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Psychology with Criminology with Foundation Year BSc(Hons)

2025-26

Undergraduate Open Days
Undergraduate Open Days

Start date

22 September 2025

Duration

4 years full-time

Entry requirements

A Level - DDE

BTEC - MPP

See full entry requirements

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. We're 24th in the UK (2nd in Yorkshire) for Psychology, in the Guardian League Tables 2025.
  2. Enhance your studies by using specialist equipment – including electroencephalographic (EEG) machines, biopacs, and an eye movement tracker – in our psychology labs, gaining first-hand experience conducting your own experiments and research. 
  3. This degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS); you’ll be able to apply, on a graduate basis, for Chartered Membership, if you graduate with a Lower Second Class Honours or higher and complete the empirical psychology project.

This programme is not available to international students. Instead, international students should apply for our international foundation programmes delivered by our International Study Centre on campus. For more information please visit International Study Centre.

Our integrated foundation degrees are for those of you who possess the capability to pursue a degree but do not have the pre-requisite qualifications to directly apply to your desired course. The duration of the foundation element is one year, and, if you successfully pass, you will automatically progress on to the degree.

This undergraduate Psychology with Criminology with Foundation Year BSc(Hons) degree is designed to give you a thorough grounding in both general psychology and criminal psychology, which could be applied to a wide range of situations and careers once you graduate.

You’ll explore some specialist areas, including biopsychology, developmental psychology, personality and individual differences, and forensic psychology. We’ll also help you gain an invaluable insight into what makes people behave the way they do and why they choose to take part in criminal activity.

Psychology is the science of mind and behaviour. On this course, therefore, we’ll give you the opportunity to explore how psychological theory relates to the actions people take in life.

You'll look at criminal behaviour and weigh up the different theories about the causes of crime – from parenting to society, peer pressure and genetics. You’ll look at how theories apply in the real world, to gain crucial insights into how psychology is used within the criminal justice system.

Why study Psychology with Criminology with Foundation Year BSc(Hons)

We're 24th in the UK (2nd in Yorkshire) for Psychology, in the Guardian League Tables 2025.

This degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS); you’ll be able to apply, on a graduate basis, for Chartered Membership, if you graduate with a Lower Second Class Honours or higher and complete the empirical psychology project.

You’ll be taught by psychology and criminology lecturers who are experts in several fields and have a wide range of specialisms. They are focused on supporting you, and we have a dedicated Transition and Progression Tutor, who will help you adapt to studying Psychology at degree level.

Many of our lecturers are members of our Applied Criminology and Policing Centre, too, and produce world-leading research in this field. Some of our-final year optional modules are partly taught by professional clinical and forensic psychologists, giving you the opportunity to learn directly from those in professional practice.

You’ll have the opportunity to build your communication skills, assertiveness, ability to work in teams and presentation techniques, all of which are useful in many careers and professions. You’ll enhance your studies by using specialist equipment in our psychology labs, including an electroencephalographic (EEG) machines, biopacs, an eye movement tracker, an Oculus Rift (a virtual reality system) and specialist polygraph (lie detector machine).

This course aims to ensure you’re more attractive to employers. Alternatively, it will prepare you for further study, helping you expand your knowledge and hone your skills.

Course detail

Preparing for Study - Foundations for Academic Success

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the academic skills required to progress in higher education and successfully complete your academic studies. This will include a variety of transferable skills as well as life-long learning skills. You’ll learn about essay writing, referencing, numerical representations of data required for university study, and the how to use Summon in searching for scholarly material. You'll also learn how to evaluate sources of information and be introduced to personal development planning (PDP).

Preparing for Study - Research Project

This module provides you the opportunity to apply the skills required in higher education study. This will include finding suitable sources, using the University's search engine summon, and presenting your studies in an academic format. You'll learn how to plan and undertake a project whilst developing skills in the effective engagement with academic literature. You'll also be encouraged to evaluate your own academic skills and participate in peer review and feedback processes.

Working with People

This module will explore the importance of effective communication in public services, along with providing insights into the differing individual preferences and needs of patients, clients, service-users and carers. You'll also have the opportunity to develop the basic knowledge, understanding, values and skills to support communication and personalisation when working with people.

The Context of Health and Social Care

In this module you'll explore the contexts of health and social care services for physical and mental health, and wellbeing. You'll consider what shapes provision, as well as what impacts on the variations in health and wellbeing outcomes for different groups in society. You'll also learn about key issues such as social and welfare policies, austerity, and social inequalities.

Introduction to Studying People and Society

This module will introduce you to key issues relating to the study of society, social structures and systems, and also people as individuals. You'll explore important and topical issues relating to the psychology of human behaviour, how our society is organised and constructed, and how people experience social life. This will include consideration of crime and criminal justice, social structures, inequalities and social difference. This module aims to help prepare you for further study in core areas such as criminal justice and policing, criminology, psychology and sociology.

Entry requirements

DDEat A Level .

64 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications.

Pass at T Level with D or E grade on core.

MPP in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.

  • Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits, 15 at Merit, 30 at Pass.
  • 64 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.
  • NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma/Level 3 Extended Diploma at grade D.

In addition, you must have Level 2 Maths or Numeracy or GCSE Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in writing and no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements pages. If you have alternative qualifications or do not meet the IELTS requirement we also offer a range of Pre-Sessional English Programmes.

For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

Your career


Previous Huddersfield Psychology graduates have gone on to work in education, healthcare, research, business and public services in organisations including the NHS, The Kirklees Dementia Hub, UK Home Office, Reed in Partnership, Practice Plus Group, BBT Group Ltd and Holmfirth High School.**

 

* 90% of graduates from this course were in work or further study 15 months after graduation (HESA Graduate Outcomes 21/22, UK Domiciled)

**LinkedIn.

90% Graduates employed*

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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