Criminal psychology courses
What to expect in a criminal psychology degree
A criminal psychology degree will teach you to understand why people make antisocial choices. You’ll learn how to apply key psychological principles to the actions of criminals, while analysing the why, what, how and when behind their decisions.
While criminal psychology is centred on offenders and how they think, you’ll also explore the consequences of criminal behavior. Expect to cover theory and key principles associated with criminology, justice studies and related law, ensuring you graduate with a well-rounded and multidisciplinary understanding of human behaviour, crime and criminal profiling.
Discover related degrees
Undergraduate GRF-CCJ-DEG-2022
Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Major in Criminal Justice
Undergraduate UNE-CRM-DEG-2022
Bachelor of Criminology
- Criminal Justice Major
- Justice and Indigenous People Major
- Justice Politics and Society Major
- Policing and Corrections Major
Discover related subjects
How to study criminal psychology
We recommend potential students begin their studies with a Bachelor Degree, unless they have existing experience in a similar or related field. Find out more about claiming credit for past experience here.
Once you've established a firm foundation in criminal psychology, you'll need to go on to complete a Masters Degree or doctorate, depending on your chosen pathway.Generally, you can expect to spend seven-to-ten years studying criminal psychology before reaching a one-to-two-year supervised training period.
At this point, you’ll be qualified to receive your certification from the Psychology Board of Australia.
Should you study criminal psychology?
While critical thinking and incisive analysis are silent requirements for jobs in criminal psychology, successful criminal psychology course graduates often decide to focus on helping law enforcement, courts and legal teams understand why people commit crimes.
Interested in exploring crime from the victim’s point of view? Specialise in victimology and learn about the psychological impacts of crime.
Study criminal psychology Australia wide
When you study online through Open Universities Australia, you can access top universities from across the country.
Not only will we help you find and enrol in the right criminal psychology course, but we’ll also give you the power to control your whole study timetable, so you can step forward in your career without losing out on life.
Criminal psychology blogs
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