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Undergraduate degree

Psychology and Criminology BSc

UCAS code: C820, C821 (with professional placement year), C822 (with year abroad)

Please note the course details apply to 2025 entry. Details for 2026 entry for our undergraduate courses will be published from September 2025.

Key information

Course type:
Joint honours
Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time
Required A-level:
A*AA
Full entry requirements, including contextual requirements
Duration:
Three years (or four years with a year abroad or a professional placement year)
Start date:
September 2025
Application deadline:
29 January 2025
Apply via UCAS

This new Psychology and Criminology BSc will equip you with a strong understanding of theory, research, and practice in core areas of psychology and criminology. You’ll learn how the disciplines interrelate and how they are applied in real-world contexts to challenge issues like crime prevention, mental health and their impacts on the criminal justice system. During your psychology and criminology degree, you’ll benefit from the research and expertise of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), which is one of the world’s leading centres for interdisciplinary research in psychiatry and psychology, and the Dickson Poon School of Law (DPSoL), which is one of the oldest law schools in England and recognised as one of the best in the world. Our BSc in psychology and criminology is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as providing a graduate basis for chartered membership of the society (GBC). This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist and an essential step for undertaking further professional training in psychology in areas such as clinical psychology. It’s also possible to spend a year in a professional placement or studying abroad if you wish to.

Key benefits

  • Learn from world-leading experts who enhance their teaching with current research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and the Dickson Poon School of Law.
  • Strengthen your skills with placement and voluntary opportunities with partners such as the South London & Maudsley Hospital.
  • Qualify for BPS membership when you graduate and become eligible to train as a clinical psychologist.
  • Prepare for the world of work from the very start of your studies, with a focus on employability and transferable skills embedded throughout your learning.
  • Get individual support from a personal tutor who will help you throughout your degree, offering pastoral support and skills training.
  • Option to spend a year in a professional placement or studying abroad.

This psychology and criminology degree will equip you with a deep understanding of human behaviour, the way that humans interact with society, the causes of crime, and the ways that criminal justice is administered. It’s taught by a specialist team that has been recruited specifically to deliver this degree in criminology and psychology but draws from the established expertise of the IoPPN and DPSoL and world-leading academics, researchers and practitioners across King’s. Designed to reflect the role of psychology and criminology in interdisciplinary research, this degree asks you to apply insights from this research to a variety of contemporary problems. You’ll be required to develop your analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as your core content knowledge. In your first year, you’ll begin to study psychology and criminology by learning all about how the brain works and develops, how people interact with society, and how individuals behave. You’ll then start to explore how you can research the fields of psychology and criminology, begin learning how to understand crime and deviance and look at crime and the criminal justice system. Your second year will build on this foundational knowledge with modules that teach the psychological perspective of how addictions form, how memories and perceptions vary by person, and how individual differences develop. You’ll apply a criminological perspective as you learn how to address criminological problems, explore crime within social contexts and discuss the latest thinking in criminological theory. Dedicated research modules will strengthen your ability to research both psychology and criminology. You may choose to spend the third year of your psychology and criminology degree on a professional placement. This will give you the opportunity to put some of your learning into practice by working in a psychological or criminological environment. It’s also possible to spend your third year studying abroad. The final year of your Psychology and Criminology BSc offers the chance to shape your specialisation from a variety of optional modules. You’ll choose half from a list of psychology modules and half from criminology. For example, you could decide to pair criminology modules in criminological psychology and forensic psychology to explore everything that happens in the build-up to a crime and then the aftermath of it. Or you could complement your focus on criminal psychology with psychology modules that will teach you about the use and abuse of evidence and testimony in psychology and issues in memory research so you can consider how this impacts the use of evidence in the criminal justice system. You’ll be encouraged to choose optional modules that will support your in-depth research project, which accounts for half of the credits in your final year. This is an exciting opportunity for you to engage in a research project related to psychology, criminology, or criminal psychology. Graduates of this Psychology & Criminology BSc will leave with a deep understanding of how the criminal justice system works and a plethora of transferable skills that are highly desired by employers. In addition to the range of research skills that you will develop, the content of the programme is also designed to help you acquire a host of other attributes that will enhance your personal and professional development and be desirable to employers following graduation. Some of these attributes will be more practical, such as enhancing your digital competencies, strengthening your engagement with sustainability issues, replicating real-world professional activities, linking theory with practice, and working with confidence as an individual or as part of a team to understand and resolve complex challenges. Other attributes will further contribute to your personal development by making you a more confident and resourceful individual. For example, you’ll learn how to think more critically and creatively about the world around you and enhance your empathy and understanding of others by broadening your appreciation of competing perspectives about different issues. You’ll also be challenged to develop in areas where you may feel less confident. After you graduate from this psychology and criminology degree, you could explore careers in roles like policing, probation, crime prevention, crime analysis and social research. You could also work with charities that support offenders or victims or apply your skills to a totally different role within the fields of marketing, finance, insurance, and beyond. You’ll also become eligible to apply for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society because this is a BPS-accredited degree that follows their strict curriculum. When reviewing this degree, the BPS highlighted areas of particular strength, including the emphasis on research-led teaching, our modules for developing employability skills, and the wide range of discipline-specific opportunities, placements and internships that are available for students at the IoPPN. Please note that this BSc in psychology and criminology is available as a 3-year or 4-year option (with a placement year or study-abroad year). The admissions criteria are identical for the 3-year and 4-year BSc programmes. You can apply to the 4-year programmes in your second year of study, should you wish. If you are a Home student, it does not matter which UCAS code you apply through; please only apply to one. The different course codes are helpful for those of you who are applying from overseas. If you have international fee status and think you might want to stay for 4-years, please use a 4-year code so that you have the correct visa from the start of your degree.

Base campus

Waterloo campus exterior at night.
Waterloo Campus

Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties

Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.

Special features

Optional study abroad

On this programme, you will have the opportunity to apply to study abroad, supported by the Study Abroad Tutor in your department and King’s Global Mobility Office. Together with partner organisations around the world, you will be supported in navigating your international, educational journey, developing new skills and competences and learning to apply different perspectives to your chosen discipline.

Find out more about Study Abroad

Optional year in industry

On this programme, you’ll spend your third year in a full-time year in industry or year in professional practice placement. Our Global Placements team will support you throughout your programme with advice and activities to help you discover your options, focus your placement search and take action to achieve the right placement for you.

Find out more about placements

Course accreditation

British Psychological Society (BPS)

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

Subject requirements

Required subjects:
No required subjects.
Preferred subjects:
No preferred subjects.

A-Levels

Required grades:
A*AA

Please note that A-level General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills and Global Perspectives are not accepted by King's as one of your A levels.

A*AA Please note that A-level General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills and Global Perspectives are not accepted by King's as one of your A levels. Notes: If you are taking linear A-levels in England, you will be required to pass the practical endorsement in all Science subjects. This is with the exception of private candidates who are unable to take the practical component. We do not consider the EPQ at any point of the assessment process.

Contextual A-Level information

Required grades:
AAB

AAB Please note that A-level General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills and Global Perspectives are not accepted by King's as one of your A levels. Notes: If you are taking linear A-levels in England, you will be required to pass the practical endorsement in all Science subjects. This is with the exception of private candidates who are unable to take the practical component. We do not consider the EPQ at any point of the assessment process.

International Baccalaureate Diploma

38 points overall or an aggregate score of 19 from three Higher Levels.

Notes: The total point score of 38 includes TOK/EE.

Contextual International Baccalaureate information

35 points overall or an aggregate score of 17 from three Higher Levels. Notes: The total point score of 35 includes TOK/EE.

You will also need:

GCSE/IGCSE Requirements

 

Mathematics grade 6/B.

 

Notes:

Functional Skills, and Numeracy modules studied within an Access to HE diploma, are not accepted for this programme to meet the GCSE/IGCSE requirements.

 

If you are an international student who does not study GCSEs/IGCSEs or IB Standard Level/Middle Years as part of your qualifications, then we would not expect you to have met this requirement. However, we will look for evidence of the equivalency in your studies.

Alternative accepted qualifications

Standard requirements

International applicants

Equivalent International qualifications

Course specific subject requirements are indicated in subject requirements above

English language requirements

English language band: B

Please note that nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries (as defined by UKVI) who have successfully completed high school in the respective country, are not required to complete an English language test. For information on our English requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.

Selection process

Contextual consideration

We make contextual offers for this programme, which can be found in the entry requirements. As part of the assessment process, we take into account contextual information to gain a more complete picture of each application. More information can be found on the Contextualised admissions website.

Deferrals

Applications can be submitted for deferred entry by choosing the appropriate year of entry on the UCAS application.

If your circumstances change and, therefore, you need to request a deferral after an offer has been made, then we can generally permit these for this programme. However, each deferral request will be considered on a case-by-case basis and we reserve the right to decline any post-offer deferral request. Requests should be submitted via a message on King’s Apply with an explanation of the reason for making the request.

Please note, second deferral requests will only be considered where the request is due to extreme unforeseen extenuating circumstances, for example, health reasons. We are unable to permit deferral requests that go beyond two years and you would need to apply again. This is with the exception of deferrals which are due to military/national service.

Foundation courses

Applicants studying Foundation Year programmes in the UK are welcome to apply for this programme. Foundation programmes from other universities and further education providers in the UK are considered on a case-by-case basis. Whether or not we can consider a particular foundation year as suitable for study at King's depends on the content of the syllabus and modules studied. In the past we have accepted foundation programmes from a number of other institutions.

We are unable to accept Foundation programmes that are integrated as part of a main degree at another institution. These may be called Year 0 or Integrated Foundations. We are also unable to accept non-UK Foundation courses.

Once you have submitted an application, the Admissions Office may contact you via King's Apply to ask for further details on your qualification, such as a list of modules and course specifications.

The King's International Foundation Programme has guaranteed pathways available for progression onto our King's undergraduate degree programmes, and information can be found on the website.

Graduates

Our general entry requirements are based on A-level or equivalent. However, where an applicant is completing/has completed a degree, we are able to consider the degree study as part of the assessment of the application.

Generally, we would consider a minimum of a UK Bachelor degree with a 2:1 grade profile (or overseas equivalent) as meeting the entry requirements for our undergraduate degrees. However, those who have achieved/are predicted a high 2:1 or a First may be considered more competitive.

Where a programme has subject requirements, these will still need to have been met. If you have not met the subject requirements via A-level (or equivalent) then we may be able to consider the content within your degree. We would be looking for significant study of the subject across the degree programme with a 2:1 or above grading on those modules.

Once you have submitted an application, the Admissions Office may contact you via King's Apply to ask for further details on your degree study.

Personal Statement

We are looking for intellectually curious and open-minded students who relish the opportunity of studying with some of the world's most distinguished academics in the field. You must be of the highest intellectual calibre, and we are looking for a commitment to embrace the challenge of a truly cosmopolitan education. The key criterion for entry is academic ability, but we will also be looking for evidence of your motivation to study, your communication skills, your enthusiasm for making connections between disciplines, and your understanding of the programme.

Resits

In a standard admissions cycle, we are able to consider applicants who have retaken their qualifications, however, you should bear in mind that your application for this programme will be reviewed alongside other strong applicants who might be viewed more favourably if they achieved the required grades within a standard timeframe, for example, a two year period for A-levels.

We consider applicants who have recently achieved grades which are below the entry criteria, and have subsequently studied/are studying another qualification to seek entry, such as an Access to HE Diploma or a Foundation programme, to be resit applicants.

Transfers

Transfers into this programme are not permitted.

Help for international applicants

International Foundation Year

If you don't have a suitable qualification for direct entry to a UK university, we can help with our Foundation year courses.

Pre-sessional courses

If you have an offer from King's, but English isn't your first language, we have courses to help you.

Teaching methods - what to expect

You will be taught through a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials and interactive workshops.

Course Stage

Percentage of time in scheduled learning & teaching activities

Percentage of time in guided independent study

Year 1

29%

71%

Year 2

23%

77%

Year 3

18%

82%

The course is taught at King’s College London. In your first and second year you can expect to receive most of your face-to-face teaching at the Waterloo campus. However, the IoPPN also has staff at both the Guy’s campus and at Denmark Hill, and so you may receive some teaching at these campuses, especially in your third year, as some modules will be taught on those campuses. DPSoL is based at the Strand, and so you may also receive some teaching there.  

Assessment

  • Course Work
  • Presentations
  • Practical assessment
  • Quizzes
  • Examinations

Assessment methods depend on the modules you will be studying. The primary methods of assessment for this course are written coursework, presentations (both individual and group), examinations, case reports, quizzes, and practical assessments. Many assessments will also be ‘authentic’, meaning that they will mirror real-world tasks that psychologists and criminologists undertake as part of their work, in order to help prepare you for employment in these fields. The study time and assessment methods listed here give an indication of what to expect. However, these will vary depending upon the optional modules you select.

King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students. 

The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.

Structure

Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 120 credits each academic year.

Required modules

You are required to take the following modules:

Psychology and the Brain (15 Credits)
Psychology and Society (15 Credits)
Psychology and Development (15 Credits)
Psychology and the Individual (15 Credits)
Researching Psychology and Criminology 1 (15 credits)
Researching Psychology and Criminology 2 (15 credits)
Crime and Criminal Justice (15 credits)
Understanding Crime and Deviance (15 credits)

Optional modules

This optional module provides a good opportunity to develop skills that will help you in your academic studies and after you leave university. It does not count towards your degree, but you will receive formal recognition on your University Transcript if you complete it. King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to- date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change.

Foundation Graduate Attributes (0 credits)

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Employability

Graduates of this Psychology and Criminology BSc have many career opportunities based on their wide-ranging knowledge of human behaviour and how the mind works.

The British Psychological Society (BPS) has accredited this degree as providing a graduate basis for chartered membership of the society (GBC). This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist and an essential step for undertaking further professional training in psychology in areas such as clinical psychology.

However, a psychology and criminology degree also provides graduates with a broad skill set, including data analysis, problem-solving, scientific and statistical literacy and effective communication.

Employability skills are taught from the very start of this degree, which was highlighted as a particular strength of this course by the BPS. Some of these are practical and include being able to engage with sustainability issues, link theory with practice, work confidently as part of a team or independently, resolve complex challenges and demonstrate digital competencies.

Other transferable skills you’ll develop include thinking critically and creatively, having a broad appreciation of competing perspectives and enhanced empathy, and the resilience to be challenged to develop in areas that you may feel less confident about.

Psychology and criminology graduates are notably flexible in the workplace and go on to succeed in a variety of professions, including:

  • Further study to become a research, forensic, educational or clinical psychologist or to specialise in different aspects of criminology and criminal justice
  • Entering the public or private sector, including in roles associated with crime and crime control
  • Applying this knowledge to a range of roles in the fields of health and social care, education, public administration and defence, criminal justice, crime prevention, crime investigation and offender management, civil service, marketing and communication, finance and insurance.

If you wish to pursue a legal career, please note that you would need to undertake a Law Conversion course after your graduation from this BSc.

Tuition Fees

Full time tuition fees UK:

The UK tuition fee for the 2025-26 academic year is currently £9,535 per year. This is based on the UK Government's cap.

Full time tuition fees International

The International tuition fee for the 2025-2026 academic year is £35,800 per year

Please note that the International tuition fee is subject to annual increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.

All International applicants to Undergraduate programmes are required to pay a deposit of £2000 against their first year's tuition fee. This deposit is payable when you firmly accept an unconditional offer to study with us, and will be offset against your tuition fees when you join King's.

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies (all core reading material will be provided)
  • DBS checks
  • Clothing for optional course related events and competitions
  • Library fees and fines
  • Personal photocopies
  • Printing course handouts
  • society membership fees (free membership of the BPS is included)
  • Stationery
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
  • Graduation costs

Funding

To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.

This psychology and criminology degree will equip you with a deep understanding of human behaviour, the way that humans interact with society, the causes of crime, and the ways that criminal justice is administered. It’s taught by a specialist team that has been recruited specifically to deliver this degree in criminology and psychology but draws from the established expertise of the IoPPN and DPSoL and world-leading academics, researchers and practitioners across King’s. Designed to reflect the role of psychology and criminology in interdisciplinary research, this degree asks you to apply insights from this research to a variety of contemporary problems. You’ll be required to develop your analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as your core content knowledge. In your first year, you’ll begin to study psychology and criminology by learning all about how the brain works and develops, how people interact with society, and how individuals behave. You’ll then start to explore how you can research the fields of psychology and criminology, begin learning how to understand crime and deviance and look at crime and the criminal justice system. Your second year will build on this foundational knowledge with modules that teach the psychological perspective of how addictions form, how memories and perceptions vary by person, and how individual differences develop. You’ll apply a criminological perspective as you learn how to address criminological problems, explore crime within social contexts and discuss the latest thinking in criminological theory. Dedicated research modules will strengthen your ability to research both psychology and criminology. You may choose to spend the third year of your psychology and criminology degree on a professional placement. This will give you the opportunity to put some of your learning into practice by working in a psychological or criminological environment. It’s also possible to spend your third year studying abroad. The final year of your Psychology and Criminology BSc offers the chance to shape your specialisation from a variety of optional modules. You’ll choose half from a list of psychology modules and half from criminology. For example, you could decide to pair criminology modules in criminological psychology and forensic psychology to explore everything that happens in the build-up to a crime and then the aftermath of it. Or you could complement your focus on criminal psychology with psychology modules that will teach you about the use and abuse of evidence and testimony in psychology and issues in memory research so you can consider how this impacts the use of evidence in the criminal justice system. You’ll be encouraged to choose optional modules that will support your in-depth research project, which accounts for half of the credits in your final year. This is an exciting opportunity for you to engage in a research project related to psychology, criminology, or criminal psychology. Graduates of this Psychology & Criminology BSc will leave with a deep understanding of how the criminal justice system works and a plethora of transferable skills that are highly desired by employers. In addition to the range of research skills that you will develop, the content of the programme is also designed to help you acquire a host of other attributes that will enhance your personal and professional development and be desirable to employers following graduation. Some of these attributes will be more practical, such as enhancing your digital competencies, strengthening your engagement with sustainability issues, replicating real-world professional activities, linking theory with practice, and working with confidence as an individual or as part of a team to understand and resolve complex challenges. Other attributes will further contribute to your personal development by making you a more confident and resourceful individual. For example, you’ll learn how to think more critically and creatively about the world around you and enhance your empathy and understanding of others by broadening your appreciation of competing perspectives about different issues. You’ll also be challenged to develop in areas where you may feel less confident. After you graduate from this psychology and criminology degree, you could explore careers in roles like policing, probation, crime prevention, crime analysis and social research. You could also work with charities that support offenders or victims or apply your skills to a totally different role within the fields of marketing, finance, insurance, and beyond. You’ll also become eligible to apply for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society because this is a BPS-accredited degree that follows their strict curriculum. When reviewing this degree, the BPS highlighted areas of particular strength, including the emphasis on research-led teaching, our modules for developing employability skills, and the wide range of discipline-specific opportunities, placements and internships that are available for students at the IoPPN. Please note that this BSc in psychology and criminology is available as a 3-year or 4-year option (with a placement year or study-abroad year). The admissions criteria are identical for the 3-year and 4-year BSc programmes. You can apply to the 4-year programmes in your second year of study, should you wish. If you are a Home student, it does not matter which UCAS code you apply through; please only apply to one. The different course codes are helpful for those of you who are applying from overseas. If you have international fee status and think you might want to stay for 4-years, please use a 4-year code so that you have the correct visa from the start of your degree.

Base campus

Waterloo campus exterior at night.
Waterloo Campus

Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties

Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.

Special features

Optional study abroad

On this programme, you will have the opportunity to apply to study abroad, supported by the Study Abroad Tutor in your department and King’s Global Mobility Office. Together with partner organisations around the world, you will be supported in navigating your international, educational journey, developing new skills and competences and learning to apply different perspectives to your chosen discipline.

Find out more about Study Abroad

Optional year in industry

On this programme, you’ll spend your third year in a full-time year in industry or year in professional practice placement. Our Global Placements team will support you throughout your programme with advice and activities to help you discover your options, focus your placement search and take action to achieve the right placement for you.

Find out more about placements

Course accreditation

British Psychological Society (BPS)

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

Subject requirements

Required subjects:
No required subjects.
Preferred subjects:
No preferred subjects.

A-Levels

Required grades:
A*AA

Please note that A-level General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills and Global Perspectives are not accepted by King's as one of your A levels.

A*AA Please note that A-level General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills and Global Perspectives are not accepted by King's as one of your A levels. Notes: If you are taking linear A-levels in England, you will be required to pass the practical endorsement in all Science subjects. This is with the exception of private candidates who are unable to take the practical component. We do not consider the EPQ at any point of the assessment process.

Contextual A-Level information

Required grades:
AAB

AAB Please note that A-level General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills and Global Perspectives are not accepted by King's as one of your A levels. Notes: If you are taking linear A-levels in England, you will be required to pass the practical endorsement in all Science subjects. This is with the exception of private candidates who are unable to take the practical component. We do not consider the EPQ at any point of the assessment process.

International Baccalaureate Diploma

38 points overall or an aggregate score of 19 from three Higher Levels.

Notes: The total point score of 38 includes TOK/EE.

Contextual International Baccalaureate information

35 points overall or an aggregate score of 17 from three Higher Levels. Notes: The total point score of 35 includes TOK/EE.

You will also need:

GCSE/IGCSE Requirements

 

Mathematics grade 6/B.

 

Notes:

Functional Skills, and Numeracy modules studied within an Access to HE diploma, are not accepted for this programme to meet the GCSE/IGCSE requirements.

 

If you are an international student who does not study GCSEs/IGCSEs or IB Standard Level/Middle Years as part of your qualifications, then we would not expect you to have met this requirement. However, we will look for evidence of the equivalency in your studies.

Alternative accepted qualifications

Standard requirements

International applicants

Equivalent International qualifications

Course specific subject requirements are indicated in subject requirements above

English language requirements

English language band: B

Please note that nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries (as defined by UKVI) who have successfully completed high school in the respective country, are not required to complete an English language test. For information on our English requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.

Selection process

Contextual consideration

We make contextual offers for this programme, which can be found in the entry requirements. As part of the assessment process, we take into account contextual information to gain a more complete picture of each application. More information can be found on the Contextualised admissions website.

Deferrals

Applications can be submitted for deferred entry by choosing the appropriate year of entry on the UCAS application.

If your circumstances change and, therefore, you need to request a deferral after an offer has been made, then we can generally permit these for this programme. However, each deferral request will be considered on a case-by-case basis and we reserve the right to decline any post-offer deferral request. Requests should be submitted via a message on King’s Apply with an explanation of the reason for making the request.

Please note, second deferral requests will only be considered where the request is due to extreme unforeseen extenuating circumstances, for example, health reasons. We are unable to permit deferral requests that go beyond two years and you would need to apply again. This is with the exception of deferrals which are due to military/national service.

Foundation courses

Applicants studying Foundation Year programmes in the UK are welcome to apply for this programme. Foundation programmes from other universities and further education providers in the UK are considered on a case-by-case basis. Whether or not we can consider a particular foundation year as suitable for study at King's depends on the content of the syllabus and modules studied. In the past we have accepted foundation programmes from a number of other institutions.

We are unable to accept Foundation programmes that are integrated as part of a main degree at another institution. These may be called Year 0 or Integrated Foundations. We are also unable to accept non-UK Foundation courses.

Once you have submitted an application, the Admissions Office may contact you via King's Apply to ask for further details on your qualification, such as a list of modules and course specifications.

The King's International Foundation Programme has guaranteed pathways available for progression onto our King's undergraduate degree programmes, and information can be found on the website.

Graduates

Our general entry requirements are based on A-level or equivalent. However, where an applicant is completing/has completed a degree, we are able to consider the degree study as part of the assessment of the application.

Generally, we would consider a minimum of a UK Bachelor degree with a 2:1 grade profile (or overseas equivalent) as meeting the entry requirements for our undergraduate degrees. However, those who have achieved/are predicted a high 2:1 or a First may be considered more competitive.

Where a programme has subject requirements, these will still need to have been met. If you have not met the subject requirements via A-level (or equivalent) then we may be able to consider the content within your degree. We would be looking for significant study of the subject across the degree programme with a 2:1 or above grading on those modules.

Once you have submitted an application, the Admissions Office may contact you via King's Apply to ask for further details on your degree study.

Personal Statement

We are looking for intellectually curious and open-minded students who relish the opportunity of studying with some of the world's most distinguished academics in the field. You must be of the highest intellectual calibre, and we are looking for a commitment to embrace the challenge of a truly cosmopolitan education. The key criterion for entry is academic ability, but we will also be looking for evidence of your motivation to study, your communication skills, your enthusiasm for making connections between disciplines, and your understanding of the programme.

Resits

In a standard admissions cycle, we are able to consider applicants who have retaken their qualifications, however, you should bear in mind that your application for this programme will be reviewed alongside other strong applicants who might be viewed more favourably if they achieved the required grades within a standard timeframe, for example, a two year period for A-levels.

We consider applicants who have recently achieved grades which are below the entry criteria, and have subsequently studied/are studying another qualification to seek entry, such as an Access to HE Diploma or a Foundation programme, to be resit applicants.

Transfers

Transfers into this programme are not permitted.

Help for international applicants

International Foundation Year

If you don't have a suitable qualification for direct entry to a UK university, we can help with our Foundation year courses.

Pre-sessional courses

If you have an offer from King's, but English isn't your first language, we have courses to help you.

Teaching methods - what to expect

You will be taught through a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials and interactive workshops.

Course Stage

Percentage of time in scheduled learning & teaching activities

Percentage of time in guided independent study

Year 1

29%

71%

Year 2

23%

77%

Year 3

18%

82%

The course is taught at King’s College London. In your first and second year you can expect to receive most of your face-to-face teaching at the Waterloo campus. However, the IoPPN also has staff at both the Guy’s campus and at Denmark Hill, and so you may receive some teaching at these campuses, especially in your third year, as some modules will be taught on those campuses. DPSoL is based at the Strand, and so you may also receive some teaching there.  

Assessment

  • Course Work
  • Presentations
  • Practical assessment
  • Quizzes
  • Examinations

Assessment methods depend on the modules you will be studying. The primary methods of assessment for this course are written coursework, presentations (both individual and group), examinations, case reports, quizzes, and practical assessments. Many assessments will also be ‘authentic’, meaning that they will mirror real-world tasks that psychologists and criminologists undertake as part of their work, in order to help prepare you for employment in these fields. The study time and assessment methods listed here give an indication of what to expect. However, these will vary depending upon the optional modules you select.

King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students. 

The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.

Structure

Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 120 credits each academic year.

Required modules

You are required to take the following modules:

Psychology and the Brain (15 Credits)
Psychology and Society (15 Credits)
Psychology and Development (15 Credits)
Psychology and the Individual (15 Credits)
Researching Psychology and Criminology 1 (15 credits)
Researching Psychology and Criminology 2 (15 credits)
Crime and Criminal Justice (15 credits)
Understanding Crime and Deviance (15 credits)

Optional modules

This optional module provides a good opportunity to develop skills that will help you in your academic studies and after you leave university. It does not count towards your degree, but you will receive formal recognition on your University Transcript if you complete it. King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to- date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change.

Foundation Graduate Attributes (0 credits)

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Employability

Graduates of this Psychology and Criminology BSc have many career opportunities based on their wide-ranging knowledge of human behaviour and how the mind works.

The British Psychological Society (BPS) has accredited this degree as providing a graduate basis for chartered membership of the society (GBC). This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist and an essential step for undertaking further professional training in psychology in areas such as clinical psychology.

However, a psychology and criminology degree also provides graduates with a broad skill set, including data analysis, problem-solving, scientific and statistical literacy and effective communication.

Employability skills are taught from the very start of this degree, which was highlighted as a particular strength of this course by the BPS. Some of these are practical and include being able to engage with sustainability issues, link theory with practice, work confidently as part of a team or independently, resolve complex challenges and demonstrate digital competencies.

Other transferable skills you’ll develop include thinking critically and creatively, having a broad appreciation of competing perspectives and enhanced empathy, and the resilience to be challenged to develop in areas that you may feel less confident about.

Psychology and criminology graduates are notably flexible in the workplace and go on to succeed in a variety of professions, including:

  • Further study to become a research, forensic, educational or clinical psychologist or to specialise in different aspects of criminology and criminal justice
  • Entering the public or private sector, including in roles associated with crime and crime control
  • Applying this knowledge to a range of roles in the fields of health and social care, education, public administration and defence, criminal justice, crime prevention, crime investigation and offender management, civil service, marketing and communication, finance and insurance.

If you wish to pursue a legal career, please note that you would need to undertake a Law Conversion course after your graduation from this BSc.

Tuition Fees

Full time tuition fees UK:

The UK tuition fee for the 2025-26 academic year is currently £9,535 per year. This is based on the UK Government's cap.

Full time tuition fees International

The International tuition fee for the 2025-2026 academic year is £35,800 per year

Please note that the International tuition fee is subject to annual increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.

All International applicants to Undergraduate programmes are required to pay a deposit of £2000 against their first year's tuition fee. This deposit is payable when you firmly accept an unconditional offer to study with us, and will be offset against your tuition fees when you join King's.

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies (all core reading material will be provided)
  • DBS checks
  • Clothing for optional course related events and competitions
  • Library fees and fines
  • Personal photocopies
  • Printing course handouts
  • society membership fees (free membership of the BPS is included)
  • Stationery
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
  • Graduation costs

Funding

To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.

Key information

Course type:
Joint honours
Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time
Required A-level:
A*AA
Full entry requirements, including contextual requirements
Duration:
Three years (or four years with a year abroad or a professional placement year)
Start date:
September 2025
Application deadline:
29 January 2025
Apply via UCAS

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