Criminology
University of Salford
UCAS Code: M900 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
University of Salford
UCAS Code: M900 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
112 UCAS tariff points
112 UCAS points required from Approved Access to HE diploma
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
112 UCAS tariff points
112 UCAS tariff points
T Level
UCAS Tariff
112 UCAS tariff points
About this course
Criminology is concerned with what behaviour is defined as criminal and who has the power to define what constitutes crime. Criminology is commonly misconceived and confused with other subject areas, for example, forensic science. Although criminology does, of course, explore crime, the focus is on the causes of crime and deviant behaviour, how this affects society and how the criminal justice system responds to this, rather than on crime scene analysis, forensics and criminal investigation.
Criminology is a research-led degree and develops students into analytical and critical thinkers. It explores crime as a social construct, asking important questions such as: What are the individual and societal causes of crime and deviant behaviour? Who in society is more likely to commit a crime? Does offender rehabilitation work? Who is likely to become a victim of crime? Why are some dangerous behaviours criminal and others aren't? And how does media attention and reporting impact crime and deviance?
Criminologists are also interested in how to prevent crime, the purpose and effectiveness of punishment and how the criminal justice system can better respond to crime when it does take place. In 2020, the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer drew attention (on a global scale) to the relationship between inequalities and criminal justice – relationships Criminology is ideally placed to answer.
This degree is designed to acquaint you with the general theories, typical methods and key studies of criminology (especially sociological criminology) and to indicate their application to issues in contemporary society. It uses the modular system to deliver an innovative curriculum with a wide range of optional subjects.
The programme draws upon the existing provision within Criminology at Salford, using work on the major role played by crime, deviance, justice, law, regulation, surveillance and punishment in the construction, maintenance and disturbance of the social order at all levels. Our aim is to provide a deep criminological insight into the nature of crime and justice.
Modules
- **Year one:** Contemporary Challenges in Crime and Society, Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Culture, Power and Deviance, Social Divisions and Inequality, Social Justice in Action, and Understanding Criminology.
- **Year two and optional modules:** Globalisation, Society and Crime, Research Problems and Methods: Making it Count, Research Problems and Methods: Qualitatively Better, Theoretical Criminology, and optional modules (semester two) - you will choose two of the following: Critical Victimology, Critical Perspectives on Policing, Environmental Justice, Human Rights, Genocide and Resistance, Internet Risk and Security, and Violence in Society. You can replace an option with a University Wide Language module at level 5.
- **Year three and optional modules:** Dissertation, Work: Practice and Reflection. In addition to your Year 3 core module, you will also take four or five optional modules to bring the total modules for the year to 120. The list of optional modules includes Bodies: Biology to Blushing, Crime, Society and Racialisation, Critical Approaches to (Counter) Terrorism, Critical Perspectives on Policing, Critical Victimology, Digital Society, Environmental Justice, Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice, Human Rights, Genocide and Resistance, Identities and Interactions, Internet Risk and Security, Migration and Socio-Legal Dynamics, Prisons and Punishment, Probation and Rehabilitation, The Criminal Justice Process, and Violence in Society.
Assessment methods
A variety of assessment methods will be used, including essays, exams, presentations (both group and individual), reports, and an optional dissertation. Alongside traditional forms of assessment, you will also engage with innovative formats such as video blogs, podcasts, and digital presentations.
The Uni
Peel Park Campus
School of Health and Society
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score 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
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
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
£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.
Explore these similar courses...
Higher entry requirementsLower entry requirements
Nearby UniversitySame UniversityThis 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
