Program Overview

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology

The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology will provide students with a general and detailed knowledge and understanding of crime and criminology, equipping them with the criminological theories and concepts that offer explanations for why people engage in criminal acts. By enabling students to understand the role of the courts, policing, and corrections in criminal justice, they will be able to address categorical issues in criminology such as class roles, sex, race/ethnic behavior, and social policy.

Course Overview

The course will instill students with a capacity to use qualitative and quantitative methods of social research and social investigation. By the end of the course, students will have the ability to apply criminology theories, principles, and concepts to address real-life issues and situations in the criminal justice field, and thus the ability to engage in critical thought and analysis.

Communication and Academic Skills Programme

The communication and academic skills programme complements students' main course of study. It introduces them to writing and presenting as situated within academic contexts sensitive to specific disciplines and develops their competences for future careers.

Admission Requirements

• General Entry Requirements: Refer to the list of country-specific qualifications.
• Notes and any other requirements: Applicants in terms of the 'maturity (adult learners) clause' are required to sit for a written examination due to be held in September. Successful candidates shall then be called for an interview conducted by an interviewing board appointed for the purpose.
• Eligible applicants are required to pass both the written examination and the interview.

Programme Structure

Year 1

• Semester 1:
  • CRI1032: Qualitative Research Methods for Criminology (4 ECTS)
  • CRL1012: Introduction to Law for Criminological Studies (4 ECTS)
  • CRM1002: Introduction to Policing (4 ECTS)
  • CRM1004: Biological and Psychological Theories of Crime (4 ECTS)
  • CRM1005: Introduction to Corrections (4 ECTS)
  • CRM1020: Introduction to Criminology (4 ECTS)
  • CRM1021: Sociological Theories of Crime (4 ECTS)
• Semester 2:
  • CRI1005: Organised Crime (4 ECTS)
  • CRI1009: Interpersonal Violence (4 ECTS)
  • CRI1011: Community Based Sanctions (4 ECTS)
  • CRI1015: Myths and Realities of Crime: Societal Perspectives (4 ECTS)
  • CRI1017: Crime Scene to Court (4 ECTS)
  • CRI1033: Quantitative Research Methods for Criminology (4 ECTS)
  • CRL1011: Criminal Procedure and Criminology (4 ECTS)
  • YTH1023: Youth, Crime and Deviance (4 ECTS)
• Requirement for regular progression to Year 2: 60 ECTS credits

Year 2

• Semester 1:
  • CRI2002: Criminal Investigation (4 ECTS)
  • CRI2003: Psychology and Investigation (4 ECTS)
  • CRI2004: Prison and Prisoners (4 ECTS)
  • CRI2012: Victimology (4 ECTS)
  • CRI2015: Maritime Domains and Crime (4 ECTS)
  • CRM2012: Crime Prevention and Community Safety (4 ECTS)
  • CRM2020: Key Issues: Drugs and Society (4 ECTS)
• Semester 2:
  • CRI1006: Violent Crime (4 ECTS)
  • CRI2008: Risk and Security Management (4 ECTS)
  • CRI2011: Practical Approaches to Research Methodology (4 ECTS)
  • CRI2014: Contemporary and Comparative Criminology (4 ECTS)
  • CRM1016: Restorative Justice (4 ECTS)
  • CRM2019: Introduction to Forensic Pathology (4 ECTS)
  • MRT2013: Ethics in the Criminal Justice System (4 ECTS)
• Elective Units:
  • CRI2013: Criminology in Practice (4 ECTS)
  • CRI2016: The Politics of Crime and Punishment (4 ECTS)
• Requirement for regular progression to Year 3: 60 ECTS credits

Year 3

• Compulsory Units:
  • CRM3011: Dissertation (12 ECTS)
• Semester 1:
  • CRI3002: Police Leadership and Management (4 ECTS)
  • CRI3003: Psychology of the Courtroom (4 ECTS)
  • CRI3004: White Collar Crimes (4 ECTS)
  • CRI3005: Crime Mapping and Spatial Technologies (4 ECTS)
  • CRI3008: Sentencing, Penal Policy and Management in Corrections (4 ECTS)
  • CRI3013: Terrestrial Domains and Crime (4 ECTS)
  • CRM3012: Terrorism and Counter Terrorism (4 ECTS)
• Semester 2:
  • CRI3011: Criminal Careers and Intergenerational Phenomena (4 ECTS)
  • CRI3012: Migration, Crime and Borders (4 ECTS)
  • CRM3001: Cyber Crime (4 ECTS)
  • CRM3009: Designing out Crime: Spatial Planning and the Environment (4 ECTS)
  • CRM3010: Offence and Criminal Profiling (4 ECTS)
• Requirement for successful completion of Year 3: 60 ECTS credits
• Requirement for award of B.A. (Hons) Criminology: 180 ECTS credits

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the BA (Hons) Degree Programme, students will have:

• An understanding of the multi-disciplinary nature of criminology, criminological theory, methods, and substantive analysis.
• An ability to apply analytical tools to specific areas of study, including crime and how it is defined, and various approaches to punishment.
• An understanding of criminal justice agencies and how they operate, including the police, courts, prisons, and probation, and the contours of decision-making in criminal justice.
• The ability to analyse major theoretical issues in criminology and identify their applied relevance.
• The ability to understand the evidence presented in criminological studies, and to assess the appropriateness of the methods used, their value, and their limitations.
• The ability to understand the social policy and practical application of the range of methods for controlling criminals and delinquents, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the applied crime/deviance control methods.

Career Opportunities

As a criminologist, graduates will strive to understand why people commit crime, how they can be dissuaded from engaging in crime, how criminals/delinquents/potential delinquents should be treated, and how victims of crime could be helped. As a criminology graduate, they may find employment in the criminal justice system as a police officer, correctional officer, or probation officer, and in other agencies (even care agencies) that deal with criminogenic populations. In addition, they might find employment in the private sector (e.g., private policing, security and insurance agencies, digital gaming, and cyber security).

Tuition Fees

• Fee per academic year for Non-EU applicants: Eur 8,500

Further Studies

This programme gives students access to the M.A. in Probation Services and the M.A. in Criminology (by Research) offered by the Department of Criminology. Alternatively, students may opt to further their studies abroad to pursue international work and career opportunities.