Course summary
Overview If you're looking to start your career in criminal psychology, or you're already working in the field and want to progress, our MSc Criminal Psychology degree course will give you the knowledge and skills you need. Understanding the psychology of crime is essential to its investigation. On this course, you'll explore and analyse the role of psychology within complex criminal investigative techniques, such as police interviewing and deception detection, and gain insight into courtroom psychology and jury decision making. You'll delve into key issues such as offender profiling and the links between offending behaviour and mental health. You'll customise your degree by choosing specialist subjects, such as missing persons investigations or offender rehabilitation. When you graduate, you'll be ready to work with offenders or victims within any area of the criminal justice system, including policing, law enforcement, probation and intelligence analysis. This course is not accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
- Understand the psychology of offending behaviour within the contexts of causation, intervention, rehabilitation and mental health, while also weighing up the efficacy of current legislation
- Learn from an experienced team of criminal psychology specialists in our School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and hear from industry expert guest speakers from around the world
- Have the opportunity to use our lab equipment to carry out your own research, such as our eye-tracking and VR technology, and crime scene and operational simulation spaces
- Enrich your learning through events and field trips – examples include Bethlem Museum of the Mind, on the grounds of the infamous 'Bedlam' Hospital, and a Life Behind Bars conference, hearing from those with lived experience of incarceration
- Be part of our community of researchers by getting involved with our criminology research groups, such as the Collaboration of Forensic Interviewing and the Probation, Prison and Penology research group
- Interact and explore criminal psychology with fellow professionals from the world of criminal justice
- Complete a major project based on your chosen area of research, with the support of qualified and enthusiastic experts in the field
- police or law enforcement officer
- probation or prison officer
- data analyst
- intelligence analyst
- cybersecurity
- the Civil Service
- national and international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
- Government agencies and departments internationally
- probation and prison service
- the Courts
- local administration / authorities
- private security companies
- charities
Modules
Core modules
- Dissertation/Major Project (60 credits)
- Investigation and Psychology (30 credits)
- Psychology and Offending Behaviour (30 credits)
- Research Methods and Research Ethics (30 credits)
- Dangerous Offenders and Vulnerable Victims (30 credits)
- Missing Persons: Global Perspectives (30 credits)
- Rehabilitation and Desistance From Crime (30 credits)
Assessment method
You'll be assessed through:
- essays
- reports
- oral presentations
- projects and portfolios
- seminar participation and engagement
- dissertation / major report
Entry requirements
A minimum of a second-class honours degree in a relevant subject (Social Science, Humanities, Law, Psychology, Forensic Science or Management subject). Information Technology or science related subjects will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants with equivalent professional experience in a relevant organisation will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0. | |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 91 with a minimum of 24 in Reading, 23 in Listening, 25 in Speaking and 24 in Writing. | |
| PTE Academic | An overall score of 61 with a minimum of 61 in each skill. | |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) and Proficiency (CPE) (taken after January 2015) An overall score of 176 with no component score less than 176. | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) and Proficiency (CPE) (taken after January 2015) An overall score of 176 with no component score less than 176. |
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £5450 | Year 1 |
| England | £5450 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £5450 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £5450 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £5450 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £5450 | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £5450 | Year 1 |
| International | £8600 | 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
Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship.
Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice.
Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation.
For further fee information please see the corresponding University of Portsmouth course page or visit https://www.port.ac.uk/study/masters-and-postgraduate-taught/fees-and-funding
Provider information
University of Portsmouth
University House
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
PO1 2UP