Criminology and Criminal Justice
UCAS Code: M240
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Accepted alongside A-Levels as part of overall 112 UCAS Tariff requirement.
112 UCAS Tariff points
112 UCAS Tariff points
Accepted as part of overall 112 UCAS Tariff requirement.
112 UCAS Tariff points from International Baccalaureate Certificates
112 UCAS Tariff points
Accepted alongside Irish Leaving Certificate Higher Level as part of overall 112 UCAS Tariff requirement.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
112 UCAS Tariff points
112 UCAS Tariff points
UCAS Tariff
Accepted as part of overall 112 UCAS Tariff point requirement.
About this course
Our programme tackles a fascinating array of questions from why people commit crime to how it affects society, historical landmarks in the justice system and high-profile cases which had a ground-breaking impact on the legal arena. •
Students will:
•study criminology from a range of perspectives including social, political and psychological, focusing on modern methods of policing, development of policy and the workings of magistrates and crown courts
•examine criminal law and the role and work of the agencies that make up a modern criminal justice system
•take part in site visits
•have a variety of voluntary work opportunities
•learn from visiting lecturers such as judges, police, probation and youth justice staff
•*study in a subject area rated first in the UK for student satisfaction and first in the UK for graduate prospects, Complete University Guide 2021, and first in Wales for student satisfaction, (WGU analysis of unpublished National Student Survey data 2020).
•leave ready to enter a wide range of sectors including youth justice, probation, prison, the police and voluntary organisations
Modules
YEAR 1 (LEVEL 4)
MODULES
Core
Studying in Higher Education: To support students for learning and on-going personal and professional development in higher education
Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice: This module will give the student an underpinning knowledge of criminal justice and law. It will focus on key concepts such as the definition of crime and the philosophy of sentencing.
Signal Crimes and Criminals: By the end of the module students will have been introduced to key turning points and debates associated with the practice of criminal justice.
YEAR 2 (LEVEL 5)
MODULES
Core
Criminology: To enable students to understand the key concepts and theoretical approaches that have developed and are developing in relation to crime, victimisation and responses to crime and deviance.
Criminal Law and the Criminal Justice Process: This provide students with an understanding of the nature and context of law, primarily focusing on criminal law. This will include the examination of the criminal justice Process including - courts and hearings for adults and young people; the theory and practice of sentencing; prison and community based penalties; and the place of human rights in these processes.
Social Difference and Inequality: Students will develop a critical understanding of the relationship of social class, gender, race, age, ethnicity, language and other salient aspects of diversity in relation to crime victimisation and responses to these phenomena.
Criminal Justice in Practice: Study the criminal justice agencies that comprise the criminal justice system in England and Wales and critically analyse their contribution to the management of crime and the protection of the public.
Research Methods: Gain an understanding and critical appreciation of the nature and appropriate use of research strategies and methods in relation to issues of crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance.
YEAR 3 (LEVEL 6)
MODULES
Core
Research Project: Produce an independently research project based upon primary data. Argue a thesis based upon a comprehensive understanding of criminology theory, good research practice and criminal justice policy. Synthesise knowledge and understandings gained throughout their criminology programme of undergraduate study.
Control, Justice and Punishment: A critical evaluation of the social and historical development of justice, sentencing and punishment and social control.
The details of optional modules can be found on our website.
Assessment methods
There is a variety of assessment methods for this course, including essays, presentations, case studies and examinations. In Year 3 you will be required to do a research project on a topic of your interest.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Wrexham Glynd?r University is committed to supporting our students to maximise their academic potential.
We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments. Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work. Our student support section has more information on the help available.
Innovative and flexible teaching methods are used with part of the course being delivered online. Face to face lectures take place two days a week. Students are encouraged to participate in site visits which in the past have included visits to a crown court and a prison.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Wrexham
School of Social and Life Sciences
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Sociology, social policy and anthropology
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section 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.
Anthropology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
We have quite a lot of sociology graduates, although numbers fell last year. But graduates still do pretty well. Most sociology graduates go straight into work when they complete their degrees, and a lot of graduates go into jobs in social professions such as recruitment, education, community and youth work, and housing. An important option for a sociology graduate is social work - and we're short of people willing to take this challenging but rewarding career. Sociology is a flexible degree and you can find graduates from the subject in pretty much every reasonable job — obviously, you don't find many doctors or engineers, but you do find them in finance, the media, healthcare, marketing and even IT. Sociology graduates taking further study often branch out into other qualifications, like teaching, law, psychology, HR and even maths, so don’t think a sociology degree restricts you to just one set of options.
Sociology, social policy and anthropology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Just over 1,600 students graduated in social policy in 2015, which makes it one of the smaller social studies subjects. This is a popular subject at Masters level — 750 Masters in social policy were awarded last year - and so a lot of the more sought-after jobs in management and research tend to go to social policy graduates with postgraduate degrees. For those who leave university after their first degree, then jobs in social care (especially community and youth work) and education, the police, marketing and human resources and recruitment are popular — along with local government, although there are fewer of those jobs around than in the past. This degree is a bit less reliant on London for jobs than other similar subjects, so if you'd like to work outside the capital, it might be worth considering - although the jobs still tend to be in big cities.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Sociology, social policy and anthropology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£15k
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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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:
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
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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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