Program Overview

Criminology BSc Honours

Course Overview

Study at the birthplace of critical criminology, and gain the skills, research expertise, and real-world experience to drive social change and excel in a wide range of impactful careers.

About your course

This course offers a deep dive into the complex world of crime, justice, and societal responses to deviance. Explore the experiences and representations of crime and justice, focusing on social divisions and their impact on minorities. Learn from expert researchers, opt for an industry placement to gain practical experience, and build a strong foundation for a meaningful career in criminology and beyond.

Year 1

• Crime in Social Context (30 credits) - Compulsory Explore the dynamic nature of crime across law, politics, society, and culture. The module challenges conventional perceptions of crime, and will help you understand the impact of social factors on crime including issues of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion.
• Researching Crimes and Communities (30 credits) - Compulsory This module introduces you to social research inquiry as a way of seeing and interpreting the world. You will explore how qualitative and quantitative social research is carried out in an ethical way. You will also learn the basic components of social sciences research. Through looking the lens of 'communities', you will understand the context in which the events, issues and problems we study, occur within.
• Responses to Crime in the 21st Century (30 credits) - Compulsory This module introduces you to key criminal justice institutions, exploring contemporary issues within the police, courts, prisons, probation, immigration detention, youth justice, and the forensic mental health system. You will learn about the current policies and practice, emphasising international and cross-national influences on criminal justice.
• Understanding contemporary society (30 credits) - Compulsory Explore the foundations of sociological theory and central questions that have shaped the development of sociology. You'll learn how sociologists engage with today’s social world in academia and practice. This module helps you take a sociological perspective on human interaction, analyse a range of social issues, and consider how actors and institutions might respond to these issues.

Year 2

• Rethinking Crime and Justice (30 credits) - Compulsory This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of key theoretical ideas and debates in criminology. You will reflect on the impact of putting issues such as power and rights at the centre of criminological theory and practice, and what this means for crime, justice and punishment.
• Criminology in practice (30 credits) - Compulsory This module introduces you to a range of criminology career pathways. You will engage with various crime control, offending and support services professions, and explore the knowledge and skills required to perform in related positions.
• Research Methods for Studying Contemporary Society (30 credits) - Compulsory You will propose a methodological research project on a topic of interest, including a review of the literature and research questions. This must be suitable for a mixed method project, and a portfolio.
• Courts, Prisons and Rehabilitation (30 credits) - Optional This module introduces you to the intersections between the criminal courts, sentencing, prisons and rehabilitation. It has a particular focus on the aims of punishment, the use of imprisonment and key developments in penal policy and practice.
• Race and Social Justice (30 credits) - Optional The module explores key ideas about race and social justice, both in the UK and globally. You'll learn about the social construction of race, power and privilege, including white power and privilege across different spaces, racism and intersectional oppression.
• Victimology (30 credits) - Optional The module will explore the concept of victimisation, will help you assess societal responses to victimisation, and look at who we consider to be a victim.

Year 3

• Contemporary Issues in Criminology and Social Policy (30 credits) - Compulsory The module will explore key policy topics linked to crime, deviance, harm and criminal justice across different global contexts. It will support you to develop a critical awareness of how and why policy is designed and implemented and how it impacts offending, victimisation, harms and criminal justice responses.
• Digital Lives: Cybercrime and Radicalisation (30 credits) - Optional The module will advance your critical and creative understanding of how digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping our social life, from personal relationships and vulnerabilities to transformations in crime and violent extremism.
• Dissertation (30 credits) - Optional This module will synthesise learning from the criminology and sociology programmes of study, providing an opportunity for you to study independently and investigate a topic in depth, in accordance with the Sociology and Criminology Benchmark Statement.
• Drugs, Crime and Control (30 credits) - Optional This module will critically engage you in contemporary debates surrounding drugs, drug use and their control. It will develop your knowledge and understanding of the processes involved in social definitions of drugs, drug use and people who use drugs and your skills in applying theoretical perspectives to drug issues.
• Ethical Research and Project Management (30 credits) - Optional This module will develop your understanding of research project design while equipping you with ethical research skills needed for independent social science research projects.
• Learning at Work (60 credits) - Optional This module uses the workplace as a site of learning and inquiry. It supports the integration of theory and practice and provides opportunities to apply methods of inquiry to practice related problems in order to recommend solutions and improve work practice.
• Organised Crime and Crimes of the Powerful (30 credits) - Optional This module facilitates your critical engagement with the crimes such as white-collar, corporate, environmental and state crime (crimes of the powerful) as well as transnational organised crimes, often committed by both formal and informal powerful organisations.
• Violent Crime (30 credits) - Optional This module will discuss the dynamics of violence from a gender-informed perspective, how it is used by perpetrators, controlled, and used to control.

Teaching and Learning

• How you'll learn We put a strong emphasis on diverse, practice-based approaches to teaching and learning which will be fully supported by a wide range of online materials via the My learning facility.
• Teaching vs independent learning Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and exams.
• Academic support Our excellent teaching and support teams will help you develop your skills from research and practical skills to critical thinking.

Entry Requirements

• Qualifications 104 UCAS Points including GCSE English Grade C/4
• Foundation year If you don't meet the entry requirements, why not consider our Law and Social Science Foundation course to help you prepare for the full degree?
• Mature students (over 21) We welcome applications from mature candidates, including those without formal qualifications if you can demonstrate relevant experience and ability.

Careers

• Career Opportunities in Criminal Justice Criminology graduates often find roles in policing and security, victim support and protection, court and legal work, and more.
• Graduate Employers Our graduates have successfully secured positions in organisations such as central and local government agencies, police and security services, court services and youth justice organisations, victim support services, and voluntary and community-based sectors.

Fees and Funding

• Fees The fees below are for the 2026/27 academic year:
  • UK students: £9,535*
  • International students: TBC
• Scholarships and bursaries We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to help make uni affordable, including the MDX Excellence Scholarship and Regional or International Merit Awards.