Law with Criminology

Study the latest developments in legal practice with this comprehensive degree focusing on crime and punishment. Through the course, you gain an in-depth knowledge of all core areas of the English legal system while also exploring the theories and approaches at the forefront of the current criminological debate including topical issues such as youth crime and comparative youth justice; corporate and organised crime; victimisation; and rehabilitation of offenders.

Course accreditation

All our LLB courses cover the Foundation of Legal Knowledge subjects and satisfy the requirements set by the Bar Standards Board for the academic component of Bar training. Upon successfully completing the LLB with a minimum grade of 2:ii, graduates who wish to qualify as barristers will be able to progress on to the Bar training course.

Facilities and specialist equipment

• Recently refurbished Moot Court, equipped with digital technology to ensure it reflects an actual court-room environment

• Leading legal research databases used by professionals, including LexisNexis, Westlaw and HeinOnline

• Oxford Law Trove, an online platform giving students access to the wealth of legal educational materials published by Oxford University Press

Career-powered links

We have strong links with local law firms such as Macfarlane, Machins, Greystone and Solomon as well as at Luton County Court and the Crown Prosecution Service.

You can also gain professional supervised practice via our three law clinics: family law, criminal law and law related to asylum seekers.

Your student experience

Opportunity to complete work experience at law firms such as Macfarlanes LLP and Machins Solicitors LLP as well as at Luton County Court and the Crown Prosecution Service. This work experience counts towards your qualification as a solicitor.

Gain professional supervised practice via our three law clinics: family law, criminal law and law related to asylum seekers.

Widen your experience through field trips to the Inns of Court in London, the Houses of Parliament, the UK Supreme Court and Luton Crown Court; you also have opportunities to take part in mooting competitions.

Attend research events organised by our Centre for Research in Law (CRiL) and guest talks by prestigious speakers including arbitrators, judges, renowned academics, Members of Parliament and leading legal practitioners from City law firms.

Course modules

Year 1
Introduction to criminology and criminal justice – Explore theories of offending behaviour and evaluate society’s response through the criminal justice system. Criminal law – Overview of the criminal process in England and Wales, and the governing principles of individual and corporate criminal liability. Contract law – Understand legal principles relating to the formation of contracts, their validity, interpretation, performance and remedies for breach. English legal system – Learn to use sources of legal information to support a sound and well–reasoned legal argument. Academic and legal skills – Understand client management, problem–solving, negotiation, and advanced oral and written communication skills.

Year 2
Prisons, Probation and Offender Rehabilitation – Develop your understanding of how prisons work and what they achieve while considering the complex needs of offenders. Victims of violent crimes – Explore victimology, victim–offender relationships and the skills needed to support victims. Land law – Study property and ownership rights in relation to land, and the impact these rights have on third parties. Law of tort – Understand civil rights and liabilities and/or other civil law matters. Constitutional and administrative law – In-depth grounding in the constitutional and administrative dimensions of public law.

Year 3
Violence in modern society – Explore violence as a cultural and social phenomenon, its forms, causes and media representations. Youth justice, gangs and serious violence – Discover youth gang offending and the social, economic, political, and cultural forces behind it. Equity and trusts – Introduction to equitable jurisdiction with a focus on creation, purpose and enforcement of trusts. International human rights law – Learn to promote and protect the fundamental rights and human dignity of all individuals, without discrimination. Fundamentals of EU law – Understand the main legal principles in the European Union. Dissertation – Identify a current issue of public interest for in-depth legal analysis and produce a critical report on the topic.

Every effort is made to ensure this information is accurate at the point of publication on the UCAS website. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our website.

Throughout the course, you will be involved in a variety of learning activities which are designed to foster the incremental development of your subject knowledge and transferrable skills, whilst at the same time supporting your personal and professional development.

Learning activities are structured around lectures, seminars and workshop. The nature and format of the activities will vary from unit to unit, with emphasis being placed upon interactive learning and practice-based activities, such as mooting and debating. The various units, and the course as a whole, are designed in such a way as to enable you, first, to adjust to university-level education, and then to develop towards greater autonomy of learning, independent analysis and critical evaluation.

Our course is taught by a team of experienced, professional and committed academics and practitioners. The lecturers on the course combine expert knowledge underpinned by current research and professional experience which enables them to offer teaching which reflects current developments and issues within the context of contemporary practice.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Solicitors Regulation Authority
• Bar Standards Board