Criminology and Criminal Justice
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Higher Education Diploma with a Merit or Distinction in law, humanities or social science units.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
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:
The Uni
Birkbeck, University of London
School of Social Sciences
What students say
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How do students rate their degree experience?
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Sociology
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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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
£30k
£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.
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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.
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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.
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Graduate field commentary:
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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?
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