Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Study Details: 2 years part-time
Explore what's behind the experiences of both offenders and victims of crime on this part-time Master's degree in Criminal Psychology and Victimology, studying at your own pace via distance learning.
You'll learn how taking a psychological approach, such as through offender profiling, can be the key to a criminal investigation. You'll look at different types of offending behaviour with a view to understanding those behind it and working with them to reduce rates of reoffending.
You'll also gain an insight into the challenges faced by victims of crime, and study the theoretical perspectives that inform our understanding of victimisation. You'll explore the wider historical and political contexts that influence victim-centred policy and legislation, gaining the skills you need to advocate for victims of crime anywhere within the criminal justice system.
A minimum of a second-class honours degree in a relevant subject (Social Science, Humanities, Law, Psychology, or Management subject). Information Technology or science related subjects will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants with equivalent professional experience in a relevant organisation will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Criminal psychology draws on elements of psychology, criminology and criminal justice to study offending behaviour. Its aim is to improve the effectiveness of criminal investigations and the way offenders are penalised and rehabilitated, as well as to reduce reoffending.
Victimology is about understanding and helping people when they have become the victim of a crime, exploring the ways society identifies and treats victims, and how to identify individuals who are most vulnerable or at a greater risk of being victimised
Year 1:
Psychology and Offending Behaviour - 30 credits
Research Methods and Research Ethics - 30 credits
Working with Victims of Crime: Theory, Policy and Professional Practice - 30 credits
Year 2:
Dissertation/Major Project - 60 credits
Investigation and Psychology - 30 credits
Missing Persons: Global Perspectives - 30 credits
Victimology: Vulnerability, Risk and Resilience - 30 credits
Master’s study opportunities at the University of Portsmouth Courses to help you go further We’re as ambitious for your future as you are...
Wed 20 May 2026