Criminology & Criminal Justice
The BSc Hons Criminology and Criminal Justice degree and the Criminology minor degrees aim to provide you with a knowledge of key criminological concepts, theoretical approaches and the necessary knowledge and skills required to undertake criminological research. The course aims to enable you to demonstrate understanding of the criminal justice system and the political, social and economic context within which it operates. You will be supported in developing a professional attitude and a responsibility for individual learning and team work.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | |
| Awarding Body | Ulster University |
| NFQ Level |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 | Ulster University |
Duration
4 years full-time
Teaching takes place over two 12 week semesters. Contact hours during the teaching weeks are 9 hours a week, supplemented by at least 25 hours of independent study. In final year students have additional dissertation supervision sessions and throughout the course students have access to their studies advisor and year tutor when the need arises. All course team staff are available for individual consultation at set times and by arrangement.
Entry Requirements
Irish Leaving Certificate
120 UCAS Tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at Higher Level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher Level or 04 if studied at Ordinary level.
Careers / Further progression
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course are now working for:
• Criminal Justice Inspectorate
• Institute for Conflict Research
• INEQE
• Northern Ireland Prison Service
• Enable Care Services
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• PSNI
Job roles
With this degree you could become:
• Youth Support Worker
• Prison Officer
• Police
• Policy Worker
• Research Analyst
• HMRC
• Research Intern
Career options
The course seeks to equip you for a variety of careers within organisations with a criminal justice or public policy focus, in the private, voluntary and statutory sectors. It also prepares you for a range of postgraduate opportunities in related fields.
Further information
Start date: September 2024
Deadlines for on-time applications
2024 entry application deadlines
For courses starting in 2024 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.
16 October 2023 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.
31 January 2024 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.
Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests
Check course information in the search tool to see which deadline applies to you at the application weblink below.
Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.
All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing - find out more about Clearing at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing
Overview
Criminology and criminal justice addresses crime, deviance and its control through an applied, interesting and intellectually challenging curriculum.
Summary
The BSc Hons Criminology and Criminal Justice degree and the Criminology minor degrees aim to provide you with a knowledge of key criminological concepts, theoretical approaches and the necessary knowledge and skills required to undertake criminological research. The course aims to enable you to demonstrate understanding of the criminal justice system and the political, social and economic context within which it operates. You will be supported in developing a professional attitude and a responsibility for individual learning and team work.
About
Criminology as an area of study has a lengthy pedigree and you will be presented throughout the course with a range of ideas and theories from several different disciplines including law, public policy, social policy and economics. You will study criminological concepts and issues related to criminal justice such as crime and deviance, victims, policing, sentencing and punishment and emergent ideas on state and corporate crime and cybercrime. These, coupled with knowledge of institutions and structures, will provide you with a wider understanding of behaviour and activity within the criminal justice system.
The degree will provide you with the opportunity to gain a combination of theoretical knowledge and a range of skills necessary for employment in organisations with a criminal justice focus within the private, voluntary and statutory sectors.
Modules
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
Year 1
Law for Criminologists
From Crime Scene to Court
Exploring Criminology
Introduction to Crime and Deviance
Crime and Criminal Justice
Theories of Crime and Criminalisation
Year 2
State Crime
Research Methods for Criminologists
Sentencing and Punishment
Policing and Society
Young People, Crime & Justice
Applied Criminology and Professional Practice
Policing & the Law - Optional
The Comparative Politics of Democracy and Dictatorship - Optional
Restorative Justice - Optional
Victims of Crime - Optional
Exploring Crime and the Media - Optional
Environmental Crime, Harm and Justice - Optional
Policy for Children and Families - Optional
Criminology Abroad - Optional
Criminology Applied Placement and Learning - Optional
Year 4
Dissertation
Crime, Social Order and Social Control
Prisons, Punishment and Power
Preparing for your Criminology Dissertation
Surveillance and the Law- Optional
Transforming Violence - Optional
Crime and the Media - Optional
Terrorism and Political Violence - Optional
Psychology and Crime - Optional
Green Criminology and Environmental Crime - Optional
Gender, Sexuality, Crime and Justice - Optional
Cybercrime - Optional
Global Crime - Optional
Drugs and Crime - Optional
Rehabilitation and Desistance from Crime - Optional
Corporate Crime - Optional
Migration, 'Race' and Ethnicity - Optional
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Associate awards
Diploma in Professional Practice DPP
Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS
Work placement / study abroad
Opportunities to study abroad include the Erasmus scheme and International Student Exchange Programme.
Whilst there is no formal work placement, there is a compulsory work based learning opportunity, entitled work volunteering and criminological issues for students who have secured two hours per week (or equivalent) volunteering or work experience for the duration of the 12 week module. The module aims to inform students about developments within current criminal justice policy and to encourage them to critically assess the role of their chosen organisation within this context and future employability.
Ulster University,
2-24 York Street,
Belfast
BT15 1AP
T: 02870 123 456