Criminology and Criminal Justice

Discover why crime happens, how justice is delivered and what role you can play in challenging the system. Bringing together theory and real-world experience, the BSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice provides a comprehensive understanding of crime and justice, while developing practical skills needed to engage with the criminal justice system.

• Tailor your learning: You’ll gain the knowledge, skills and experience to explore the big questions around crime and justice, while tailoring your degree to your interests.

• Gain career-ready skills: You’ll graduate with strong analytical, research, and legal skills – ready for a wide range of career paths in the UK and beyond.

• Engage in interdisciplinary learning: You'll be taught by experts in law, sociology, and community studies.

• Explore crime in a global context: How it links to inequality, migration, human rights, international trade, and state violence. You'll connect local and international perspectives on crime.

• Study real-world case studies: Learn about the criminal justice system with insights from practitioners and people with lived experience of the system.

• Examine the link between crime and culture: How media and culture shape our ideas about law, justice, and social order.

• Develop your research skills: Learn how to investigate criminological questions and apply your findings to real-world challenges.

• Gain practical experience: You’ll be provided with opportunities for work placements, projects, and engagement with professionals.

Year 1
Foundations of Crime and Justice
You’ll build your understanding of the legal system, criminological theory, and the factors that influence crime.
You’ll discuss contemporary issues, explore the roots of crime, and develop essential academic skills.

Compulsory modules
Criminal Justice Systems A
Criminal Justice Systems B
Crime Control and the State
Legal Skills for the 21st Century
Methods for Worldmaking 1

Year 2
Policy, Practice, and Research
You’ll explore more advanced criminological theories, gain practical research skills, and critically examine justice institutions.
Core modules will cover youth justice, criminal law and global criminology.
You’ll also learn to work with quantitative and qualitative data, collecting, analysing, and interpreting crime statistics through hands-on project work.

Compulsory modules
Imaginative Criminology
Youth Justice
Criminal Law for Criminologists
Crimes Against Humanity
Methods for Worldmaking 2

Optional modules can vary each year but may include:
Immigration Law
Social Change and Political Action
Law and Contemporary Society

Year 3
Specialisation and Application
You’ll apply your learning to real-world issues through an applied research project on a topic you care about.
Core modules will allow you to specialise in areas such as white collar crime, privacy and surveillance, while optional modules offer the opportunity to learn about green criminology.

You'll be provided with opportunities for placements to build experience and enhance your employability.

Compulsory modules
Crimes of the Powerful
Privacy Surveillance and Society

Optional modules can vary each year but may include:
AI, Disruptive Technologies and the Law
Immigation Law
Social Change and Political Action
Law and Contemporary Society
Gender, Sexuality and the Law
Work Placement Module
Homelessness and Housing

*Please note, all modules on this programme are subject to validation.

You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework, extended essays, reports, presentations, practice-based projects or essays/logs, group projects, reflective essays, and seen and unseen written examinations.