Why study this course?
The Criminology (including foundation year) BSc will prepare you for study at undergraduate level, while providing you with the knowledge to examine the causes and effects of crime. This four-year course is designed for those who don’t meet the the standard criminology degree entry requirements to enter the three-year course or who have been out of education for a few years and would like to prepare for academic study at undergraduate level.
During Year 0 you’ll improve your critical thinking, essay writing and other academic skills to build your confidence and improve your learning techniques. You’ll be supported by a tutor and academic mentor to achieve all of your academic goals and settle into university. In the following three years you’ll engage in academic investigation of the criminal justice system and examine criminological theories.
More about this course
The Criminology (including foundation year) BSc course is perfect preparation for a career in crime and justice related settings. You’ll not only study criminological theories and learn to research the causes and implications of crime, but you’ll also gain valuable academic skills that will help you progress to managerial roles or postgraduate study.
On this course you’ll receive excellent support to ensure that you settle into university life and achieve good academic outcomes. In your foundation year, your tutor and mentor will help you work on your strengths and weaknesses and prepare for the following three years of undergraduate academic study. During this year, your modules will focus on developing your academic literacy, critical thinking and analytical skills through the production of short texts about subjects in the field of social sciences and current affairs. You’ll also be joined by students studying the foundation year from other disciplines, providing a perfect opportunity to work with others to improve your skills.
Great emphasis is placed on our teaching quality and your lecturers will take their time to work with you to develop your skills and ensure you reach a good level of understanding of the topics.
During the foundation year you’ll also take a module that is more focused on criminology, so that you can get a view into the topics you’ll be studying and prepare for the following years. If at the end of your foundation year you decide that you’d like to specialise in a different area of study, there will be flexibility to move to a different course in the School of Social Sciences or the School of Social Professions subject to approval.
In the three years that will follow you’ll experience greater flexibility in choosing what you’d like to study and enjoy the opportunity to combine your criminology degree with the study of psychology, policing, sociology or law. The course content will also begin to be more specialised.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 0 modules include:
Critical Thinking (core, 15 credits)
Interventions for Change (core, 15 credits)
Media, Crime and ‘Race’ (core, 15 credits)
Reflecting on Self and Society (core, 15 credits)
Researching Discrimination (core, 15 credits)
Researching Inequality (core, 15 credits)
Social Issues in Context: Text to Essay (core, 15 credits)
Studying London (core, 15 credits)
Year 1 modules include:
Introduction to Criminological Theory (core, 30 credits)
Introduction to Policing (core, 30 credits)
Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (core, 30 credits)
Researching Crime and Deviance (core, 30 credits)
Year 2 modules include:
Crime in Context (core, 30 credits)
Measuring and Interpreting Crime (core, 30 credits)
Perspectives on Policing (core, 30 credits)
Crime, Media and Technology (option, 15 credits)
Youth Resistance and Social Control (option, 15 credits)
Youth, Crime and Violence (option, 15 credits)
Year 3 modules include:
Crime Control and Penology (core, 30 credits)
Criminology Project (core, 30 credits)
Criminology Work Experience (option, 15 credits)
Gender and Sexuality (option, 30 credits)
Human Rights and Conflict (option, 15 credits)
Religion and the State (option, 15 credits)
Serious and Serial Offenders (option, 15 credits)
Social Control, Drugs and Organised Crime (option, 30 credits)
Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism (option, 15 credits)
Victims and Crime (option, 15 credits)
Where this course can take you
Graduates from the criminology related courses enter a range of careers, such as police officer, special constable, investigating analyst, support worker, senior detective constable, investigating analyst and probation officer. They now work for organisations as diverse as the Metropolitan Police, Ten Intelligence and Mears.
