Select your course options:
Summary:
Course Code: L4FY
Course Code: M938
Course Code: M931
Where Are You Applying From?
How Would You Like To ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½?
When Do You Want To Start Your Studies?
Which Campus Would You Like To ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ At?
Which Options Would You Like With Your Course?
Why choose the School of Applied Social Sciences
95% of our social sciences students were satisfied with the learning opportunities their course offered; 100% of our students were satisfied with how well it developed knowledge and skills for the future (NSS, 2024).
Industry-active academic team so you learn from their experience in areas such as community safety; youth justice; human rights; and sexual offending.
Students of this course have gained employment as police officers, prison officers, social workers, fraud analyst and member of the counter-terrorism squad.
About the course
This course examines the problem of crime, why people offend and how crime is controlled. It also gives you the practical skills you need and the confidence to apply theories of criminology in real-world settings. You develop an in-depth understanding of the criminal mind, criminal justice systems and principles around the rehabilitation of the offender. After studying core topics in criminology, you then choose optional units based on your interest and chosen career pathways in areas such as youth justice; cybercrime; organised crime; gangs and serious crimes.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Simulated scene-of-crime laboratory designed as a modern flat to replicate real-world crime scenarios
- Mock custody suite
- Modern library with extensive range of physical and digital resources
- Bespoke lecture theatres, presentation rooms, group study spaces and socialising space
Industry links
We have robust associations with criminal justice stakeholders, local councils, companies, and voluntary sector and practitioners, which open up opportunities for volunteering and work placements in the community or in practice.
Your student experience
- Put theory into practice through voluntary work and simulated crime scenarios embedded into the course units.
- Benefit from our links with local charities and volunteering organisations (Victim Support, Youth Offending Team, Luton Women’s Aid and Luton Women’s Centre), Luton Council and Bedfordshire Police as well as regular industry visitors and guest speakers such as experts from HMP Wells.
- Gain specialist knowledge thanks to subject-relevant field trips to The Old Bailey and Royal Courts of Justice.
- Develop your research skills and ability to make sound judgements based on in-depth knowledge.
- Specialised learning support and guidance from academic success coaches.
- Explore your commitment to the principle of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice.
- Interact with local charities, policymakers and community influencers with our #SASS Change Maker initiative, which aims to increase awareness of and response to topical societal issues.
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
​
with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
Ìý
Course Leader - Dr Jaya Ghosh
Since 1999, I have been working with children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection especially street children in Bihar and Jharkhand, India. I have worked as the Member of Juvenile Justice Board, Patna and closely worked with the different stakeholders in the Youth Justice System. My PhD thesis was on the experiences, perspectives and participation of children in conflict with law under Juvenile Justice System in India. I did my study in an Observation Home (Secure Home for Young offenders) based on qualitative methods, mainly ethnography, with young people under 18 years and stakeholders consisting of juvenile justice board members, judiciary, welfare department, voluntary organizations and Police from Patna, Bihar, India.
Course Leader - Dr Jaya Ghosh
Since 1999, I have been working with children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection especially street children in Bihar and Jharkhand, India. I have worked as the Member of Juvenile Justice Board, Patna and closely worked with the different stakeholders in the Youth Justice System. My PhD thesis was on the experiences, perspectives and participation of children in conflict with law under Juvenile Justice System in India. I did my study in an Observation Home (Secure Home for Young offenders) based on qualitative methods, mainly ethnography, with young people under 18 years and stakeholders consisting of juvenile justice board members, judiciary, welfare department, voluntary organizations and Police from Patna, Bihar, India.
Course Leader - Dr Jaya Ghosh
Since 1999, I have been working with children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection especially street children in Bihar and Jharkhand, India. I have worked as the Member of Juvenile Justice Board, Patna and closely worked with the different stakeholders in the Youth Justice System. My PhD thesis was on the experiences, perspectives and participation of children in conflict with law under Juvenile Justice System in India. I did my study in an Observation Home (Secure Home for Young offenders) based on qualitative methods, mainly ethnography, with young people under 18 years and stakeholders consisting of juvenile justice board members, judiciary, welfare department, voluntary organizations and Police from Patna, Bihar, India.
What will you study?
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ing our Criminology BSc (Hons) course will equip you with in-depth knowledge and skills in the combined areas of criminology and sociology. By combining these two elements, you will be given an Introduction to Criminology by examining theoretical approaches used to explain crime, deviance and offending behaviour. More importantly, you will be introduced to a foundational knowledge of the legal system, its institutions and practices in the UK and internationally in our Law, Society and Controversy unit. You will consider the relevance of law and how it impacts society and orders social life by examining key issues and debates at the centre of law and society. Where criminology interacts with social movements and explore voices against inequality based on gender, class, race, etc., our unit in Anti-Racism: Movements and Campaigns will allow you to explore anti-racist campaigns developed by scholars and activists in the UK by looking at various social movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement to understand the social harms, anti-racist activism and resistance in a globalised and multicultural world. To prepare you for your career, our unit in Career Planning for Social Scientists will support your career development journey by allowing you to identify your transferrable skills and articulate them in a confident, meaningful and positive manner.
You will also delve into the research skills in the field of criminology with our units in an Introduction to Research and Social Enquiry. In Year 2 of your course, you will continue to analyse and evaluate why some individuals choose to engage in crime and offending as well as the mechanisms used to control crime from different perspectives in our Theorising Crime, Punishment and Justice unit. Building on this, you will also consider crime in a localised environment and what causes it within urban and rural areas in The Contemporised Criminological Environment unit. Furthermore, you will be able to apply career planning skills in The Social Sciences at Work unit where you will undertake relevant work experience with an organisation to gain an insight into the professional workplace and the desirable knowledge and skills you need going into graduate employment. You will continue to prepare with the research skills in the field of criminology with our units in Research Methods 1: Collecting Data and Research Methods 2: Exploring Data. In these units, you will explore debates and theories in social research, identify quantitative and qualitative data research methods, and learn to interpret and analyse data. In the same year, this course also offers a range of optional units for you to specialise in.
More specifically, you may also choose to study our Crimes of the Powerful unit that will allow you to address and challenge low-level crimes in the areas of business, politics and finance that are committed by people in power or of a high social status. If you are interested in studying criminology among youth populations, our Gangs and Serious Youth Violence unit will allow you to explore the nature, extent and impact of this issue and how to respond effectively using policy, strategy and intervention. While learning about the contexts of crime, you will also consider the complex needs of offenders and how to effectively manage the prevention of reoffending in our Rehabilitation of the Offender unit. Shifting the focus from offenders, you can also learn to support victims, families, survivors and witnesses affected by offending or anti-social behaviour in our Victims and Victimology unit. In addition, you may also choose to explore the complex world of Cybercrime including issues such as cyber terrorism, cyberbullying and cyber hate, cyber-fraud, hackers and hacking etc. In Year 3, you have again choice of a range of optional units for you to specialise in. You will be able to narrow your study to specific areas of crime such as within our Violence in Modern Society unit where you will critically examine theories of violence and types of violent crime; or you can seek to compare and examine policies and approaches to meet the needs of young people in our Youth Justice: Models and Approaches unit.
You may also consider the ideologies that motivate individuals and groups to resort to terrorism in our Terrorism in a Global Context unit while examining the impact of terrorism as a political weapon and the responses to this on a global scale or examine the multifaceted relationship between the media, crime and culture with reference to crime journalism, novels, movies and TV dramas in our Crime and the Media unit. If you are passionate about the environment, then our unit in Green Criminology: Environmental Crime and Ecological Justice will allow you to explore a wide range of challenges around crimes against the environment. Aside from this, our unit in Urban Crime will expose you to various debates in urban criminology. Finally, you will have the choice of completing a SASS Change Maker Project Dissertation or Research Dissertation where you will develop and demonstrate academic and professional skills. In the project-based dissertation, you will have the opportunity to work with a community-based organisation to deliver a project while building on your research, presentation and project management skills. If you choose to undertake a research dissertation, this gives you an opportunity to develop a research proposal, consider the ethical implications of your work and conduct an in-depth, focused research enquiry around an area of professional interest.
How will you be assessed?
A range of appropriate assessments will enable you to grow in confidence and demonstrate your acquisition of knowledge and skills. The assessment methods used across the course include:
- Written assignments: These may vary from essays and reports to more in-depth research work on broader topics
- Examinations: These will be a range of multiple-choice computer examinations through to in-class tests and essaybased exams in your final year
- Oral presentations and Poster presentations: These demonstrate verbal and presentational skills in communicating information to others
- Group work: This allows you to demonstrate skills of group research while allowing you to submit a piece of individual work at the same time as your contribution to the group
- The Dissertation: This allows you to undertake a complex research project and communicate knowledge findings and recommendations in your final year on the course.
The assessments will develop incrementally across the course and allow you to gain skills and acquire knowledge receive feedback and grow thus allowing you to implement this knowledge and feedback into subsequent assessments. Working in groups is an important attribute and as part of the assessment process you will work in groups with others. However your contribution will be individually graded and you will receive a grade based on your contribution to the assessed group work.
At the end of the course completion of the assessments will demonstrate your ability to analyse current knowledge and communicate this in both written and presentational formats and to demonstrate a range of transferable skills relevant to your professional employability.
Careers
This course is designed to facilitate your entry to a career in the field of human services with a particular emphasis on criminal justice. Careers include teaching criminology; youth justice and youth work; offending teams; policing; community safety; local government; and research into criminal behaviour.
Typical destinations for Criminology students include:
- Criminal justice areas such as youth justice or NOMs organisations including private-sector organisations identified by government as contributing to the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda. For example Sodexo Justices Services and Interserve
- Local and central government (civil service)
- Charity organisations but more specifically charities committed to work with offenders similar in nature to St Mungo's and St Giles Trust
- Research posts in the private and public sectors
You can also progress to further study at Master’s level in relevant areas – for example the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’s Criminology MA.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
Ìý
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
Ìý
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
Ìý
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.