Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C-B,B,B

Access to HE Diploma

D:15,M:15

Access to Higher Education Diploma with a Merit or Distinction in law, humanities or social science units.

UCAS Tariff

96-120

The UCAS tariff score is applicable to you if you have recently studied a qualification that has a UCAS tariff equivalence. UCAS provides a tariff calculator for you to work out what your qualification is worth within the UCAS tariff.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Part-time | 2024

Subject

Criminology

Are you interested in crime, those who commit crime, and how we respond to crime and social disorder? The BSc Criminology and Criminal Justice at Birkbeck aims to provide you with an education that is critical, questioning and creative.

This research-led criminology and criminal justice degree is taught by internationally recognised academics. Their expertise will give you an in-depth understanding of the social, political, economic, theoretical and cultural contexts of all aspects of crime.

Led by principles of social and racial justice, the course focuses on contemporary social problems, from prison abolition, policing and racism, migration and deportation and social welfare, to gendered violence, terrorism and drugs. Themes you will engage with range from punishment, policing, security and surveillance to organised, corporate and state crime.

You will analyse real-world events through a focus on national and international criminal justice policy, institutions and practices. You will also think about the people who make, and those who are subjected to, these systems and processes.

This course gives you the opportunity to develop:

- your capacity to apply knowledge gained to complex, abstract and practical situations

- your ability to recognise alternative and creative solutions to particular problems and the ability to produce well-supported conclusions in relation to them

- your capacity to apply knowledge to situations that engage with academic and policy debates.

**Highlights**

- Dedicated academic skills workshops are run by our Learning Development Tutors, who can advise on a range of study skills.

- We understand that our students want to make a change through higher education. You can participate in our year-round Criminology Careers Events: Work for Social Justice, Work for Criminal Justice. You can achieve support from Birkbeck alumni through our Mentoring Pathways scheme.

- You can hear from scholars within and beyond Birkbeck including the esteemed Annual Criminology Lecture, Law on Trial events week and our Criminology Research Seminars. These showcase prominent academics carrying out path-breaking research on crime, criminal justice and related themes.

- You may be eligible for the Birkbeck cash bursary scheme to assist with the costs of study, such as purchasing books, printing and travelling to classes. Cash bursaries do not have to be paid back.

**Careers and employability**

Graduates can pursue career paths in criminal justice, public safety or social welfare. Possible professions include:

- community development worker

- prison or probation officer

- social worker

- adult guidance worker.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment methods

We employ a range of assessment tools, including independent research essays, seen and unseen examinations, group work, oral presentations, reflective journals, and creative and critical thinking exercises.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
International
£17,620
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Birkbeck, University of London

Department:

School of Social Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

71%
Criminology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sociology

Teaching and learning

81%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
95%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

71%
Library resources
67%
IT resources
76%
Course specific equipment and facilities
52%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
29%
Male students
71%
Female students
46%
2:1 or above
24%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
B

After graduation


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Sociology

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£19k

£19k

£30k

£30k

£31k

£31k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here