Criminology and Forensic Studies with Foundation Year

This course includes an additional foundation year at the start of the course which helps prepare you for full time undergraduate study at BSc level. It is a 4 year course and available to you if you didn't quite meet the entry requirements or want longer to prepare for full time study. At the end of the foundation year you will begin to study the 3 year degree plan, and you will qualify with the same degree award at the end of the course.

This course has a shared first year across multiple specialisms, after your first year if you want to study a different specialism you can choose to change to one of these: Criminology or Criminology & Law.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?
Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and a good leader. If you are interested in a range of topics related to crime, BNU gives you a unique opportunity to identify your career goals and set out a clear path to achieving them.

In addition, we have one the best student communities around, our student union is ranked 2nd in the UK (NSS 2022) so you will have no trouble feeling at home here. Our university is close to London (30 minutes) so the capital is on your doorstep, this is perfect if you want to commute to university while remaining close to friends and family.

In addition to all the great benefits to studying at BNU, your course has some great benefits too, such as a passionate teaching team made up of former industry professionals, great facilities and staff links to professional organisations that keep us current and up to date with the latest research and statistics.

What facilities can I use?
Our criminology programme has a wealth of opportunities for you to get stuck into thanks to our diverse range of facilities. You can get access to a simulated crime scene and learn how to collect forensic evidence or have the opportunity to test your own theories and get to grips with VR, police interviews and more. We have a full range of facilities that can help prepare you for whatever career you choose to pursue within criminology.

Our library is packed with all the information you need for your assessments and there’s plenty of room to knuckle down for some quiet study. Whilst studying with us you will also use our AppsAnywhere web service, which provides access to many of the software applications you use for learning and studying. AppsAnywhere can be used from your own device or from a University owned PC or laptop, from any location.

What will I study?
You will be able to combine the study of criminology with the study of forensics. This specialism will give you the opportunity to examine skills necessary for the collection and preserving of forensic evidence, working in law, forensics science, and research alongside the continuation of some of the criminology course modules.

Career Prospects
Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. We also help you find employment after graduation. Have a look at our Careers and Employability pages to find out more.

Our Criminology programme is a springboard for entry into probation and related roles in the criminal justice system, whether that’s in the police, the court, probation, prison or crime related research organisation. Some of the careers you could pursue include:

• probation services

• national security

• police force

• cybercrime and prevention

• criminal justice

• law and forensics

Graduates can also choose to study for a postgraduate course at BNU.

Course Modules

Foundation Year
Core
Human Behaviour
Research Matters
Human Science – Dissecting the Details
Human Communication
Exploring Intersections
Knowledge Unleashed

Year one
Core
Crime, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Making Sense of Society
Policy and Society
Punishment, Justice and Victims
Social Justice
Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation

Year two
Core
Crime, Harm and Power in Late Modernity
Employability and Professional Development
Contemporary Social Research
Introduction to Forensic Science
Evidence in Court

Optional Modules
Contemporary Criminology
Leisure, Culture and Space

Year three
Core
Comparative Criminal Justice Policy
Dissertation
Forensic Professional Practice Issues
Investigative and Forensic Psychology

Optional Modules
Cybercrime
Disability, Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System
Environment and Social Justice
Radicalisation

Criminology is a subject that focuses on various scientific and philosophical theories regarding crime. Your course examines a diverse range of scenarios which you may encounter working in a criminal justice or a related organisation by drawing upon information from different sources in which both crime and social life are debated.

Assessments vary according to modules and are designed to test your understanding of the modules. Some of the ways you will be assessed include:

reports
exams
presentations
workshops