Skills for career development
As well as specific knowledge about forensic psychology, this degree course will help you to develop many transferable and work-related skills that are highly valued by employers. These include:
- communication
- numeracy
- effective team-working
- independent and critical thinking
- IT and data handling
- analysing and evaluating diverse sources of information, including qualitative and quantitative data
- designing and carrying out research projects, and presenting their findings
- problem-solving and reasoning
- application of learning to real world problems and situations
- independent learning.
Career relevance
This degree is relevant to a broad range of careers. This includes working within the criminal justice system, such as the prison and probation services, and organisations concerned with the care and resettlement of offenders, victim support, crime prevention, social care and social justice.
Please note that this degree does not qualify you to practise as a forensic psychologist – although it provides ideal preparation for the additional training required.
A career as a professional psychologist in the applied areas of psychology will require further study, training and/or work experience beyond your degree – for which this degree course provides useful preparation.
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulated titles include:
- clinical psychologist
- counselling psychologist
- educational psychologist
- forensic psychologist
- health psychologist
- occupational psychologist
- sports and exercise psychologist.
Accreditation
Graduates achieving a 2.2 or better for this qualification are eligible for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) conferred by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Other careers
There are many other types of career for which the knowledge and skills that you will develop as a graduate may be useful such as:
- advertising
- marketing
- education
- the health professions
- human resources
- management
- research.
Many graduate-level jobs are open to graduates of any discipline, particularly in business, finance, management consultancy and the public sector. Some careers may require further study, training and/or work experience beyond your degree.
Exploring your options
Once you register with us (and for up to three years after you finish your studies), you’ll have full access to our careers service for a wide range of information and advice. This includes online forums, website, interview simulation, vacancy service as well as the option to email or speak to a careers adviser. Some areas of the website are available to see at any time, including help with looking for and applying for jobs. You can also read more general information about how OU study enhances your career.
In the meantime if you want to do some research around this qualification and where it might take you, we’ve put together a list of relevant job titles as a starting point. This degree does not provide direct entry to the career fields listed, but it may ease access and increase your employability in relation to them, and it enhances prospects for progression once you are qualified to enter them. Some careers may require further study, training and/or work experience beyond your degree:
- forensic psychologist
- clinical psychologist
- police officer
- prison officer
- probation worker
- social worker
- youth worker
- human resources manager.
On to 'Entry requirements'
