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Psychology and Crime Foundation Pathway leading to a BSc(Hons) Degree

2026-27

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Overview

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 visitInternational 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.

Through this pathway you’ll be studying Year 0 (Foundation Year) of the Psychology with Criminology with Foundation Year BSc(Hons) course (a 4-year course).

On successful completion of this year you can continue to study on the Psychology with Criminology with Foundation Year BSc(Hons)** or you could apply for to progress into Year 1 of one of the following courses:

  • Psychology BSc(Hons)**
  • Psychology with Counselling BSc(Hons)**
  • Criminology BSc(Hons)*
  • Criminology with Law BSc(Hons)*
  • Crime and Society BSc(Hons)*
  • Crime and Investigation BSc(Hons)*
  • Crime and Criminal Justice BSc(Hons)*
  • Crime with Forensic Investigation BSc(Hons)***
  • Professional Policing BSc(Hons)*

*Eligibility to progress into Year 1 of any of these courses is normally dependent on achieving an overall pass mark of at least 40 per cent.

**Eligibility to progress into Year 1 of the Psychology degree courses, including Psychology with Criminology BSc(Hons), is normally dependent on achieving an overall pass mark of at least 40 per cent. To progress into Year 1 of these courses you’ll also be expected to hold 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.

***Eligibility to progress into Year 1 of Crime with Forensic Investigation BSc(Hons)is normally dependent on achieving an overall pass mark of at least 40 per cent. To progress into Year 1 of this courses you’ll also be expected to hold GCSE Science (Chemistry, Physics, Biology or dual award Science) at grade 4 or above, grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or equivalent qualification.

Why study Psychology and Crime Foundation Pathway leading to a BSc(Hons) Degree

During this Psychology and Crime Foundation Pathway you'll gain 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.

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 Crime and Policing Research 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.

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.

Entry requirements

DDE at A Level .

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

Pass in 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.

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 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.

Course Detail

Core modules:

Core modules:

Option modules. Choose one from a list which may include:

Core modules:

Option modules. Choose two from a list which may include:

This course has modules making up 360 credits over the 3 Years, with each credit being 10 hours of study (3600 hours in total). An average of approximately* 6% (264 hours) of the study time on this course is spent with your tutor’s face to face or online in lectures, seminars and tutorials. The remainder of the time will be spent on independent study. Assessments takes place through a variety of coursework and examination.

Subject to mode of study. *Based on current core modules.

Calculated using data from the academic year 2024/25, as of November 2024.

Teaching

The teaching year for most courses normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Teaching on other courses including professional courses, postgraduate taught, research, distance learning and apprenticeship may have other start dates including January and May. All start dates can be found on each course page and term dates are also available. Students on a full-time course may have to attend every day of the week. Students who choose to study a full-time course on a part-time basis will generally attend modules at the same time as our full-time students. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

Our courses are taught at our University campus and you can expect that your lectures and seminars will be held face to face, except in cases of emergency or if specifically stated otherwise in the module description.

Feedback

Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

Progression

You may progress to the next stage of your course or research degree, subject to meeting University assessment criteria and professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

  1. The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.

  2. Our teaching staff rank first in England for the proportion with higher degrees and teaching qualifications, as well as being top five for those holding doctorates (HESA 2025). So you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

  3. We are second in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 24 since 2008 (2025 data).

  4. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

Visit ‘Our experts’ page where you’ll find in-depth profiles of all our academic staff

At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive a GPA certificate from the University of Huddersfield, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

*full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.

Discover more about the course

Your Career

Discover the job roles our graduates are working in now.

Professional links and accreditation

Recognised connections to give you an extra edge when you graduate.

Inspiring Graduate

Get inspired by real students and their careers.

Careers advice

Check out the personalised guidance we offer you.

Student Support

Discover all the support available so you can thrive.

Further Study

Learn about pursuing a Master’s or PhD at Huddersfield.

Research Excellence

See how our innovative research shapes what you'll learn.

Important information

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 if you are unhappy with the change 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 being unable to teach due to illness, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to pandemics, other disasters (such as fire, flood or war) or changes made by the government.

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 consult with affected groups of students and any changes would only be made in accordance with our regulations. 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 let us know before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for any additional tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so and you may be eligible for an exit award depending on how far through your course you are.

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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