Five reasons to study criminology and psychology at Surrey
On our new Criminology and Psychology BSc, you’ll learn from experts, access state-of-the-art facilities and enhance your employability in a supportive community. Find out what makes this degree different, and the secret behind our graduates’ success....
1. Enhance your employability
Employability is at the heart of what we offer here at Surrey. We have an excellent track record, with 95% of our graduates going on to full-time employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA).
Studying at Surrey prepares you for a successful career after graduation, across a variety of different sectors. Many of our graduates go on to work in areas that have a vital role in society, from government to mental health support. Recent graduates have taken roles such as:
- clinical psychologist
- crime analyst
- HR case manager
- market researcher
- mental health recovery worker
- outreach manager
- police constable
- rehabilitation assistant.
Our alumni have taken roles in a variety of sectors in the UK, with graduates joining organisations such as Creative Support, Deutsche Bank, House of Commons, Metropolitan Police, Ministry of Justice, Salesforce, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Turning Point.
Many students go on to further study, including postgraduate research.
This new course includes the option for you to take a Professional Training placement year which gives you the opportunity to apply your knowledge to people-facing environments and gain work experience in an area of personal interest. You can choose to work for a range of employers to practise and enhance your skills.
2. Learn from experts in the field
One of the benefits of studying at Surrey is that your studies really do have real-world application and impact. You’ll be taught by lecturers who are active researchers within their respective fields.
You’ll be able to learn from experts in:
- crime, deviance and media
- drugs, trafficking and organised crime
- crime prevention and crime control
- mental health and psychological wellbeing in low-income settings
- genetic and environmental causes of neurodevelopment and mental health in children
- young people, online harms and harmful sexual behaviour.
We have strong connections to a wide range of organisations, including central and local government, criminal justice agencies and charities. We regularly invite renowned experts to come and talk to our students about their work and the career opportunities available in their industry.
3. Select modules tailored to your interests
In the first and second years of our Criminology and Psychology BSc, you’ll study topics that are fundamental to biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology, as well as an introduction to criminal justice systems and qualitative and quantitative approaches to research design, methodology and data analysis. This will give you a solid foundation upon which to build the rest of your degree.
In your second year, you will also have the opportunity to select from a range of criminology modules, including policing, punishment and drugs.
In the final year, you’ll select four modules, exploring topics such as educational psychology, health and clinical psychology, morality and emotions, forensic psychology, social and moral development, hate crime, youth crime, prisons and and cyber crime and cyber security. These will allow you to specialise and delve deeper into your areas of interest.
You’ll also get the opportunity to work alongside a supervisor to conduct your own research project. This means you can deepen your knowledge in areas of criminology and psychology that you learnt about in the previous years.
4. Access state-of-the-art facilities
Our exceptional psychology facilities will give you access to the latest equipment, including a six-room virtual reality suite to simulate real-life scenarios, and two observation labs. With our equipment, you’ll be able to conduct experiments using electroencephalography (EEG) and different forms of non-invasive brain simulation (tDCS, tACS, tRNS, TMS). You can also monitor eye tracking and physiological measures, such as earlobe temperature, heart rate and galvanic skin response, both in the lab and remotely, using mobile data loggers.
You’ll also get access to 20 bookable project rooms, a breakout space, equipment lockers and a computer lab.
You will also have access to a fully functional mock criminal court which has interactive and digital facilities.
5. A supportive community
We operate an open-door policy which means you'll be able to come and talk to us about your course or any other aspect of university life whenever you need to. We'll always do our best to ensure you have access to the support you need to protect your wellbeing and get the most out of your time here. We are a friendly group, and you'll get to enjoy regular socials, to help you build a strong support network alongside your assignments.
Find out more about our Criminology and Psychology BSc .