Program Overview

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BASS Politics and Criminology

Overview

The BA in Politics and Criminology is one of the pathways within the BA Social Sciences degree. It is ideal if you want to keep your options open or study specific topics such as race, class, crime or religion from different perspectives.

Course Description

This flexible degree lets you study at least three subjects in Year 1, and then in Years 2 and 3 you deepen your understanding of the subjects you feel passionate about.

The six subject areas are:

• Criminology - The study of the causes and consequences of crime.
• Philosophy - The study of the nature of knowledge, truth and values. It also encourages greater consideration of our reasoning, judgement and ethics.
• Politics - The study of human organisation, government and power. It examines and evaluates political systems and institutions.
• Data Analytics - The study of data and analysis to understand the social world.
• Social Anthropology - The study of societies and cultures across the globe in comparative perspective.
• Sociology - The study of society. It examines such issues as social inequalities and forms of everyday life.

Key Features

• Study abroad
• Industrial experience

Duration and Year of Entry

• Duration: 3 or 4 years
• Year of entry: 2026

UCAS Course Code and Institution Code

• UCAS course code: LM29
• Institution code: M20

Entry Requirements

A-level

• ABB, including at least one of the following A-Level subjects (preference will be given to applicants studying two of these subjects):
  • Accounting; Economics; Finance; Business Studies; Development Studies; Government and Politics; Economic and Social History; Mathematics; Anthropology; Sociology; Philosophy; Religious Studies; English Language; English Literature; Geography; Psychology; Classical Civilisation; History; Archaeology; Communication Studies; Environmental Studies; World Development; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Modern Languages.

A-level Contextual Offer

• BBC, including at least one of the following A-Level subjects (preference will be given to applicants studying two of these subjects):
  • Accounting; Economics; Finance; Business Studies; Development Studies; Government and Politics; Economic and Social History; Mathematics; Anthropology; Sociology; Philosophy; Religious Studies; English Language; English Literature; Geography; Psychology; Classical Civilisation; History; Archaeology; Communication Studies; Environmental Studies; World Development; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Modern Languages.

UK Refugee/Care-Experienced Offer

• BBC, including at least one of the following A-Level subjects (preference will be given to applicants studying two of these subjects):
  • Accounting; Economics; Finance; Business Studies; Development Studies; Government and Politics; Economic and Social History; Mathematics; Anthropology; Sociology; Philosophy; Religious Studies; English Language; English Literature; Geography; Psychology; Classical Civilisation; History; Archaeology; Communication Studies; Environmental Studies; World Development; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Modern Languages.

International Baccalaureate

• 34 points overall. 6,5,5 in Higher Level subjects

GCSE/IGCSE

• Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 4 or C in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language.

Fees and Funding

• Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

Scholarships/Sponsorships

• Scholarships and bursaries, including the Manchester Bursary, are available to eligible home/EU students.

Application and Selection

• Apply through UCAS.
• Advice to applicants:
  • Applicants submitting mitigating circumstances: If you are submitting information about mitigating circumstances that have affected, or are likely to affect, your academic performance, you should include this in the referee's report.
  • Home-schooled applicants: If you are a student who has followed a non-standard educational route, e.g. you have been educated at home; your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course for which you are applying.

Course Content

Year 1

• Year 1 gives you a broad introduction to the Social Sciences, enabling you to make an informed choice of areas to specialise in for your second and third years.

Year 2

• In Year 2 you begin to specialise. If you specialise in one subject you take 60 to 80 credits in it. If you specialise in two subjects you take 40 credits in each.

Year 3

• In Year 3 you pick your final areas of specialisation. If you specialise in one subject you take 60 to 80 credits in it. If you specialise in two subjects you take 40 credits in each.

Careers

• The University of Manchester has an excellent reputation for employability. For the past 5 years, we have been in the UK's Top Two most targeted universities by the UK's top 100 employers (High Fliers Graduate Market Report, ).
• Our graduates pursue a variety of careers including journalism and media, charities, consultancy, civil service, finance, marketing, social work, teaching, law and postgraduate study.
• Recent graduates have gone on to work at:
  • the Foreign and Commonwealth Office;
  • Teach First;
  • the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the Houses of Parliament and the Ministry of Justice;
  • the United Nations;
  • the Centre for Social Justice;
  • Google.