Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Must pass all 60 credits, 45 at level 3
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
UCAS Tariff
About this course
If you want a future supporting law enforcement and the criminal justice sectors - or it is a field which you're interested in - then our real-world criminology course is for you.
Our course – taught by dedicated and highly-qualified academics and professionals – leads to exciting career opportunities whether in the police, prison and probation systems, community and charity organisations or government agencies.
You’ll explore the causes and effects of criminal behaviours in relation to the criminal justice system, examining the major concepts and theoretical approaches in relation to crime and the criminal justice system. This includes social harm, victimisation, penal practice, processes of exclusion and crimes committed by the powerful internationally.
**Why Choose University of Cumbria**
But you won’t just ‘learn about’ criminology theoretically, you’ll apply your knowledge to real life issues and modern day problems – giving you the edge as a future expert in this fascinating subject area.
You’ll have the flexibility to shape your degree with modules that interest you and fit your intended career path, because your employability is important to us.
- Our close links with the Police, Solicitors Regulator Authority, the British Psychological Society, Law Society and a number of voluntary and commercial organisations provide you with great job prospects
- Tutors regularly contribute to national and international research and policy debates, so you get up-to-date learning on key issues in the study of crime and criminal justice
- Taught in small classes, so we get to know you well and guide you in your studies
- Volunteering opportunities with organisations connected to the criminal justice system
- Student-led Criminology Society with socials, film nights and crime reading group
- Academic tutors are former or practising professionals in diverse fields including policing, probation, substance misuse, domestic violence work and the law
- Study in Carlisle, within 30 minutes of Scotland in one direction and the stunning Lake District National Park – now a UNESCO World Heritage site - in the other. So, you’ll never be stuck for something to do when you’re not studying
Employability is woven into our course through practical sessions and up-to-date learning, so you can get a firm grasp of the skills that employers require.
So, for a criminology degree which enables you to develop a critical understanding of the complex nature of crime and its impact on society and bolsters your career prospects, look no further.
Modules
In the first year of the programme you will study six compulsory modules designed to give you a broad introduction to criminology as an academic discipline of vibrant intellectual debate, including its dual focus on crime and criminal justice. These include introductions to Criminology, Criminal Justice, Sociological Foundations, Criminal Psychology and a module on current research. In second year, you’ll study three compulsory core modules including ‘Explaining Crime’, ‘Social Research Methods’ and ‘Prisons and Punishment’ supplemented by two pathway specific modules covering ‘Crimes of the Powerful’ and relationships between ‘Welfare, Poverty and Crime’ as well as your choice of a sixth from a list of options. The third year will be built around research for your final dissertation, which counts for two modules alongside a couple more core modules ‘New Ideas in Criminology’ and ‘Violence & Society’ as well as an open choice of two modules from five options
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Carlisle - Fusehill Street
Business, Law, Policing and Social 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)
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.
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
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.
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.
£18k
£20k
£22k
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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
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Course location and department:
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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.
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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.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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:
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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