Criminology BSc (Hons)

Understand the causes of crime and how society responds to it. Investigate current issues, debates, and trends surrounding crime and the criminal justice system. Gain real-world experience volunteering in roles within the criminal justice system and graduate with a qualification in criminology.

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Course overview

What makes an act a crime? Who is a criminal? Why do people commit crime? How do they stop offending? What makes someone vulnerable to victimisation?

Studying on the BSc (Hons) Criminology course will allow you to explore the key issues and debates around crime and victimisation in society today, covering topical and dynamic content, and reflecting current issues, policy and practice within the criminal justice system. You'll understand the causes and consequences of crime and how we manage and respond to it as a society.

We provide extensive opportunities for you to volunteer and gain career-relevant experience to ensure you graduate with the transferable skills, broad knowledge-base, and critical awareness that studying for a criminology degree provides. You'll take part in continuous training to become a social researcher – which is a valuable extra skill to have for future employment. If you want to work with some of the most vulnerable and dangerous people in society, we'll help to equip you with the skills to do it.

We recognise criminology is a diverse area of study, so we offer you the opportunity to choose from three strands when it comes to your optional modules: justice, human rights and vulnerability, and violence. This will give you the flexibility to align your module choices to your chosen career pathway.

Why us?

Our BSc (Hons) Criminology course has a 100% positivity score for how good teaching staff are at explaining things (National Student Survey, 2024)
We have strong links with organisations and institutions such as the HM Prison Service, Youth Justice Service, and local police constabularies, enabling you to volunteer or do work placements to gain experience and enhance your employability
Our Criminology academic team is responsible for founding and running the Local Appropriate Adult Scheme in collaboration with the Police and Crime Commissioner and Northumbria police, which provides you with a unique opportunity to volunteer as an appropriate adult during your studies, achieving an additional professional qualification
We offer an applied route which includes visits to the courts, guest talks from current practitioners, and a work-based placement

Our Criminology courses are 11th in the UK for teaching quality and 19th in the UK for student experience (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2025)
Tailor your optional modules to align with your future career by choosing from one of our three flexible strands: justice, human rights and vulnerability, and violence
Your learning on this criminology degree is constantly informed by current work from research-active lecturers who specialise in researching domestic violence and abuse, the risk management of offenders, gender based violence, desistance from crime, the criminalisation of sex work, policing, and disability and vulnerability

Course structure

A typical week studying for the BSc (Hons) Criminology degree will include a range of lectures, seminars, workshops, group work, computer-based learning, and independent study. You'll be assessed by methods such as written coursework, essays, research projects, and presentations.

Throughout your studies, you'll have a designated personal tutor and one-to-one support from academic staff at the University to help you develop your skills and get the best out of your assignments.

Part-time study

If you choose to study this criminology course part-time, you'll study the same course as full-time students over a longer period of time. You'll typically complete 40-80 credits a year rather than the 120 credits of full-time students. All our modules are taught during the day and you'll be studying alongside full-time students.

BSc (Hons) Criminology is a flexible degree which gives you the opportunity to specialise in the areas which interest you the most. In addition to a broad range of Criminology modules, you can choose from options in Health, Wellbeing and Care in Society, which is our sister course.

Course modules

Year 1 (national level 4):

Core modules:

Criminology: Theories, Trends and Myths (30 credits)

In this module, you’ll explore criminology as a discipline within the social sciences, including its emergence, impact, and role in your understanding of criminal justice. You’ll gain an appreciation of ‘rational’ understandings of crime and deviance and how these are created, whilst examining how social, cultural, and historical factors may shape this. You’ll also enhance your knowledge of criminological theory and gain an introduction to how gender, race, disability, age, and social class can impact understandings and experiences in relation to crime, deviance, and victimisation.

Criminal Justice: Theory and Practice (30 credits)

This module introduces criminal justice agencies, their role in administering justice, and the rationale behind their practices. You’ll discuss the penal philosophies that underpin punishment in criminal justice and gain awareness of different models of justice and their role in ensuring miscarriages of justice are avoided. You’ll build the solid foundations needed to enter a profession in criminal justice; enhancing your historical knowledge of criminal legislation, discussing the rise and fall of criminal justice agencies, and debating current controversies in the England and Wales criminal justice system.

Becoming a Criminologist (30 credits)

This module has been designed to develop your research and study-based skills, preparing you to become a criminological researcher in years 2 and 3. You’ll gain an introduction to social research methods, focusing on criminology as a discipline, allowing you to expand your knowledge and understanding of the people, spaces, and situations of interest. You’ll learn about the initial stages of planning research including research philosophies, ethical considerations, drafting methodologies, crafting literature reviews, and producing a research proposal.

Optional modules (choose one):

Victims/Survivors: Rights and Redress (30 credits)

You’ll explore the development of victimology and the relationship between victims of crime and conceptualisations of justice. You’ll also consider, in depth, the changing position of victims within wider social contexts and the influence of policy, politics, and the victims’ rights movement on the criminal justice system. Throughout the module, you’ll have the chance to understand the key theoretical perspectives and gain confidence applying these to case studies. You’ll investigate the role of the media in court outcomes and expand your knowledge of victim-focused responses to crime. The ability to understand the intersections of social and structural inequalities, vulnerabilities, and victimhood are essential for careers in social work, the criminal justice system, policing, and third sector service provision, making this module suitable for those interested in these pathways.

Investigating Inequalities in Crime and Justice (30 credits)

This module offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the complex interplay between crime, inequality, and justice within contemporary societies. You’ll explore how societal norms, values, and power structures contribute to the definition and construction of criminal behaviour. You’ll also develop a critical understanding of theoretical frameworks that will enable you to conduct research into social inequalities in relation to crime and the human rights of those affected. The module will help you gain qualitative and quantitative research skills to examine problems in society and learn about the role of the criminal justice system, social policy, and other institutions in perpetuating or mitigating social inequalities. You’ll conduct research into the experiences and impacts of inequality upon specific groups, such as gender identities, ethnic minorities, sexual orientation, religion, or social class. Understanding how inequalities intersect is essential for those working in forward-facing professions.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Theoretical Perspectives: Crime, Harm and Social Justice (30 credits)

In this module, you’ll explore the dominant theoretical perspectives and issues regarding the study of crime, deviance, and justice in the 20th century. You’ll interpret and evaluate how criminological approaches to criminality, deviance, and notions of rights and wrongs have been contested within the discipline and debated within socio-political culture more generally. You’ll develop and apply your knowledge of competing theorisations of equal justice, subcultural deviance, rational choice, criminalisation, human rights, and the social construction of criminality.

Doing Criminological Research (30 credits)

This module will help you enhance your knowledge around theory and practice of research methods in social science. This involves techniques of manual data analysis of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods of datasets and building research skills using the appropriate software. You’ll move away from the sole use of existing datasets to complete your analyses and conduct a piece of research investigating an aspect of contemporary criminal justice.

Offender Punishment and Risk Management (30 credits)

You’ll engage with key philosophies of punishment such as rehabilitation and alternative discourses like risk management in order to evaluate criminal justice legislation and subsequent policies and practices of the probation and prison services in England and Wales. You’ll gain an understanding of how social and political climates influence, and analyse the implications of rehabilitation and risk management focused policies and practices for offending behaviours and society.

Optional modules (choose one):

Domestic Violence and Criminal Justice (30 credits)

In this module, you’ll engage with concepts and theories of gender and patriarchy to make sense of domestic violence in intimate relationships. You’ll comprehend how theories of gender and patriarchy construct ‘love’ in ways which produce inequalities and power in intimate relationships. You’ll also analyse the underpinning models of criminal justice in England and Wales to make sense of how this system works in patriarchal society to understand outcomes for domestic violence offenders and victims. You’ll evaluate contemporary research including key theoretical frameworks to analyse how domestic violence is perpetuated.

Human Rights: Crime, Justice and the State (30 credits)

This module will allow you to examine the complex relationship between international human rights, criminal justice systems, and the role of the state. You’ll discover why and when human rights were written into international policy and the impact this has had, or not, on the prevention of international human rights abuses. To do this, you’ll draw on various case studies and examples of international crimes against humanity, undertaking an investigation into the geopolitical nature of each case to uncover causes and effects. You’ll explore possible examples of human rights abuses such as genocide, sexual violence, war crimes, and torture, as well as examine the role of intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations and how they respond to global crimes against humanity. You’ll develop a critical understanding of theoretical frameworks and apply these to real-world scenarios, fostering a deep understanding of human rights, crime, harm, justice, and the state.

Year 3 (national level 6):

Core modules:

New Horizons in Crime and Justice (30 credits)

In this module, you’ll explore new forms of crime and harm in contemporary society and develop a cutting-edge theoretical understanding of how these can be explained. You’ll analyse recent threats, current dangers, present risks, and the role of the state and big corporations in manufacturing these. You’ll then locate your knowledge of criminology in a global context and reimagine the futures of crime, harm, rights, wrongs, and crime control.

Criminology Dissertation (30 credits)

You’ll have the opportunity to engage in independent and in-depth research in criminology, building on foundational knowledge acquired in earlier modules. You’ll obtain advanced analytical and critical research skills to investigate a specific topic in relation to criminology. This will give you the chance to develop a specialism that relates to your interests and the profession you wish to pursue. You’ll also have the opportunity to complete research around a placement relevant to your research interests, where feasible.

Optional modules (choose two):

Doing Desistance: Becoming an Ex-Offender (30 credits)

This module will allow you to develop an understanding of the social and individualised nature of the desistance process, learning how people desist from committing crime, what influences their decision to change, and how society and the criminal justice system can help people stop offending. You’ll gain critical analysis skills through an investigation of the social, economic, and political barriers people may face as they try to stop offending. You’ll investigate the role of the individual in desisting from committing crime, as well as the impact of factors beyond the individual, including how different methods of support can help offenders successfully desist from committing crime. The module will be particularly useful for those who wish to work with an support offenders and ex-offenders.

Exploring Violence and Social Harm (30 credits)

You’ll critically engage with the concepts and theories that attempt to make sense of violence and abuse, both public and private. The module explores the nature of violence and abuse, how it’s constructed and why it occurs, and the spaces in which it’s perpetrated. You’ll learn how types of violence such as femicide, sex crimes, homicide, and intimate violence can become constructed, embedded, and normalised within society. Dominant ways of addressing violence will be explored through an in-depth analysis of criminal justice agencies responding to such violence in England and Wales. You’ll critically evaluate how systems work to assess and manage outcomes for both victims and perpetrators, including government strategies, legislative, statutory, and third sector responses pertinent to current risk policy and practice guidelines of such agencies. Having this critical awareness of violence will equip you with the knowledge to address such issues in practice.

Stigma and Deviance: Vulnerability and Criminalisation (30 credits)

In this module, you’ll analyse the origins of stigma, ‘othering’, and vulnerability in relation to criminalisation and persecution. You’ll evaluate the role that legal regulation, social policy, media representations, popular culture, and the criminal justice system play in the perpetuation of inequality and stigma. You’ll then reflect on intersectional and global perspectives to gain a comprehensive understanding of why some groups are more vulnerable to criminalisation than others. You’ll apply your theoretical knowledge to case study examples of stigma and criminalisation and consider what could be done to effect change and promote equality.

More about BSc (Hons) Criminology at Sunderland

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You can access free Wi-Fi throughout the University campus, so you can work from anywhere. If you don't want to carry a laptop around, just use one of the University’s PCs or Macs. We have hundreds of computers for you to use in the Murray Library, St Peter's Library, and the David Goldman Informatics Centre. If you ever have any technical problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.
IT provision
University library services will be central to your study experience and are delivered at our two libraries on campus, as well as online. Our libraries offer a variety of study environments to meet your needs, including areas for groupwork, individual and silent study. You’ll also have access to desktop PCs, space to use your own mobile technology and printing facilities.

The library works closely with academic staff within each faculty to offer specialist, industry standard resources in your subject discipline. The Faculty of Social Sciences provides thousands of relevant books and e-books, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. You’ll also have access to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals which are always kept up to date, including Project Muse, Lexis, JSTOR and many more.

To find out more information, visit our University Library website.
Library Services - social sciences
Map and directions

Facilities

You'll be based at Wearside View, situated on the award-winning St Peter's riverside campus. The location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade: SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement	GPA 3.0 or above and: Sat score of 1100/1600 from SATs AP (Grades 3+ in at least 2 subjects) ACT (score of 26+)

If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.

If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The annual, full-time fee for this course is:

£9,535 if you are from the UK*/Europe
£16,500 if you are an international student

*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

Tuition fees for part-time students are £7,145 per 90 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.

Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

The BSc (Hons) Criminology degree creates a number of career options and you'll graduate ready to work in a range of employment settings due to the transferable skills and critical awareness studying criminology provides. Your skills in analysing data, undertaking research, and developing strong arguments will be highly valued by many employers.

Previous graduates of our criminology course now work in various roles within and beyond the criminal justice sector, such as policing, probation, youth justice, fields of education, working with vulnerable adults, victim support, and roles within the government. Explore more career options with one of our Crime, Policing, and Investigation degrees.

Many of our graduates also choose to continue their studies at master's and PhD level.

Voluntary work and opportunities

We have strong links with a number of organisations which offer placements and voluntary work opportunities during this criminology course, including Northumbria Police, the probation service, HM Prison Service, youth offender teams, community rehabilitation companies, criminal court, and victim support agencies. This gives you the opportunity to gain valuable experience in an area you're interested in which will help you in your career once you graduate.

Work-based placements

You can also choose to incorporate an 84-hour work placement into your criminology degree. You'll have the opportunity to work with criminal justice agencies or an organisation which supports people who are at risk of offending or who have been in contact with a criminal justice agency. Examples include Shelter, Campus Police, Changing Lives, NEPACS, NERAF and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue, and the Prince's Trust programme.

Many of our students remain with their organisation to continue their volunteer work, or in some cases, move into paid roles once their placements finish. Placements are an excellent way to gain real-world experience which can help you decide which career path to take and whether a particular job role is for you.

The Northumbria Local Appropriate Adult scheme

We're incredibly proud to have founded the Northumbria Local Appropriate Adult Scheme (NLAAS) in a unique partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner and Northumbria Police. The scheme is the first of its kind in the country and moves to address a serious shortage of appropriate adults in the region. You'll be trained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 to provide a 24-hour volunteer service across the Northumbria Police force area.

As a volunteer, you'll offer assistance, advice, and emotional support throughout a person's time in police custody. Taking part in the scheme not only gives you the opportunity to gain real-world experience, but also enables you to undertake a professional Level 2 accreditation in working as an appropriate adult with vulnerable adults and juveniles.

Centre for Applied Social Sciences

The University of Sunderland’s Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) combines original academic research with practice-based collaborations and outreach activities, often working directly with practitioners, policymakers, and front-line delivery staff regionally, nationally, and internationally.

The mission of CASS reflects that of the University's aim as a civic university: to take an active interest in the social issues that affect the region and beyond by engaging in research and practice-based collaborations that aim to improve living conditions, address inequalities and social exclusion, and promote social justice.

Currently our research focuses around three strands: children, young people and families; communities, health and social exclusion; and crime, victims and social justice. CASS regularly hosts visiting speakers and holds events that you will be invited to. This can be an excellent way to learn from the real-life experience of experts in the field who already have a strong track record in sociological and social policy-related social research.

Meet the students

I now work for Cambridgeshire Constabulary as a Police Officer, which is a dream come true.

Alastair Scott
I would recommend Sunderland to others as it is the reason I have begun a career in the police.

Bethany Martin
The course offers a wide range of opportunities to help you gain skills and experience.

Christine Mordue
Since completing NLAAS, I've continued to volunteer because I find the scheme is so fulfilling.

Joshua England
I couldn't be happier that I've secured a job in crime prevention and my degree has paid off!

Kayleigh Atkins
My lecturers had so much knowledge and were passionate about teaching their own subject.

Kirsten McGillivray
The academic staff are passionate and knowledgeable about their subjects and this really shows.

Mandi Purvis
The course has changed my way of thinking, opening up my perspective of society as a whole.

Olivia Preece
I've enjoyed everything about volunteering as I've learnt a lot from the officers I worked with.

Rosealina Leung
The University has made me see that I am capable of much more than I give myself credit for.

Stephanie Palmer

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Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland.

Telephone: 0191 515 3000

Email: student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Education and Society.

Page last updated: 03 December 2024

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.

Course overview

Why us?

Course structure

Part-time study

Course modules

Year 1 (national level 4):

Core modules:

Criminology: Theories, Trends and Myths (30 credits)

Criminal Justice: Theory and Practice (30 credits)

Becoming a Criminologist (30 credits)

Optional modules (choose one):

Victims/Survivors: Rights and Redress (30 credits)

Investigating Inequalities in Crime and Justice (30 credits)

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Theoretical Perspectives: Crime, Harm and Social Justice (30 credits)

Doing Criminological Research (30 credits)

Offender Punishment and Risk Management (30 credits)

Optional modules (choose one):

Domestic Violence and Criminal Justice (30 credits)

Human Rights: Crime, Justice and the State (30 credits)

Year 3 (national level 6):

Core modules:

New Horizons in Crime and Justice (30 credits)

Criminology Dissertation (30 credits)

Optional modules (choose two):

Doing Desistance: Becoming an Ex-Offender (30 credits)

Exploring Violence and Social Harm (30 credits)

Stigma and Deviance: Vulnerability and Criminalisation (30 credits)

More about BSc (Hons) Criminology at Sunderland

A breakdown of our crime, policing, and investigation courses

Career opportunities with a crime, policing, or investigation degree

Why social sciences make you think differently

Facilities

Entry requirements

Fees and finance

Career ready

Voluntary work and opportunities

Work-based placements

The Northumbria Local Appropriate Adult scheme

Centre for Applied Social Sciences

Meet the students

Meet the team — BSc (Hons) Criminology

Related courses

Contact