Criminal Justice / Criminal Justice (Policing)
University of the West of Scotland
UCAS Code: M211 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish HNC
Entry to Year 1 with a HNC with B in the Graded Unit in either Social Sciences or Legal Services. Entry to Year 2 with a HNC with B in the Graded Unit in one of the following (subject to sufficient criminology/sociology content): Police Studies; Policing; Social Sciences (that includes market research and with criminal justice or criminology modules); Legal Services with Criminology & Police Studies.
Scottish HND
Entry to Year 2 with HND Social Sciences (without sufficient criminology/sociology content) with B in the Graded unit. Entry to Year 3 with HND Social Sciences (with sufficient criminology/sociology content) with B in the Graded Unit
Scottish Higher
T Level
UCAS Tariff
About this course
**OVERVIEW**
BA Criminal Justice / Criminal Justice (Policing) – the only one of its kind in Scotland – will help you develop expertise in criminology and criminal justice, social science, research methods, law and policy so that you’re ready to work in related areas in policing, prisons and the third sector.
After Year 2, you’ll have the option to continue to study criminal justice or to specialise in policing through our policing specialism options.
We work closely with experts and practitioners in criminal justice to provide a firm understanding of criminology and criminal justice in Scotland, the UK, Europe and internationally. Our exciting degree includes topics such as: prisons and policing, forensics, terrorism, youth justice, victimology and exploring the journeys of those who come into contact with the justice system.
**PRACTICAL FOCUS**
Guest speakers form part of this degree to further deepen your understanding of the subject. We run an annual Criminal Justice Employment Information Day which has in the past been attended by the Scottish Prison Service, Police Scotland, SACRO, Victim Support and Turning Point Scotland amongst other relevant organisations and institutions.
**CAREER PROSPECTS**
**Jobs**
The BA Criminal Justice will prepare you for employment in the police and prison services, criminal courts and third sector criminal justice services in roles such as general administration and management.
Graduates will also find opportunities in restorative justice and mediation, community safety, and working with offenders, victims and witnesses.
As well as other major organisations linked with criminal justice in Scotland and the UK, Criminal Justice graduates have gone on to work for:
// Police Scotland // The Scottish Prison Service // The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner // Sacro // Turning Point Scotland // The National Crime Agency // The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
**Further Study**
Graduates from this courses may be able to undertake further study at master's and research level in areas relating to criminology.
Modules
You will study the concepts, theories, structures, organisations, processes and practices involved with the prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime, the workings of the criminal law and criminal court system and the treatment of offenders.
In Year 1 you will be introduced to the historical, legal and philosophical context of criminal justice. You will also begin to develop an understanding of the criminal justice and wider social science approaches to research and inquiry that underpin good quality research linked with the discipline.
In Year 2 you will deepen your understanding of the theoretical debates within criminal justice through in-depth analysis of criminology, and begin to learn about criminal investigation through an introduction to policing. You will learn in more detail about the research process and begin thinking about how research should be conducted in an ethical and valid way.
In Year 3 you will develop an applied and critical approach to criminal justice issues through modules that examine prisons, youth justice, and the ability for students to choose topics from a range of contemporary issues to focus on. You have the opportunity to apply to focus your studies in the area of Policing through the policing specialism. Note that this is a competitive stream and places are restricted. If you apply and are successful though, this will result in you studying BA (Hons) Criminal Justice (Policing).
In Year 4 (Honours) you will carry out a research dissertation on a criminal justice topic (or policing topic for students on the bracketed award), as well as deepening your knowledge of contemporary issues and debates through specialist optional modules including Victimology, Security in a Global Age and Crime as Social Harm. You also have the choice to learn more about justice processes around the world through comparative justice, or to gain credit for voluntary work or paid employment they are engaged in through the Working in Criminal Justice module.
Assessment methods
You are taught and assessed through a wide and varied selection of approaches. In addition to standard essays and reports in assessment there are a number of experiential learning and assessment activities implemented throughout the programme including mock children’s hearings and criminal trials. There are opportunities to showcase student work through organised poster presentation exhibitions, and further engagement with criminal justice professionals from organisations including Police Scotland, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, Victim Support Scotland and many more through guest lectures and workshops.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships
The Uni
Paisley Campus
Education and Social Sciences
What students say
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After graduation
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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
Law graduates tend to go into the legal industry, and they usually take similar routes. Jobs are competitive — often very competitive - but starting salaries are good and high fliers can earn serious money - starting on over £24k in London on average. Be aware though - some careers, especially as barristers, can take a while to get into, and the industry is changing as the Internet, automation and economic change all have an effect, If you want to qualify to practise law, you need to take a professional qualification — many law graduates then go on to law school. If you want to go into work, then a lot of law graduates take trainee or paralegal roles and some do leave the law altogether, often for jobs in management, finance and the police force. A small proportion of law graduates also move into another field for further study. Management, accountancy and teaching are all popular for these career changers, so if you do take a law degree and decide it’s not for you, there are options.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Law
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
£21k
£23k
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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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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