Skip navigation
Psychology with Forensic and Investigative Psychology at Abertay University - UCAS

Abertay University

Degree level: Undergraduate

Psychology with Forensic and Investigative Psychology

Course options

2025 - 2026
Apply

Open days

27Sep
Abertay University Undergraduate Open Day 2025
Undergraduate
1Nov
Abertay University Undergraduate Open Day 2025
Undergraduate

Course summary

Find out why people break the law and how vital psychology is to criminal investigations. This Psychology with Forensic and Investigative Psychology degree teaches you how psychological theory and research applies in forensic settings like police investigations, the court room, and the prison service. ‘Investigative forensic psychology’ means helping to uncover the motivation behind the crimes and how they are investigated. You'll develop analytical techniques to evaluate different kinds of criminal behaviour. From what makes serial killers tick to whether children are reliable witnesses, you’ll find out how to apply psychology to forensic scenarios. The first two years of this flexible degree are designed to help you dig deeper into the science of psychology, learning how humans think, feel, and behave. In years three and four, you take more advanced options related to forensic and investigative psychology. You'll gain a thorough understanding of this fascinating subject, including how to:

  • Analyse offender motives.
  • Understand offending behaviour.
  • Evaluate eyewitness testimony.
  • Profile missing people.
  • Understand the language of the judicial system.
  • Support vulnerable witnesses, victims and offenders.
  • Assess and manage offenders.
Uncover the psychological issues involved in crime You'll develop an analytical approach so you can evaluate the different kinds of criminal behaviour involved in investigations. You'll learn how to observe that behaviour, tackle literature-based research and develop, test and evaluate theories. This culminates in conducting your own supervised research project in your final year, which is one of the cornerstones of your degree. This Psychology with Forensic and Investigative Psychology degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and its core areas follow the curriculum set out by the BPS. This accreditation is essential if you want to become a Chartered Psychologist and means that successful graduates can apply for further professional psychology training. Psychology degrees here at Abertay are flexible. You can switch to BSc Psychology or another Psychology pathway if you develop an interest in a particular topic later on. Our BSc Psychology course scored an impressive 95% for Overall Student Satisfaction in the 2020 National Student Survey (NSS).

Modules

Year 1 core modules (subject to change over time) - PSY101 Introductory Psychology; PSY104 Comparative Psychology; PSY105 Introduction to Psychological Research Methods; Abertay 101 Being Successful at Abertay. You will also be required to select two option modules, one in Term 1 and one in Term 2. In Term 2 you must study and pass three MySuccess modules of your choosing. For detailed module information please check our website.

Assessment method

The programme is a mixture of lectures, practical laboratory classes, seminars/tutorials and independent study. The practical laboratory classes offer the chance to learn relevant scientific techniques first hand, and an opportunity to engage in research by designing experiments and collecting and analysing data. You are assessed using a variety of assessment types. These include examinations and class tests, laboratory reports, essays, presentations (both oral and posters), research projects and writing scientific articles and case studies. Assessment is through a range of methods including exams, tests, practical laboratory reports and student presentations.

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

  • Course does not award QTS

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
C816
Institution code:
A30
Campus name:
Abertay Campus
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

Year 2 - Higher National Certificate/Diploma or equivalent Please see website for accepted courses

Entry requirements

Standard Qualification Requirements

All applicants must have passes in English and Maths - National 5 grade C or GCSE grade C/4 or National 5 Lifeskill Maths and Application at grade B. Higher Applications of Maths at grade C accepted.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://www.abertay.ac.uk/course-search/undergraduate/psychology-with-forensic-and-investigative-psychology/#What%20You'll%20Study

Minimum Qualification Requirements

We may make you an offer at the minimum entry grades if you meet the criteria.

Please click the following link to find out more about minimum qualification requirements for this course

https://www.abertay.ac.uk/course-search/undergraduate/psychology-with-forensic-and-investigative-psychology/#What%20You'll%20Study

English language requirements

We look for applicants to have achieved an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with no individual test lower than 5.5. Some degrees have higher requirements - refer to the 'entry routes' tab of each degree for more detail.

List of English Language Requirements

https://www.abertay.ac.uk/studying/informationforinternationalstudents/english-requirements/

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
70%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Scotland £1820 Year 1
England £9250 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 Year 1
Wales £9250 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250 Year 1
EU £15000 Year 1
International £15000 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

International/EU fees are £15,500 for the following courses:- BA (Hons) Computer Arts BSc (Hons) Computer Game Applications Development BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology BSc (Hons) Computing BSc (Hons) Computer Science BSc (Hons) Computer Science with Cybersecurity BSc (Hons) Ethical Hacking BA (Hons) Game Design and Production
Psychology with Forensic and Investigative Psychology at Abertay University - UCAS