Home > All Courses > Criminology > Masters > MSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology

MSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology

Study Method Online
Provider University of Essex Online
Start Date 14 April 2026, 14 July 2026
University of Essex Online

Course overview

Wherever there are people, crime will follow, which makes criminology and criminal psychology an exciting interdisciplinary field to study. The specialist criminological knowledge and skills you gain through this 100% MSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology could open up a variety of careers within offender support, the security services, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, and many more.

This exciting Masters degree will provide you with a sociological introduction to crime, causation and criminological theory. You’ll disseminate research undertaken at the University of Essex’s Centre for Criminology which informs both academia and public policy. This includes research strands in crime and the media, green criminology, and terrorism, security and surveillance.

You’ll explore the challenges that arise when investigating complex crime and how these can sometimes derail an investigation. You’ll also learn how to critically evaluate the application of investigative strategies and assess a range of scientific, forensic and techniques that are available to complex crime investigators.

You’ll gain an overview of the links between mental disorder, personality disorder and crime, and develop a thorough understanding of forensic psychology and its role in the assessment, treatment and management of mentally disordered offenders. You’ll also build a critical understanding of the historic relationship between psychology and police practice, including where psychology has had the greatest impact on policing.

Job outcomes

  • Crime Analyst
  • Police Officer
  • Support Worker
  • Prison Staff

Want to see more job outcomes and how your future could change?

Study method

  • Online Online info icon
    Online delivery - online course content with the exception of assessments and work placement
  • Blended Blended info icon
    Blended delivery - both online course content and partial face to face requirements
  • In-class In-class info icon
    In class delivery - predominately face to face course content conducted at a specific location
  • Virtual Virtual info icon
    Virtual Delivery - Live and interactive classroom-style learning conducted completely online

Duration study load

  • 2 years – Part-time

Delivery

We’re a 100% online education provider, so we use a state-of-the-art virtual learning environment (VLE) to deliver our teaching, resources and assessments. Our system tracks and manages the learning process in real-time and provides you with immediate access to your learning materials. The VLE is accessible 24/7 and allows both students and tutors to actively take part in real-time conversations and live seminars.

Entry requirements

At University of Essex Online, we believe that everyone should be able to access education. That is why we offer two different entry routes onto our MSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology, which considers academic or work-based experience.  

Academic entry route 

You must have the following qualifications as a minimum: 

  • an undergraduate degree from an approved institution, equivalent to a UK Honours degree, or a relevant professional qualification 

Work experience entry route 

You must meet the following criteria: 

  • at least three years of relevant work experience

English language requirement 

Our courses are taught in English so to study with us you must have an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 or equivalent. If you don’t hold an IELTS or equivalent qualification, you will be required to pass a free online English test to assess your proficiency. 

Find out more about the entry requirements for this course

Course features

We believe you get the most out of your time spent studying when you are kept informed of your performance, and we achieve this by:

  • assessing you throughout modules rather than waiting for end of year assessments
  • showing your marks in your grade book which can be viewed whenever you log onto the virtual learning environment (VLE)
  • rapid turnaround on work assessed to ensure your grade book is always up to date
  • ensuring you have regular contact with your Student Support team

Assessment

All assessments are delivered through our virtual learning environment (VLE).  You’ll submit assignments through the VLE, such as written reports, discussion forum participation or reflective journal entries.

We also have a policy of ensuring that the work submitted by students is authentic – we use a well-established electronic monitoring system to check for plagiarism.

Additional information

Career prospects

Many of our graduates go on to work in senior roles within criminal justice. This could be as analytical police staff or police officers, or within offender support, prison, probation or victim services. You’ll also be well prepared for positions within alcohol and drug rehabilitation services, security services, youth support services and legal services, as well as roles in related sectors, such as counselling, education and social work.

Delivery

We’re a 100% online education provider, so we use a state-of-the-art virtual learning environment (VLE) to deliver our teaching, resources and assessments. Our system tracks and manages the learning process in real-time and provides you with immediate access to your learning materials. The VLE is accessible 24/7 and allows both students and tutors to actively take part in real-time conversations and live seminars.

Subjects

The MSc Criminology and Criminal Psychology is made up of the following modules and, upon completion, is equal to a total of 180 credits.

Modules
Applied Forensic Psychology (20 credits)
Crime, Causation and Criminological Theory (20 credits)
Complex Criminal investigation (20 credits)
Practical Psychology for Policing (20 credits)
Advanced Research Methods (20 credits)
Criminology and Criminal Psychology Thesis (20 credits)
Optional modules (choose one)
  • Criminal Victimisation (20 credits)
  • Policing: Leadership, Policy & Partnerships (20 credits)

Want more information about the subjects for this course?

Payment options

Full tuition fee:

£12,858 UK / £13,427 International (2025-26) Δ

  • Designated for postgraduate student loans in England.
  • Simple monthly payment plan available, allowing you to spread the cost over the duration of your studies.
  • Full payment discount of 5% if you pay upfront.
  • International students residing in specific regions outside of the UK may be eligible for a partial scholarship for our undergraduate and postgraduate online courses.
  • Students residing in Africa can also enjoy a 20% scholarship for the March and April 2026 intakes of all eligible undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
  • Alumni discount of 10% of the tuition fee available if you are a previous graduate with the University of Essex or University of Essex Online.
  • 10% corporate discount available when three or more of your employees study with us.

Please note, a maximum of two discounts or scholarships can be applied. The corporate discount can only be used in combination with our upfront payment discount, but not in conjunction with any other discount or scholarship. Our course fees are fully inclusive – all teaching materials and required reading are included, and there are no hidden charges for assessments or resits. Δ All tuition fees shown are net of any applicable sales tax payable by you in your country of residence. Where we are required to add sales tax at the local statutory rate, this will be added to the tuition fees shown and confirmed during the payment process.

Find out more about the payment options for this course

About University of Essex Online

University of Essex Online delivers 100% online part-time courses in business, computing, education, health, law, criminology and psychology. The qualifications we offer include CertHEs and Bachelors degrees at the undergraduate level, and PG Certs, PG Dips and Masters degrees at the postgraduate level, with study durations ranging from 8 months to 4 years. As an established provider of 100% online degrees in the UK. All our courses are specifically designed for online delivery, combining silver-standard teaching with the latest technology and enabling you to gain a degree from anywhere in the world. All our qualifications are awarded and validated by the University of Essex, an award-winning university with a 60-year heritage of teaching and research excellence. On completion of your studies, you’ll be invited to graduate at the University of Essex’s Colchester campus. You will receive the same certificate as campus-based students – your mode of study is only mentioned on your academic transcript. We're proud to be rated Gold in the Times Higher Education (THE) Online Rankings 2024. Our achievement, which is based on four pillars - resources, engagement, outcomes and environment - recognises our commitment to excellent online education.

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