Criminal Law and Criminal Justice

Why study Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at Liverpool John Moores University?

• A unique degree which examines the interaction between criminal law and criminal justice disciplines

• 98% of students on this course said teaching staff were good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2025)

• Gives you the opportunity to assess how criminal law legislation impacts on real world criminal justice policies and practices

• Teaching from supportive, internationally recognised legal professionals and criminal justice writers and practitioners

• Work placements and voluntary work opportunities to enhance your graduate employability

• Variety of field trips and visits from local employers working in legal and criminal justice professions

About your course
The BA (Hons) Criminal Law and Criminal Justice programme at Liverpool John Moores University is the ideal preparation for a range of fascinating careers in both the legal and the criminal justice sectors.

Many of your tutors have professional frontline experience of working in the criminal justice system or researching law and criminal justice, with international reputations for research and writing, giving you a solid grounding in both areas.

While this course prepares you for a career in the legal profession following completion of professional training programmes for solicitors, it also develops vital personal skills in teamwork, communication, writing and time management, so that you are more than ready to face the challenges of a range of careers should you decide that law isn't for you.

We encourage you to organise a placement for your final year as it will give you vital experience of how the criminal law and criminal justice system work in practice. For the same reasons, we recommend that you undertake some form of voluntary work during your time at LJMU and/or apply to take part in the University's Study Abroad programme to see how legal systems work in another country.

As the course progresses, the modules become more focused on preparing you to work in the legal or criminal justice systems, and in your final year you will be able to specialise in the areas that interest you most, whether they be vocational or more abstract topics.

Please visit the Liverpool John Moores University website for detailed module information.

Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework. The Criminal Justice teaching team prides itself on its assessment methods, which combine traditional exams (seen and unseen), online multiple choice exams, coursework (essays, literature reviews and reports) and group presentations with pioneering practical assessments, such as mooting or arguing a legal case in a court setting. We acknowledge that every student is unique and may perform differently depending on how they are assessed, so we allow you to choose assessments tailored to your own individual strengths. Once you have completed an assessment, feedback is given within three working weeks, so you can promptly discuss your marks with your tutor and establish where you are performing well and areas for improvement.