Program Overview

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Criminology

BSc (Hons)

Undergraduate degree - single or combined honours

Investigate, scrutinise and understand the causes, consequences and responses to crime with our Criminology degree at Bath Spa University.

A programme of study which focuses on criminological, sociological and psychological perspectives of crime. Examines crime, justice and punishment at local, national and transnational levels of society. A theoretical and applied approach to criminology to develop your knowledge and skills.

What you'll learn

Criminologists study crime from a variety of approaches, making this a diverse field of study. Core modules focus on the main theories, debates, issues and research in criminology and criminal justice, while optional modules enable you to develop your particular interests in areas such as violent crime, victimisation, prisons and terrorism.

We’ll support and encourage you to gain practical experience in relevant fields through voluntary work and placements. You’ll develop practical and analytical skills as well as subject knowledge in crime and criminal justice.

Course structure

Year one You’ll learn about the research traditions of criminology and be introduced to key concepts, theories and issues. You’ll investigate different types of crime and you’ll also learn about criminal law and criminal justice agencies and institutions.

Year two

You'll study contemporary debates in criminology and criminal justice and the history and development of policing, crime control and prevention.

You can also choose from a number of optional modules to create a programme tailored to your personal interests. You can investigate the criminological imagination by exploring differing perspectives and theories within criminology. You can also study violent crimes such as homicide and robbery.

Year three You’ll undertake an original piece of criminological research in an area that interests you and you’ll also be able to examine terrorism, punishment and penology and victimisation with our optional modules. You’ll have the choice to take our optional module in criminology which involves working with prison learners through a partnership with HMP Erlestoke.

There will also be opportunities to undertake a voluntary placement in an organisation relevant to the criminal justice sector with our optional community engagement module.

How will I be assessed?

We use a range of assessments to gain a comprehensive measure of your performance. Assignments may include essays, book reviews, examinations, portfolios, crime scene investigation reports, presentations, design of a non-custodial punishment, reflective writing, briefing papers and individual and group projects.

How will I be taught?

We take pride in our innovative and engaging modules that inspire and challenge, and we encourage you to reflect critically on your subject.

We’ll guide you through your studies, support you, and help you make the most of your academic studies. Your personal timetable will comprise all the modules for which you have been registered, and these incorporate different modes of teaching.

You’ll participate in a wide variety of activities including lectures, seminars, workshops, one-to-one tutorials, and sessions with visiting speakers.

Course modules

This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen.

• Year one (Level 4) modules
  • Crime and Disorder in Everyday Life
  • Crime, Violence and Harm
  • Crime: Representation and Reality
  • Sociology of Deviance and Social Control
  • Introduction to Social Science Research
  • Questioning Society
• Year two (Level 5) modules The modules available to you will depend on the pathway you are studying (e.g. single/combined honours) and core requirements. Core and required modules include:
  • Policing, Crime Control and Prevention
  • Criminal Justice: Theory, Policy and Practice
  • Social Science Research Methods
  • Exploring Violence
  Optional modules include:
  • Crime, Law and Society
  • The Criminological Imagination
  • Forensic and Investigative Psychology
  • Geospatial Skills for Professional Practice
  • Migration: Identity, Belonging, Citizenship and Security
  • The Life Course: Ageing and Generation
  • Social Problems, Social Divisions, Social Justice
  • Law for Business Enterprise
  • Work Placement
  • The Psychology of Criminal Investigations
  • Professional Placement Year
• Year three (Level 6) modules Required modules include:
  • Dissertation in Criminology
  Optional modules include:
  • Media, Sociality and Everyday Life
  • Victims and Victimisation
  • Terrorism Studies
  • Punishment and Penology in Contemporary Society
  • Young People, Identities and Subcultures
  • Gender in Society: Critical Perspectives
  • Community Engagement
  • Narratives of Crime
  • Unlocking Criminology
  • Exploring Law in Business
  • Culture, Risk and Environmental Justice
  • Ethnicity and Society
  • Cyber Security

Opportunities

Study abroad

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Work placements and fieldwork

We’ll strongly encourage you to take advantage of placement opportunities in your second and third year, so you can apply your learning in the real world contexts of criminal justice. Practitioners contribute to teaching in some modules and you can find out more from them about working in fields related to criminal justice.

Fieldwork opportunities, such as trips to local courts, will also provide opportunities to observe the legal system in action and learn more about potential careers. We also have links with local criminal justice organisations including local police services and prisons.

Projects

Project work enables you to focus on your particular interests and is built into all three years of the programme. Through individual and group projects you’ll develop employment-related skills in research, analysis, time management, leadership, problem-solving and planning.

Your first year involves a project with creative, critical and reflective elements.

Moving into your second year, you’ll undertake in-depth study of the spatial dimensions of crime. A module in research methods will give you experience of research design and data collection and analysis to support project work.

In the dissertation core module in your third year, you can apply the knowledge and skills you’ve developed to an independent research project on any criminological or criminal justice topic that interests you.

Careers

A qualification in Criminology will prepare you for a career in a variety of relevant fields in criminal justice and associated social and welfare professions including:

• Policing
• Crime prevention and security
• Crime reduction initiatives
• Law (following further study)
• Offender management and interventions
• Prisons
• Probation
• Youth justice
• Social work
• Community development

As a social sciences degree, the course will give you with a range of transferable skills which you can take into a career in a number of others sectors such as health and social care, marketing, HR, teaching or the media.

Professional placement year

Overview

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Preparation

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

How will I be assessed?

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

Where have students completed placements?

Our Criminology students have completed placements with many different organisations, including:

• Circles of Support and Accountability
• Penal Reforms Solutions
• Pact – Prison Advice Care and Trust
• Mental Health Innovations (SHOUT)
• DWRM
• STARS Dorset
• Footprints Project
• Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and The Marlborough
• Genesis Trust
• No Limits
• York Road Project
• BANES
• Tutor In A Box
• Prior's Court
• Direct Line
• Dimensions
• Young People Cornwall
• Hampshire Cricket Company LTD
• Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK) Ltd
• Kings Court Trust
• Net Zero Heroes.

Combined courses

If you'd prefer, you can choose to study Criminology alongside another subject. This is known as a combined course, or a combined honours degree.

BSU offers five Criminology combinations:

• BSc (Hons) Criminology and Psychology
• BSc (Hons) Criminology and Sociology
• BSc (Hons) Criminology and Law
• BA/BSc (Hons) Criminology and Politics
• BA/BSc (Hons) Business and Management and Criminology

This combination is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Fees

2025 entry

• UK full time: £9,535
• UK part time: £4,768
• International full time: £16,460

Professional Placement Year

During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.

• UK: £1,905
• International: £3,292

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.

Funding opportunities

Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.

Entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:

• A Level – grades BBB-BCC preferred.
• BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) accepted in any subject.
• T Levels – grade Merit preferred.
• International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required.
• Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher).

If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.

English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants

IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.

Teaching staff

• Faye Vanstone Programme Leader for Criminology
• Luke Roach Lecturer in Criminology
• Natalie Booth Senior Lecturer in Criminology
• Andrew Smart Reader in Sociology
• Rosalchen Whitecross Senior Lecturer in Criminology
• Patrick Turner Senior Lecturer in Sociology
• Franki Grant
• Sophie Pike Senior Lecturer in Criminology
• Claire Edwards-Evans
• Tyson Amurun
• Paul Thornbury Lecturer in Criminology

Facilities

Where the subject is taught

Criminology is taught at our Newton Park campus.

Resources

All modules can be found on our Virtual Learning Environment, Ultra, providing unlimited online access to learning materials such as handbooks, lecture slides, assessment information, discussion boards and other resources.

Our library gives you access to books, academic journals and DVDs and an extensive range of electronic services. It also provides a place for individual study and collaborative work.

Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.

Key facts

• Award: BSc (Hons) Criminology
• School/s: School of Sciences
• Campus or location: Newton Park
• Course length: Three years full time, or four years full time with professional placement year. Part time available.
• UCAS codes: Institution Code: B20 Course Code: 382M or 383M Campus Code: A,BSU

Related courses

• Criminology and Psychology
• Criminology and Sociology
• Criminology and Law
• Criminology and Politics