Forensic Psychology
Entry requirements
A level
112-120 points from 3 A levels.
112-122 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.
Cambridge Pre-U score of 54-56.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
7 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English, Mathematics and Science/7 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English, Mathematics and Science.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
29 points from the IB Diploma. 655/754 at Higher Level - 29 points from the IB Diploma. 664 at Higher Level.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3,H3,H3,H3,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H3
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
112-120 Tariff points.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
112-120 points from 3 A levels, or equivalent.
112-120 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 2 A levels, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**This is a Connected Degree**
Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.
**Overview**
Explore how psychological knowledge informs criminal investigations and forensic practice, and help to understand offending behaviour on this BSc (Hons) Forensic Psychology degree, accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
While a psychology degree covers the mind and behaviour in a wider sense, studying forensic psychology means focusing on the way people think, act and feel in relation to crime and legal issues.
- Put your investigative techniques to the test in our Forensic Interviewing Suite, which features thermal imaging cameras, eye tracking and virtual reality (VR) technology and advanced digital and video analysis
- Use our motion capture studios, which feature the latest Vicon optical system, to explore the mechanics and perception of human movement
- Have the chance to study abroad or take part in a year-long work placement, boosting your employability prospects after the course
- Learn from forensic psychology practitioners involved in the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology, the largest academic research centre for forensic psychology in the UK
- Become eligible to apply for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (with a 2:2 or higher) – an essential first step to becoming a professional forensic psychologist
**Accredited by:**
This degree confers eligibility for Graduate Membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Graduate Basis for Registration.
**Careers and opportunities**
When you complete the course with a 2:2 or higher, you'll be eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS), which is an essential first step to becoming a Chartered Forensic Psychologist. To become Chartered, you'll also need to do further academic training for up to 5 years, including an MSc Forensic Psychology.
**What can you do with a Forensic Psychology degree?**
Many graduates go on to do an MSc in Forensic Psychology after the course. You could also start a career in areas such as:
- teaching
- health associated professions
- social welfare
- police work
- probation service
- research
**Graduate roles and destinations**
Roles our previous graduates have gone on to include:
- clinical psychologist
- forensic psychologist
- educational psychologist
- counsellor
- health planning analyst
They've taken roles in the following organisations:
- National Probation Service
- Ministry of Defence
- North East London NHS Foundation Trust
**Placement year**
After your second year, you can do an optional work placement year to get valuable longer-term work experience in the field. A placement year gives you the opportunity to apply your knowledge in a real workplace, boosting your employability and making you stand out to employers after the course.
You can work for a company or organisation here in the UK or overseas, or you could go independent by setting up and running your own business with other students.
**Potential prison placements**
Previous students have completed work placements in medium secure units, youth offending teams and prisons, including:
- HMP Bronzefield
- HMP Ford
- HMP Winchester
**Potential placement destinations**
Other students have taken placement roles in organisations including:
- Broadmoor High Security Hospital
- Hampshire Constabulary Student Watch
- Catch 22 - a not-for-profit business involved in offender management, rehabilitation and victim services
- Motiv8 - a charity working for safer communities for young people and their families
Modules
Year 1
Core modules in this year include:
Applying Psychological Research Skills – 40 credits
Exploring Psychology – 40 credits
Forensic Psychology in Context – 20 credits
Perspectives in Psychology – 20 credits
There are no optional modules in this year.
Year 2
Core modules in this year include:
Biological and Cognitive Psychology – 20 credits
Individual Differences and Psychometrics – 20 credits
Professional Development and Employability – 20 credits
Psychological Research Methods – 20 credits
Quantitative Data Analysis – 20 credits
Social and Developmental Psychology – 20 credits
There are no optional modules in this year.
Placement year
On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry.
You can also gain work experience relevant to psychology through a work placement after your final year of study.
Psychology Sandwich Year Study Placement – 120 credits
Psychology Final Year Work Placement – 120 credits
We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.
Year 3
All modules in this year are optional:
Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology – 20 credits
Cybercrime, Policing and Security – 20 credits
Educational Psychology – 20 credits
Exploring Data For Forensic Psychology – 20 credits
Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
Issues in Clinical and Health Psychology – 20 credits
Neuroscience – 20 credits
Psychology of Criminal Investigations – 20 credits
Psychology of Offending Behaviour – 20 credits
Psychology Research Project – 20 credits
Psychology Research Project (Extended) – 40 credits
Psychology Work Placement – 20 credits
Social Construction of Disability – 20 credits
Trauma, Memory and Law – 20 credits
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed through:
- written examinations
- practical reports and essays
- poster presentations
- oral presentations
- self-led research project
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:
- Year 1 students: 25% by written exams, 22% by practical exams and 53% by coursework
- Year 2 students: 38% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 54% by coursework
- Year 3 students: 33% by written exams, 13% by practical exams and 54% by coursework
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Portsmouth
Faculty of Science and Health
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Psychology (non-specific)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Psychology (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£25k
£27k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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