Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 360 credits by this date.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
This degree explores a range of fascinating issues to do with crime, criminal justice and psychology. Why people do harm to others, antisocial behaviour, surveillance, security, social justice, social welfare and environmental degradation are just some of the subjects that you will delve into. You will also gain a good understanding of a range of broader psychological and criminological theories and topics, such as how the mind works; the role of evolution and social relations in human behaviour; and relationships between the worlds of social welfare and crime control. As well as enabling you to understand the issues behind so many headlines that are routinely part of TV programmes and political debates, you will learn how to construct and analyse arguments; think critically about published work across a range of issues; understand and analyse statistical information; write reports and apply concepts and ideas to the real world.
You can also achieve a Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences (C95) or a Diploma of Higher Education in Criminology and Psychological Studies (E74) as you study towards your degree, depending on the modules you choose.
Planning your studies
Whether or not you are new to study or to the OU we recommend that you start with a module at Level 1.
If you complete this Level 1 work successfully you’ll have a firm foundation for future studies as well as credits to count towards your degree.
You should note the limitations on individual modules as mentioned below.
You should also note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 120 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you (with the exception of an undergraduate-level qualification of less than 120 credits). If you have graduated with an OU BA/BSc degree without honours and are continuing your studies on to honours, this minimum requirement is reduced to 60 credits. Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications on the way to your OU honours degree, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your degree.
Career relevance and employability
You will develop skills relevant to a very broad range of careers and employers. These include the agencies of the criminal justice system, such as the police, prison and probation services, and organisations concerned with:
- the care and resettlement of offenders
- civil liberties
- human rights
- social justice
- victim support
- crime prevention
- community safety
- conflict resolution.
In addition, the psychological skills you will develop are relevant to a broad range of careers, including:
- education
- the health professions
- human resources
- management
- social services
- advertising
- career counselling.
Please note however that completion of this degree will not make you eligible for recognition for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) by the British Psychological Society.
Employers value social science and psychology graduates very highly, particularly because of the diversity of skills developed. By combining psychology and criminology together, this degree will provide you with a particularly strong set of relevant skills. These include the ability to:
- identify, gather, analyse and assess evidence
- present reasoned and coherent arguments
- write clearly in a range of styles such as essays, reports and policy reviews
- understand and analyse statistical information
- apply learning to real world problems and situations
- conduct independent work and research
- plan and reflect on your own work and learning.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this 360-credit honours degree you require:
60 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 1 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Introducing the social sciences (DD102)
|
60 |
|
- You and your money: personal finance in context (DB123)*
|
30 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued 60-credit modules D103, DD100, DD101, or the discontinued 30-credit modules DD121, DD122, DD131, DD132, DSE141
*Can only be studied if you have already completed one of the discontinued 30-credit modules
And 240 credits from the following compulsory modules:
Level 2 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Living psychology: from the everyday to the extraordinary (DD210)
|
60 |
|
- Welfare, crime and society (DD208)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the Level 2 module DSE212
Level 3 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Crime and justice (DD301)
|
60 |
|
- Counselling and forensic psychology: investigating crime and therapy (DD310)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 3 the discontinued modules D315, D317, DD307
Please note that the discontinued module D218 cannot be counted instead of DD208 in this qualification
And a maximum of 60 credits of free choice from any OU Level 1, 2 or 3 modules to bring your total number of credits to 360. Within the total, you must ensure that you have at least the required minimum number of credits at each level and no more than 30 from Openings modules or the discontinued Short module S154.
The modules listed can count towards this degree after we have stopped presenting them for a maximum of twenty years for Level 1 modules and ten years for Level 2 and 3 modules. Please see module descriptions for future availability.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of modules so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required number and type of modules you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) or Bachelor of Science (Honours) Criminology and Psychological Studies degree.
Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the best grades you achieve in 240 credits from those modules above Level 1 listed above. At least 120 of those credits must come from modules at Level 3.
You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
How to register
If you want to study for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of
our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the
module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.
During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification