Course summary

The BSc in Psychology with Forensic Psychology at Aberystwyth University offers students an opportunity to gain insights into critical areas of this applied area of psychology, including understanding criminal development and behaviour, courtroom behaviour and offender profiling. Professional qualifications require a firm grounding in the background to forensic psychology, and this BPS accredited undergraduate degree is a building block to later postgraduate study, essential for those considering Forensic Doctorates and Chartered Forensic Psychology status. Studying Psychology with Forensic Psychology will allow exploration of key concepts and applied research through dedicated modules and supervised forensic-themed final year projects. You will study forensic psychology along with additional allied modules, such as Drugs and Behaviour and a forensic-themed dissertation. Many staff in the department conduct research in forensic settings, and include funded projects with the Youth Justice Board, Police and Home Office, in topics such as serious and organised crime, restorative justice and cybercrime. In your first year, you will cover the core BPS degree modules alongside the core Introduction to Forensic Psychology module. The aim is to provide you with the foundations for the key topics in forensics and develop an understanding of the input from other sub-disciplines in psychology. In your second year, the Applied Forensic Psychology module will build upon the foundations from year 1 and develop the content into a focused understanding of how psychology can be used during investigations and the court, along with critical issues surrounding research and ethics. The final year will bring many of these concepts and topics together into your forensic-themed dissertation, supervised by staff with experience of conducting research in this and related areas. You will develop a topic and analyse the empirical data to support your research question. Alongside the dissertation, you will take the Drugs and Behaviour module which explores some critical issues in relation to crime, addiction and rehabilitation. Careers in forensic psychology represent some of the most interesting and rewarding roles in a range of challenging environments, including prisons, the police service and our courts.