready graduates, with the skills to succeedTeaching Excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their fieldCourse essentials
A degree which offers you more, at no extra costAccreditation and Professional Recognition
This course is accredited and recognised by the following bodies:

The British Psychological Society
This course is accredited by the BPS for the 2020/21 intake. If the accreditation of this course change, we would seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
Accreditation by the British Psychological Society (BPS) means that as a graduate, provided you achieve at least a 2:2, you will be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). Additional costs may apply. Please check with the membership body for details.
What our students say...
The course provided me with numerous transferable skills such as a well-developed analytical thinking style and proficient problem solving capabilities.
Course information
You will have the opportunity to study a broad range of psychological theory and interventions in the context of crime, including those used in relation to perpetrators and victims of crime, and society at large.
On successful completion of this course you should have an understanding of forensic psychology across a range of criminal behaviours including violent, sexual and economic crime in family, workplace and sports contexts, and have developed employability skills in relation to working in the field. You will also examine the depictions of forensic psychology in popular culture. Successful completion of the course confers eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society (BPS), provided a minimum award of 2:2 is achieved (additional costs may apply). Please check with the membership body for details.
Top 200
For the 3rd year in a row Coventry University has been ranked one of the top 200 universities in the world to study psychology.
Read news article
Times Higher Education
Course Specification
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Modules
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
We have been ranked joint first amongst Modern Universities in England for career prospects - Guardian University Guide 2021
In more detail...
This course aims to provide a comprehensive grounding in the major psychological approaches to the study of human behaviour. Covering psychological theory, research and practical skills, it aims to help you understand how psychology is applied to real-life, with a focus on criminal behaviour, and how to select, use and report appropriate psychological methods and research techniques.
Work experience** is a key part of the course, helping to ensure that you graduate not only with academic qualifications, but with relevant work experience and a host of transferable skills, including critical analysis, problem solving, and leadership.
The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences has links with the Local Education Authority (LEA), local schools and numerous health care providers, including Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, Entrust Care Partnership, and Grapevine. Organisations such as these offer services to young people and adults with mental health difficulties and learning disabilities and their carers. In the past, students have taken up roles involving socialising and supporting members of the community, volunteering in a buddying service, planning and organising resources to set up events to help raise awareness of young people’s needs or mobilise individuals who need support.
You’ll be allocated a personal tutor and taught by experienced teachers, many of whom are active researchers. You will have access to cutting-edge facilities, such as eye-tracking and brain monitoring, the latter using an electroencephalogram (EEG). You’ll also have the opportunity to join our active and vibrant student-led Psychology Society, which seeks to arrange a variety of social excursions and activities. Past destinations have included Sigmund Freud’s house, now the Sigmund Freud Museum, in London.
**work experience/ placement and study abroad opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability, meeting visa requirements, and additional fees may apply.
- Opportunity to apply to work with staff on research projects, as a student research assistant (this may be subject to a competitive application process).
- Guest lectures by experts in crime and psychology, including practising psychologists, experienced teachers and researchers.
- The Guardian University Guide 2020 ranks Coventry 16th for Psychology.
- Laboratory facilities including EEG recording, psychopharmacological testing, and specialist software, such as E-Prime, Superlab, SPSS, and NVIVO.
- A work experience** module in the second year can give you valuable experience, develop new skills and increase your appeal to potential employers. **work experience/ placement and study abroad opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability, meeting visa requirements, and additional fees may apply.
- Taught by staff with a variety of professional experience as forensic and applied psychologists, many actively conducting research in forensic psychology, law and cognition, neuroscience and psychobiology.
- A personal tutoring system, which is integrated into taught modules at all levels, to enhance employability through the development of transferable skills such as presentation skills, group work, conducting literature reviews and critical analysis.
- Current accreditation by the British Psychological Society (BPS) * meaning that as a graduate, provided you achieve at least a 2:2, you will be eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). Additional costs may apply. Please check with the membership body for details.
- Essential textbooks and individual licences for computer software are provided at no extra cost and bespoke textbooks, tailored specifically to our course content, are also available.
Opportunity to go on field trips which have previously included Auschwitz-Birkenau, San Francisco, and Tokyo.
You will spend a significant proportion of your first two years studying the key areas of psychology, including:
- Biological Psychology: How our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are underpinned by biological processes occurring in the brain, such as neurotransmission, the passing of messages between neurons and the functions of neurons, such the functions of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin or dopamine.
- Cognitive Psychology: The mental processes and representations that underpin perception, memory and complex thought.
- Developmental Psychology: How abilities and behaviours emerge, develop and change over the lifespan.
- Individual Differences: How key psychological traits, like extraversion and introversion, neuroticism or conscientiousness, skills and abilities vary from person to person, and how different traits combine to shape our personalities
- Social Psychology: How humans interact and seek to influence and understand one another’s behaviour.
- Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology: How psychology emerged and developed as a field of scientific inquiry.
- Research Methods: Training in the methodologies psychologists use to investigate people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours in a rigorous, scientific manner, including controlled scientific experiments in cognitive psychology, controlled interviews and observations of people’s behaviour.
- Professional Practice: Training in the skills required to identify and successfully apply for graduate employment opportunities and/ or postgraduate study.
All of our Psychology degrees are taught using a mixture of lectures, small group seminars and practical, ‘hands-on’ skills workshops. Core course content is typically delivered during the lectures, while seminars and workshops offer opportunities for you to explore topics more independently, receive guidance on coursework assignments, begin to apply your knowledge and develop your academic and transferable skills.
You will have the chance to take part in, design, conduct and analyse the results of psychological experiments, using specialist equipment and computer software, and spend time working collaboratively on group projects with other students.
In addition, you could contact your Academic Personal Tutor to arrange one-to-one bookable meetings throughout every semester and review and discuss your progress and continual personal development. Outside of contact time, your personal study hours will be guided by materials posted on your module web pages.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include coursework and formal exams, although it is predominantly assessed by coursework.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
On successful completion, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of Forensic Psychology - the core areas and their application to ‘real world’ challenges, its historical origins, theoretical underpinnings and concepts, community contribution and responsibility and limitations
- Identify suitable sources of information, analysis and evaluation of psychological research evidence and theory
- Evidence an understanding of psychological research approaches, research methods, data analyses, and an awareness of ethical issues in psychology, culminating in the execution of an independent psychology research project
- Demonstrate a critical appreciation of how forensic psychology can be applied to real world questions, different situations and global contexts
- Apply a range of transferable skills including, but not necessarily limited to, working independently and within teams, numerical and reasoning skills, digital literacy, communicating effectively in a variety of media to different audiences with scientific argument and sensitivity, and appropriate self-management strategies to organise time and workloads
- Identify and evaluate general patterns in behaviour, psychological functioning and experience
- Understand and investigate the role of brain function in aspects of human behaviour and experience
- Carry out empirical studies involving a variety of methods of data collection, including experiments, observation, psychometric tests, questionnaires, interviews and field studies
- Employ evidence-based reasoning and use a variety of psychological tools, including specialist software, laboratory equipment and psychometric instruments
- Critically evaluate research evidence, including statistical information, and use this to draw conclusions about the validity of different claims and arguments
- Communicate in a confident, professional manner, both verbally and in writing
In a typical teaching week you will have up to 14 ‘contact’ hours of teaching. This generally breaks down as:
- Personal tutorial/small group teaching/one to one supervision: meetings are arranged on a mutual basis as necessary.
- Medium group teaching: up to 6 hours of practical workshops or seminars each week.
- Large group teaching: up to 8 hours of lectures each week.
Contact hours will vary by stage and semester of course and any options chosen.
You will be given the opportunity to study abroad** for a year in a European university, in between year two and the final year of your course. This would be additional study and would provide you with an international experience opportunity, which can be viewed favourably by potential employers. There are also Faculty wide field trips** which are also open to students on this course.
**work experience/ placement and study abroad opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability, meeting visa requirements, and additional fees may apply.
Global ready
Did you know we help more students travel internationally than any other UK university according to data from the experts in higher education data and analysis, HESA?
In 2018/19, we were able to provide a total of 5,469 experiences abroad that lasted at least five days.
Much of this travel is made possible through our Global Leaders Programme, which enables students to prepare for the challenges of the global employment market, as well as strengthening and developing their broader personal and professional skills.
Explore our international experiences1st for
international experiences
Sending more students overseas than any other UK uni 2016/17
5,469
Student experiences
The number of student trips abroad for at least 5 days in 2018/19
12,000
and counting
The number of students we’ve helped travel internationally since 2016
12
global programmes
As well as trips, we offer other opportunities like language courses
What our students say...
The course provided me with numerous transferable skills such as a well developed analytical thinking style and proficient problem solving capabilities.
Entry Requirements
What our students say...
The course provided me with numerous transferable skills such as a well developed analytical thinking style and proficient problem solving capabilities.
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
For more information, please visit our Finance pages.
Course essentials at no extra cost
We're committed to communicating study costs clearly to make sure you're not faced with having to make any unexpected payments.
This is why our ‘Flying Start’ package provides you with a few course essentials. Your full-time fee for an undergraduate degree will cover the following:
UK field trips
Any mandatory site visits and trips within the United Kingdom.Key material
This can include core textbooks, software and equipment.Laser prints
1,000 A4 sides of black and white laser printing credits per year.Optional year
Pay no tuition fees for optional work placements or study abroad trips.As well as covering UK field trips, key materials and laser print, the fees for this course also include:
- Student membership of the British Psychological Society for the final year of the course
- Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate for those undertaking placements with children
The following are additional costs not included in the fees: Any optional overseas field trips or visits: Although subsidised by the university a student contribution of around £400+ per trip may be required depending on the destination.
EU student fees
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
What our students say...
The course provided me with numerous transferable skills such as a well developed analytical thinking style and proficient problem solving capabilities.
Career prospects
Graduate Immigration Route visa
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
Our courses have been designed to provide practical work experience and equip you with a range of skills and competencies that will set you apart from other graduates and make you attractive to potential employers, such as group work, literature reviewing, critical analysis and the delivery of oral presentations.
As well as the work experience** module delivered in Year Two and option to spend a sandwich year on placement**, we offer a module developing professional skills to our final year students. This aims to help you learn how to identify suitable employment and training opportunities after graduation, submit competitive, professional applications and perform well in interview situations.
Our degree provides a route into many careers, both within and outside the field of psychology. With further training, you may choose to become a qualified psychologist, pursuing a career in the community as, for example, an occupational, forensic or social psychologist; in mental wellbeing as a clinical or counselling psychologist; in physical wellbeing as a health, sport or neuropsychologist; working with children as a developmental or educational psychologist. The interpersonal and analytical skills of psychologists are in demand by employers in the private sector, police, military and charitable organisations, among others.
Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The university's Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.
**work experience/ placement and study abroad opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability, meeting visa requirements, and additional fees may apply.
Where our graduates work
Many of our graduates have gone on to pursue postgraduate qualifications and work as practising psychologists, others have become researchers, lecturers, teachers, administrators, managers, or health and care professionals.
Ranked 16th overall and 6th for career prospects in Psychology in the Guardian University Guide 2020.
What our students say...
The course provided me with numerous transferable skills such as a well developed analytical thinking style and proficient problem solving capabilities.
Disclaimer
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2020/21 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.