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Alongside general psychology modules, you’ll specialise in understanding the psychological factors behind why people may commit criminal or deviant behaviour. You’ll use critical skills and evidence, based on research, to explore how forensic psychologists may contribute to debates on policing, crime, the criminal justice system, and rehabilitation. As well as understanding some of the reasons why people may commit offending behaviours, you will also explore the ways in which forensic psychologists can work to treat and rehabilitate offenders.

On this course, as well as gaining a thorough understanding of the broad range of topics relevant to modern-day psychology, you’ll learn in-depth about why people engage in behaviour that is harmful to others and what makes a psychopath. In addition, you’ll explore what happens to victims of crime or deviant behaviour and how we, as psychologists, can support them. You’ll also gain a real understanding of offenders and learn about developing interventions for people convicted of crime and how these people might be rehabilitated and supported. You’ll be introduced to how forensic psychologists use evidence from research to inform policies on crime, policing, criminal justice, and rehabilitation. Some examples of the factors influencing criminal behaviour that you may explore include; substance abuse issues and mental health disorders, as well as exploring the incidence of offending behaviours in different populations, e.g. children and youth. As well as being taught by staff from psychology you’ll also be taught by staff from areas such as social sciences and education with expertise in the criminal justice system, policing, and serial killers alongside students on courses such as Criminology and Criminal Justice and Childhood and Youth Studies.

Psychology at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ was founded in 1963 and is one of the UK's oldest and largest psychology departments. We regularly rank among the top 10 in the National Student Survey for overall student satisfaction and with over 1,000 students we're also one of the largest departments in the UK. Not only are we highly ranked for our teaching but we also have a global reputation for the quality of our research. In the most recent Research Exercise Framework, we ranked in the top 20 in the UK with 85% of our research considered either 'Internationally Excellent' or 'World leading'. This research feeds directly into our teaching ensuring a fresh, vibrant learning experience and a large and varied range of modules studied with academics who have an international reputation in their specialist area.

We have a cosmopolitan feel and a global outlook that attracts staff and students from all over the world to work and study with us. A key aspect of our success is our focus on both the academic and pastoral sides of the student experience and this effort is led by academics in the teaching team who provide high levels of support to our students. All of this combines to provide you with what we believe is a uniquely supportive, exciting, and rewarding environment in which to study Psychology with Forensic Psychology.

Why choose ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ for this course?Ìý

• Specialist research labs include an MRI scanner, TMS, ERP, EEG, and a Brain Anatomy lab.
• Academic expertise in forensic psychology, criminology, and criminal justice and an exciting array of dissertation topics.

Additional Course Options

You’ll learn through a variety of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and practicals as well as self-guided learning taught by staff with expertise in psychology, criminology, and social sciences. As an undergraduate student, you’ll gain an excellent grounding in various research methodologies used in the field by participating in current cutting-edge research being conducted in the school. We make extensive use of technology in order to enhance the learning experience including recording podcasts, and an innovative range of online assessments that, amongst other advantages, provide instant feedback. An increasing number of our modules can be followed through the medium of Welsh and students can choose to have a Welsh-speaking tutor and complete their project in Welsh.

There is a wide range of continuous assessments on offer across the modules including essays, weekly homework, multiple-choice tests, presentations, blogs, quizzes, etc. throughout each semester and many modules include end-of-semester examinations.

What will you study on this course?

In your third year, you’ll carry out a major research project in the area of forensic psychology. The project will be individually supervised by a staff member who is a specialist in the appropriate research field; you will thus have the opportunity to exercise your knowledge and skills alongside an expert. Our students regard the project as one of the most challenging, but also one of the most rewarding, elements of their course and our graduates have amongst the most highly developed research skills of any UK psychology graduate.

In years 1 and 2 you will take compulsory modules for the BSc Psychology degree. These will give you a strong foundation in the wide-ranging reach of psychology before you go on to specialise in your third year where you will take at least half of your taught credits in Forensic Psychology-specific modules. Each year you study a total of 120 credits and the modules build over the years to provide both breadth and depth of understanding with a focus on Forensic Psychology.

All graduates who achieve at least a 2:2 will be eligible for Graduate Based Chartered Membership (GBC) of the BPS.

Your Research

We put great emphasis on developing your research skills. Right from the start of your course, you’ll begin to build up an understanding of how to undertake research and you’ll also act as a participant in our ongoing research programmes. In this way, you'll gradually acquire the skills you need to design and conduct your own research project in year 3. Your project will be related to Forensic Psychology in an area that fits with the research strengths of our staff. Recent projects include studies of personality characteristics and how they contribute to criminal or deviant behaviour, the accuracy with which humans are able to detect deception in other individuals, and some of the childhood experiences that may contribute towards criminal behaviour. We have a wide range of specialist research laboratories including MRI, ERP, TMS, Eye tracking, etc. 

Modules for the current academic year

Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Psychology with Forensic Psychology BSc (Hons) Modules page.

Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.

General University Costs

Home (UK) students

• The cost of a full-time undergraduate course is £9,250 per year (2025/26).
• The fee for all integrated study abroad years is Ìý£1,385 (2025/26).
• The fee for an integrated year in industry as part of a sandwich programme is £1,850 (2025/26).

More information on fees and finance for Home (UK) students.

International (including EU) students

• International Student Tuition Fees
• International Student Living Costs and Scholarships

Additional Costs
There are also some common additional costs that are likely to arise for students on all courses, for example:

• If you choose to study abroad or take the International Experience Year as part of your course.
• If you attend your Graduation Ceremony, there will be a cost for gown hire (£25-£75) and cost for additional guest tickets (c.£12 each).

Course-specific additional costs
Depending on the course you are studying, there may be additional course-specific costs that you will be required to meet. These fall into three categories:

1. Mandatory Costs: these are related to a particular core or compulsory module that you’ll be required to complete to achieve your qualification e.g. compulsory field trips, uniforms for students on placement, DBS Check.
2. Necessarily Incurred Costs: these may not be experienced by all students, and will vary depending on the course e.g. professional body membership, travel to placements, specialist software, personal safety equipment.
3. Optional Costs: these depend on your choice of modules or activity and they are shown to give you an indication of the optional costs that may arise to make sure your choice is as informed as possible. These can include graduation events for your course, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.

General University Requirements

To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see .

We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.

All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.

As part of the University’s policy, we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.

We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ing at Bangor section of the website.

EU and International Students' Entry Requirements

For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.

¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.

BSc Psychology with Forensic Psychology focuses on forensic psychology and other related areas (e.g. criminology) so is particularly relevant if you want to forge a career in that area or related professions such as the prison service, probation service or the Police. It is also suitable for students who want to follow any of the main psychological professions (clinical psychology, educational psychology, counselling psychology, health psychology etc). In addition, there are careers open to graduates and postgraduates from any discipline. These include, for example, careers in management training, accountancy, teaching, nursing, social work and the armed forces. Employers are usually looking for general or transferable skills, and a psychology degree provides a unique combination of these as it is both a literate and numerate discipline. Employability is a key theme of all the psychology programmes you can follow at Bangor and we have embedded a large number of opportunities within our degrees that provide you with as strong a CV as possible and equip you with a host of transferable skills that are relevant to both psychology and non-psychology related careers. The simple fact that you’ll graduate from an internationally renowned, research intensive psychology department adds additional value to your degree and improves your employability Further details on the exciting careers open to graduates of this course can be found on the

Opportunities at Bangor

The University’s Careers and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions.Ìý

Internships

¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.

Student Volunteering

Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about volunteering on the .

A 'with Foundation Year' option is available for this course. Apply forÌýPsychology (with Foundation Year).