School of Society and Culture

BSc (Hons) Criminology with Foundation

UCAS tariff 32 - 48 Contextual offers
A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes personal circumstances that may affect grades into account.
UCAS course code L615
Institution code P60
Duration

4 years

(+ optional placement)
Course type

Full-time
Study location Plymouth
Register for open day
Apply at UCAS.com

Why do people commit a crime, and how do we deal with criminality? You will get under the skin of the criminal justice system and learn about how criminology can have an impact on promoting change. As one of the first universities to offer criminology, Plymouth has stayed at the cutting edge and goes far beyond the theoretical. You will immerse yourself in live-action and virtual reality crime scenes, and tackle face-to-face suspect interviews.

What is a foundation year?

A Foundation year provides an additional entry-level year for you to gain further knowledge of a subject before starting a full degree course.
On completing the Foundation year successfully, you progress automatically onto the full degree course, which is usually three years. You don’t need to apply for a place on the full degree course.

A course with a foundation year is for you if…

  • You would like to build your confidence to study at university level.
  • You want to gain the knowledge and skills needed to complete a full degree.
  • Your qualifications don't meet entry requirements for a three-year degree.
  • You want to study a new subject that your previous qualifications or experience haven’t prepared you for.
  • You may have thought university wasn’t an available option for you.
  • You want to join a university course that is needed for the career you’d like.

Careers with this subject
Collaborate with local and national criminal justice agencies
Criminology students benefit from the knowledge, expertise and support of a dedicated Employability and Community Knowledge Exchange Projects Officer. Facilitated by this officer, students are connected with a range of opportunities to get involved in local and national criminal justice related agencies and support them with real-world challenges and change. The opportunities include networking events, visits from experts in relevant careers, and the chance to get involved in local projects led by key criminal justice stakeholders.
In addition, students and academic staff work together through collaborative projects with stakeholders across the criminal and social justice sector through the Sustainable Social Justice Initiative. The initiative has supported past and present students to apply their criminological skills and knowledge to produce social media campaigns to raise awareness of online scams with Devon and Cornwall Police and Trading Standards. Students have also worked collaboratively with local artists and community groups in deprived neighbourhoods to develop creative campaigns based on social justice campaigns that formed part of their final year studies.
Gain experience while you study
Students that elect to take our final year Work Based Learning module have flexible opportunities to enhance their employability whilst applying and developing their criminological skills, knowledge and experience. During this module students engage with either work-based placements, practical training through short courses or an applied research project working on a real-world challenge alongside one of our stakeholder organisations.
What you can do with your criminology degree
Discover employment and further study opportunities that you could consider once you graduate with a degree in criminology and criminal justice, and learn how you can stand out to graduate employers.

Key features

Get a head start

The course starts with a foundation year 0, specifically designed to introduce and develop essential skills for success in higher education, including critical thinking and research skills, and the knowledge and understanding of key facets of criminology and criminal justice.

Hands-on learning

Take part in live-action and virtual reality crime scenes to gain practical experience in multiple types of criminal investigations.

Real-world collaboration

Work with criminal justice agencies on real-world challenges through the Sustainable Social Justice Initiative.

Customised studies

Choose optional modules to focus on the areas of criminology that interest you and match your career goals.

Make a real difference with the Plymouth Cold Case Unit

You'll have the opportunity to complete a comprehensive training programme with our partner organisation Locate International, giving you everything you need to know to start solving cold cases. You’ll make a difference in the South West, helping to create a missing persons database for Devon and Cornwall and work with local media to shed light on these cases.

Progression opportunities

This course is an integrated part of the BSc (Hons) Criminology degree at the University of Plymouth. Successful completion of your foundation year (Year 0) will not lead to a separate award or qualification in its own right but provides progression onto Year 1 of BSc (Hons) Criminology, or one of the following degree courses:
  • BA (Hons) Anthropology
  • BA (Hons) Art History
  • BA (Hons) Creative Writing
  • BSc (Hons) Criminology and Psychology
  • BSc (Hons) Criminology and Sociology
  • BA (Hons) English
  • BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing
  • BA (Hons) History
  • BSc (Hons) International Relations
  • LLB (Hons) Law
  • LLB (Hons) Law and Criminology
  • BSc (Hons) Politics
  • BSc (Hons) Politics and International Relations
  • BSc (Hons) Sociology
  • BSc (Hons) Professional Policing

Course details

  • Foundation year

  • In this year, you’ll experience a supportive environment to assist in the transition to successful study in higher education. You will learn about academic writing, critical thinking skills and begin to develop your research skills, as well as develop your knowledge and understanding through an introduction to key aspects of criminology and criminal justice and other relevant areas of law and social science.

    Core modules

    SSC301
    Discovering Your Inner Academic 30 credits

    In this module, students will learn the core academic and organisational skills required to succeed at university. They will benefit from a range of skill development sessions and subject-specific seminars, allowing them to practice applying the delivered academic skills in the context of their field of study.

    100% Coursework

    SSC302
    Individual Project 30 credits

    Students will undertake, with supervision, an individual project related to their degree programme. Staff will guide students through the process of defining, planning, and setting up their project. As part of the module, students will gain research and time management skills that will support their successful progression through their degree programme.

    100% Coursework

    SSC303
    Crime and Deviance 30 credits

    This module will introduce students to the main institutions and processes of the legal system and criminal justice in England and Wales, while developing key transferable skills related to the study and practice of law and criminal justice.

    100% Coursework

    SSC304
    Human Rights and Social Justice 30 credits

    Through the lens of human rights and social justice is module will introduce students to a foundational sociological understanding of the structure and organisation of society; and to the main institutions of domestic and international government, and the theories and concepts used by political science to study them.

    100% Coursework

  • Year 1

  • In your first year you’ll explore various criminological perspectives examining theories on the causes of crime and deviance. You will develop an understanding of the criminal justice process in England and Wales, and examine crime in the context of economic, political and social frameworks. You’ll look at policy and practice to develop your knowledge and deepen your understanding of the criminal justice processes, gaining a grounding in criminal justice research. You’ll explore how key concepts and theories shed light on topics including poverty and social exclusion, community, media, education, globalisation, and consumer culture and their relationship to crime, deviance and criminal justice.

    Core modules

    CRM4001
    Being a Criminologist 20 credits

    This module is organised around the idea of the competent criminologist. It informs students about the constituent elements of competence, which include knowledge of crime, crime control and the wider contexts in which these are constructed; skills that facilitate the collection, use and critical analysis of academic, official and mediated sources of knowledge about crime; and values and ethics that inform both understandings and debates about crime and crime control. It seeks to provide students with a grounding of what it means to be a competent criminologist.

    100% Coursework

    CRM4002
    Introduction to Criminological Theory 20 credits

    This module introduces students to criminological theory. The module addresses the importance of theory in criminology, critically examines a range of criminological theories, and applies criminological thought to a variety of practical concerns throughout history, including contemporary social life.

    100% Coursework

    CRM4003
    21st Century Crime Problems 20 credits

    This module introduces students to crime issues that criminologists scrutinise in the 21st century. The module examines local, regional and national problems by using a range of specific examples to explore what we see as problematic in society and how we deal with those things through crime control measures. In doing so, the module considers topics such as changing crime rates and patterns, serious offenders, terrorism and social unrest. The module provides students with the opportunity to consider the relative impact of crime problems in contemporary society.

    70% Coursework

    30% Practicals

    CRM4004
    Forensic Criminology: Police Investigations 20 credits

    This module introduces students to the processes, techniques and methods of criminal investigations which focuses on the police role from the crime scene to the courtroom. Students will be able to use skills learnt to carry out their own criminal investigation of a staged murder scenario. Important areas, such as crime scene investigation, forensic science and the use of evidence, are contextualised within the construction and prosecution of criminal cases. Students will also engage with criminal investigation topics such as professionalization, ethics, accountability, legitimacy, profiling and the media.

    100% Coursework

    CRM4005
    Responses to Crime: An Introduction 20 credits

    This module provides an overview of responses to crime in contemporary Britain. It examines responses to crime primarily in England & Wales, drawing upon comparative examples to explore similarities and differences. Its main focus is upon the criminal justice process, but the focus is also extended to approaches to crime founded upon different rationalities, such as restorative justice and risk management. This module will include two 2-hour talks that introduce our School and programme level employability related opportunities and support, including details of the optional placement year.

    100% Coursework

    SOC4005
    Social Science Research Methodologies 20 credits

    This module introduces students to the theory and practice of social research. Students also gain introductory knowledge of the social research process, particularly in relation to formulating a research question and conducting literature reviews. With an emphasis on matching research questions to appropriate methods, students also learn about core qualitative and quantitative social research methodologies.

    100% Coursework

  • Year 2

  • In your second year you’ll advance your awareness of criminological theory to enhance your analytical skills to understand contemporary and global issues connected to harm, crime, justice and the social world. You’ll also extend your critical reasoning skills as you examine processes of social change and explore consumer culture, ethnicity, globalisation, politics and the State, within a historical and contemporary perspective. Your training in research methods will provide you with an insight into research preparing you early for your final year dissertation project. You will also have the opportunity to apply for place on the 'Inside Knowledge' module that partners students with learners at Exeter prison in a rewarding environment of collaborative learning.

    Core modules

    CRM5002
    Theorising Crime and Harm 20 credits

    This module takes recent developments in criminological theory and analyses the potential for criminology as a discipline to contribute to understanding, contextualising and countering some of the greatest challenges facing society and the planet today. The emphasis on harm tests the boundaries of mainstream criminology, and encourages students to think beyond social and legal constructions of crime.

    100% Coursework

    CRM5004
    Critical Perspectives on Crime Control 20 credits

    This module examines a range of critical social scientific perspectives which have sought to make sense of crime control within its wider social context and in terms of its wider social significance. It considers the contributions of key social science theorists such as Stanley Cohen, David Garland, and Loic Wacquant and others whose work has focused upon crime control, and it seeks to apply their core ideas in order to illuminate our understanding of contemporary features of policy and practice.

    100% Coursework

    CRM5006
    Forensic Criminology: Social Investigations 20 credits

    This module focuses on how social science can contribute to criminal investigations. This involvesforensically investigating the backgrounds and experiences of individuals involved in criminal or deviantbehaviour. The sociology of the police who are tasked to conduct investigations is also analysed. Students will be encouraged to apply criminological techniques and theory to scenario-based examples which will focus on victims, offenders and the police, and their positions in society.

    100% Coursework

    SOC5008
    The Social Science Research Process

    This module builds on the Level 4 module ‘Social Science Research Methodologies’. In this module, students develop their knowledge and practical skills in qualitative and quantitative social research methodologies. The students also learn how to use computer software packages to help with the collection and analysis of data. In addition, students gain knowledge of how to create a research proposal.

    Optional modules

    SSC500
    Stage 2 Professional Development, Placement Preparation and Identifying Opportunities 0 credits

    This module is for students in the School of Society and Culture who are interested in undertaking an optional placement in the third year of their programme. It supports students in their search, application, and preparation for the placement, including developing interview techniques and effective application materials (e.g. CVs , portfolios, and cover letters).

    CRM5007
    Contemporary Issues in Criminology

    This module focuses upon a contemporary criminological or criminal justice-related issue that has received attention in the media and in official reports but may not be well covered yet in an established academic literature. The purpose of the module is for students to collect data on the issue and to subject it to a criminological analysis appropriate to the topic.

    CRM5008
    Security and Policing Today: Debates and Issues

    This module provides students with a contemporary overview of debates and issues in policing and security environments that inform practice and development in the field. The module examines how modern policing and security function, the impact of professionalization on all aspects of policing tasks and the tensions and benefits attained from multi-agency working. The module considers policing legitimacy, the ethics of crime control and associated engagement with the diversity of contemporary society, competing community interests and professional practice.

  • Optional placement year

  • Undertake an optional placement year where you can build a number of key employability skills. Put theory onto practice, get a taste for your chosen career and expand upon your professional network.

    Core modules

    SSC601
    School of Society and Culture Placement Year

    Students have the opportunity to gain work experience that will set them apart in the job market when they graduate by undertaking an optional flexible placement year. The placement must be a minimum of 24-weeks (which can be split between a maximum of two different placement providers) and up to a maximum of 48-weeks over the course of the academic year. The placement is flexible and can be undertaken virtually, part or full time and either paid or voluntary. Students will have the option to undertake their placement year abroad. This year allows them to apply and hone the knowledge and skills acquired from the previous years of their programme in the real world.

  • Final year

  • In your final year, you’ll design and implement your own research project to produce your dissertation, working independently with the support of a member of the academic team. You will also study modules that reflect new, emerging trends in criminology that utilise current local, national and world issues. This includes green criminology, leisure and deviancy, violence and harm, justice in practice, social change and global issues such as state crime, war and terrorism.

    Core modules

    CRM6006
    Working for Justice 20 credits

    This module supports students to reflect on the knowledge, skills and experience that they have acquired throughout their degree/extra-curricular activities, in order to focus on their vision for future employment and related activities. Students will engage with academics, careers and employability staff and practitioners working within the criminal justice field, and so develop concrete ideas for their pathways into employment and/or ongoing study.

    70% Coursework

    30% Practicals

    Optional modules

    CRM6001
    Futures Criminology 20 credits

    The landscape of harm, crime and deviance is changing at a rapid pace. This module engages with a process of horizon scanning – attempting to identify new challenges and think about how criminology can usefully help us to understand and engage with emerging harms. This necessitates a critical reappraisal of the discipline itself as we engage with new methodologies, theories and paradigms.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6002
    Systems of Oppression: violence and influencing for change 20 credits

    The module will review key systems of oppression. Students will consider the social, political and economic forces that shape systems of oppression and harm, critically examining oppression as violence. The module explores racism, classism, patriarchy and ableism as systems of oppression by examining the processes and structures which underpin and sustain them. Over the course of the module students consider the community impact, institutional responses and undertake ongoing reflection on opportunities and practices which challenge violence and influence change.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6003
    Social Change and Justice 20 credits

    This module examines how attitudes towards crime and justice have changed and developed over time. It will demonstrate the importance of historically and socially contextualising specific crimes in order to increase the understanding of their contemporary relevance, alongside examining the political and economic context.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6008
    Leisure, Consumerism and Harm 20 credits

    This module explores contemporary developments within the study of leisure and consumerism, offering a theoretically informed understanding of key issues at the forefront of the discipline. Students will have the opportunity to study the changing nature of criminology’s engagement with leisure against a backdrop of global consumer capitalism.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6009
    Fear, Crime and Control in the City 20 credits

    This module critically examines steadfast and emergent social issues at the interplay between social control and the social, providing students with a critical understanding of how the social is regulated socially, culturally and legally. We will do this by looking as social issues in urban space. We will explore meanings, cultural significance, and political consequences from a criminological perspective.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6012
    Critical Hate Studies 20 credits

    This module presents the problem of ‘hate crime’ to students by identifying legislation, policy and practice that has been framed within its context in the UK and abroad. It will deconstruct the notion of hate crime and provide a critical reflection on the notion of ‘hate’ and its manifestations in late modernity.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6013
    Building Resilience: Countering Terrorism 20 credits

    This module provides students with an opportunity to explore the nature and contours of contemporary terrorist threats in a domestic and international context, and the infrastructures, policy frameworks, practices and technologies through which such threats are countered and responded to, both in the real and virtual worlds.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6015
    Global Conflict, Genocide and Crimes of the State

    This module explores the issue of global (in)security in the context of state and non-state conflict. Theoretical and conceptual understandings of crime, violence, victimisation and justice will be used to interrogate acts such as war crimes and terrorism. The module will address the history of such crimes and will critically explore State and international responses.

    SOC6005
    Dissertation

    This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake their own sociological, criminological or anthropological research project, working independently but under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

Personalise your degree
All our degrees have a wide range of optional modules and there is even the opportunity to study modules from any of the School of Society and Culture 's subject areas.
You could graduate with one of the following personalised course title combinations:
 
Criminology with Anthropology

Modules

    ANT5008MX
    Brave New Worlds: Ethnography of/on Online and Digital Worlds 20 credits

    This module teaches students how to use ethnographic methods to make sense of the internet, which we now increasingly inhabit. Students learn how to navigate and analyse platforms such as Facebook or TikTok. They study how these technologies transform our relationships, identities, and ideas of truth. The module also examines the socio-cultural and ethical aspects of digital worlds (e.g. Second life).

    100% Coursework

    ANT6008MX
    Coastal Cultures: Marine Anthropology in the age of climate change and mass extinction. 20 credits

    Using ethnography, we analyse how coastal communities use the sea – not only as a source of livelihood, but as a key ingredient in the construction of their identity and place in world. Drawing on a range of cases from across the world – from Polynesian sorcerers, to Japanese whale mourners, to Cornish surfers – we study how coastal communities are responding to climate change, sea level rise, pollution, and extinction.

    100% Coursework

Criminology with Art History

Modules

    ARH5002MX
    Imagery in Online and Offline Worlds: Film, Television and Video Games 20 credits

    This module provides students with a comprehensive understanding of current approaches towards mass media and visual culture. Particular emphasis will be put on medium-specificity, content analysis and audience studies.

    100% Coursework

    ARH6002MX
    Questions in Contemporary Art 20 credits

    The module introduces and examines selected questions raised in the last three decades in contemporary art. Case studies drawn from art history, critical and cultural theory, and where appropriate related disciplines, will be examined.

    100% Coursework

Criminology with Creative Writing

Modules

    ENG5010MX
    Writing Creative Nonfiction: Autobiography, Travel Writing, Reportage 20 credits

    This module introduces students to the key concepts and issues in contemporary works of creative nonfiction, or 'life writing'. Included in our readings will be works of memoir and autobiography, travel writing, personal essays and reportage. The module is entirely taught in workshops where we experiment with producing our own works of creative nonfiction and learning to refine them, as well as critically evaluate and contextualise them.

    100% Coursework

    ENG6008MX
    Features Journalism Workshop 20 credits

    This module offers students an in-depth experience of professional writing. We will explore technique in features and literary journalism; music reviews, opinion columns and longer immersion features as well as other contemporary works of non-fiction feature writing, both short- and long-form, from sub-genres including profiles and interviews, autobiography and columns, travel writing, and reportage. We will learn to research and produce our own works of professional nonfiction and critically evaluate them.

    100% Coursework

Criminology with English

Modules

    ENG5002MX
    Gothic Fictions: Villains, Virgins and Vampires 20 credits

    This module looks at eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novels to trace the variety and scope of literary contributions to the Gothic. It begins by discussing the origins of the Gothic novel, then moves to the heyday of the genre in the revolutionary 1790s, on to authors writing in the early and mid-nineteenth century, through to the decadence of the 1890s.

    100% Coursework

    ENG6005MX
    American Crime Writing 20 credits

    This module considers the development of twentieth-century American crime fiction from hard-boiled detectives, to myths of the mafia, and postmodern reinventions of the genre. This module will explore the cultural contexts of American crime writing, prevailing conventions of the genre, as well as challenges to those conventions.

    100% Coursework

Criminology with History

Modules

    HIS5009MX
    Middle Kingdoms: Themes in Early Modern Asia 20 credits

    This module introduces the history of early modern Japan (c.16th-19th centuries). At one level, it explores key questions shaping the histories of the late Sengoku (‘Warring States’) and Tokugawa Japan. Building on these questions, it then situates the Japanese experience in a trans-regional perspective with reference to early modern China, Korea, Ryukyu, as well as Europe.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS5014MX
    Dunkirk to D Day: The Second World War in Europe 20 credits

    The module examines the Second World War in Europe and the Atlantic Ocean from 1940 to late 1944.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS6002MX
    Piracy and Privateering, c.1560-1816 20 credits

    This module explores piracy and privateering activity in the seas around the British Isles and further afield from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to the end of the second Barbary War in 1816. This course focuses on the social history of piracy and privateering, the organisation of pirate society, and the economic impact of piracy and privateering.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS6006MX
    America, the United Nations and International Relations 1945 to the present 20 credits

    This module provides a detailed examination of the relationship between the United States of America and the United Nations in the management of international relations from 1945 to the present.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

Criminology with International Relations

Modules

    PIR6009MX
    Mao to Now: the Politics of Modern China

    This module introduces students to politics in China. It provides them with the analytical skills and historical understanding to examine the structure of the contemporary Chinese state, looking in particular at Maoist legacies, nationalism and ideology, the relationships between party, law, state and market, and China’s involvement in international affairs.

    PIR6007MX
    Global Environmental Politics 20 credits

    This module examines the problem of environmental degradation and its implications for our global political economy. It discusses the major debates in political thought around the primary causes of environmental degradation. The module outlines the major attempts to build international regimes for global environmental governance, and the difficulties and obstacles that such attempts have encountered. A range of ideas, critiques, policy proposals, innovations in governance, and templates for political activism within the environmental movement are critically evaluated.

    100% Coursework

    PIR5009MX
    Refugee Studies 20 credits

    This module focuses on the political, economic and social context of forced migration and considers the complex and varied nature of global refugee populations. It analyses responses at international, national and regional level and engages with a range of challenging questions around international co-operation, the framework of international protection, humanitarianism and the causes of displacement.

    100% Coursework

Criminology with Politics

Modules

    PIR6009MX
    Mao to Now: the Politics of Modern China

    This module introduces students to politics in China. It provides them with the analytical skills and historical understanding to examine the structure of the contemporary Chinese state, looking in particular at Maoist legacies, nationalism and ideology, the relationships between party, law, state and market, and China’s involvement in international affairs.

    PIR5013MX
    Politics Beyond Parliaments 20 credits

    This module analyses the role of civil society and the public sphere in democratic governance and in democratization from a variety of theoretical perspectives.

    100% Coursework

Criminology with Law

Modules

    LAW5009MX
    Environmental Law 20 credits

    The module provides an examination of key themes in environmental law, with a focus on the generation, application and enforcement of this law within a critical and applied context.

    100% Coursework

    LAW5011MX
    Intellectual Property Law

    This module focuses on the law and concepts of intellectual property, examining in addition related legal themes of information access, dissemination and control.

    LAW6018MX
    Law, Literature and the Screen

    To introduce students to fictional and factional representations of the legal order in prose, film and TV, and to examine the inter-connections between law, literature and the screen.

    LAW6012MX
    Public International Law 20 credits

    A module that focuses on the primary legal principles of the public international legal order, before exploring a range of substantive areas, such as, for example, the use of force, the law regulating the conduct of war, International Human Rights, International Criminal Law and International Environmental Law.

    100% Coursework

Criminology with Sociology

Modules

    SOC5005MX
    Globalisation and Social Justice 20 credits

    This module investigates the key debates of globalisation and critically evaluates, in terms of its economic, political, socio-cultural and legal dimensions, the causes and consequences of a globalising world. It furthermore explores a range of international social justice issues to examine the relationships (causative and ameliorative) between policies and (in)justice

    60% Coursework

    40% Practicals

    SOC6004MX
    Health, Medical Power and Social Justice 20 credits

    This module considers a range of issues concerning health, illness and medical power in contemporary society. The module seeks to develop an understanding of the impact of ‘medicalisation’ on everyday life, as well as the importance of social divisions, such as age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status. There will be a focus on a range of sociological perspectives on health with an opportunity to focus upon areas of particular interest.

    100% Coursework

Criminology with Policing and Security Management

Modules

    CRM6011MX
    Security Management 20 credits

    This module provides students with a critical insight into the professional domain of security management. It provides an overview of the theories, policies, procedures and practices that underpin the work of the security manager, and focuses upon a career-relevant knowledge and understanding of this significant area of expertise.

    70% Coursework

    30% Tests

    CRM5003MX
    Harm in the 21st Century 20 credits

    This module explores the global challenges of harmful behaviours and activities in contemporary society by considering specific areas of concern for criminologists. By drawing on real-world examples in everyday life, the module examines how social problems and issues have arisen due to processes of globalisation that have changed the social, political and economic landscape of the 21st century.

    100% Coursework

    CRM5009MX
    Crime, Harm and Culture 20 credits

    The module aims to provide students with a critical appreciation of harm and crime by exploring relevant issues from film, television, music, fiction literature and art. By applying a criminological lens to different forms of popular culture, students will be able to examine a variety of media forms in terms of its content and its contemporary political, social and economic context using different theories and concepts.

    100% Coursework

Entry requirements

UCAS tariff

32 - 48

Contextual offers: Typically, the contextual offer for this course is 8 points below the advertised tariff. A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes into account individual circumstances that are beyond your control, and that can potentially impact your learning and your exam results, or your confidence in applying to university.

Check your eligibility for a contextual offer

18 Unit BTEC National Diploma/QCF Extended Diploma
PPP-MMP in any subject.
BTEC National Diploma modules
If you hold a BTEC qualification it is vital that you provide our Admissions team with details of the exact modules you have studied as part of the BTEC. Without this information we may be unable to process your application quickly and you could experience significant delays in the progress of your application to study with us. Please explicitly state the full list of modules within your qualification at the time of application.
International Baccalaureate
24-25 overall to include 4 at any subject at Higher Level. English and Maths accepted within: Higher Level = 4, Standard Level = 5.
IELTS
If overseas and not studying English within IB – Must have IELTS: 6.0 overall with 5.5 in all elements.
Access courses
Pass access course (any subject) plus GCSE English and Maths grade C / 4 or above or equivalent.
New Irish Highers:Achieve Irish Leaving Certificate with 32-48 UCAS points.
T Levels
Pass in any subject.
GCSE
GCSE’s or equivalent: Maths and English at Grade C/4 or City and Guilds; Key Skills Level 2 will be considered on an individual basis.
Mature students with appropriate work experience are encouraged to apply. For those who do not meet the requirements, please enquire for further details. We encourage any candidate who is unsure about the suitability of their qualifications or experience to contact Admissions in the first instance, who will then liaise with the Admissions Tutor and Programme Lead.
We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary.

Fees, costs and funding
2024-2025 2025-2026 *
Home £9,250 £5,760
International £17,100 £17,600
Part time (Home) £770 £480
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per 10 credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

*UK Government announcement on tuition fees

Following an announcement in November, the government has confirmed its intention to increase undergraduate tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year.

Subject to final Parliamentary approval (expected in early March 2025), the tuition fee for UK students is increasing to a maximum of £9,535 from 1 August 2025. This change applies to current and new students at the University of Plymouth. The Student Loans Company (SLC) has confirmed loans for tuition fees will be increased accordingly.

Classroom-based Foundation years
On 4 November 2024, the UK Government announced a proposal to cap the home student fee for the Foundation year of this programme at £5,760, this will be applied from 1 August 2025. Subsequent years of this degree programme will be charged at the new standard rate for home undergraduate tuition fees of £9,535 per annum. Implementation of this increase will be subject to parliamentary procedure.

Undergraduate scholarships for international students

To reward outstanding achievement the University of Plymouth offers scholarship schemes to help towards funding your studies.

Additional costs

This course is delivered by the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business and more details of any additional costs associated with the faculty's courses are listed on the following page: Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business additional costs .

Tuition fees for optional placement years

The fee for all undergraduate students completing any part of their placement year in the UK in 2024/2025 is £1,850.
The fee for all undergraduate students completing their whole placement year outside the UK in 2024/2025 is £1,385.
 Learn more about placement year tuition fees

How to apply
All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
UCAS will ask for the information contained in the box at the top of this course page including the UCAS course code and the institution code.
To apply for this course and for more information about submitting an application including application deadline dates, please visit the UCAS website.
Support is also available to overseas students applying to the University from our International Office via our how to apply webpage or email admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

Hands-on learning

Enter the Murder House and take part in live-action and virtual reality crime scenes to gain practical experience in multiple types of criminal investigations.

Investigate real cases

Join the Plymouth Cold Case Unit to test your research skills and gain hands-on experience investigating unsolved missing persons cases.

Customised studies

Choose optional modules to focus on the areas of criminology that interest you and match your career goals.

This course is for you if...

  • you're fascinated by the causes of crime and how the criminal justice system works
  • you want to get hands-on, taking part in live-action and virtual reality crime scene simulations
  • you're committed to promoting social justice and aspire to make a meaningful impact in your community
  • you're motivated to put skills into practice with local and national criminal justice agencies
  • you want to experience a progressive course that pushes the boundaries of criminology.
Sidney De Souza - BSc (Hons) Criminology student taking part in a simulated crime scene
 

What our students do...

Experience 'The Murder House' Crime Suite

Investigate simulated crime scenes and real missing persons cases
Learn by doing in scenarios that are based on real-life investigations in our state-of-the-art crime, interview and simulated policing suite. You'll be able to explore physical crime scenes, harvest forensic material, learn and practise police interview techniques and analyse CCTV footage.
The unique combination of immersive learning and our staff expertise sets us apart as the only university in the South West peninsula providing this exceptional student experience.

Witness mock trials and observe the justice system

Situated inside The Box, Plymouth's £40 million cultural hub, the University uses The Foulston Room for its moot court facility.
In our very own mock courtroom, you can gain an insight into the criminal justice system through observing mock trial scenarios.

The Foulston Room offers our criminology students such a unique and valuable experience. To set foot in such a historic building, walk up its grand staircase and enter into an environment that authentically looks and feels like a real courtroom, provides our students with insights into how a courtroom in the UK criminal justice system looks and operates.

Soozi BaggsMs Soozi Baggs
Lecturer in Criminology

Inside the moot court facility, Foulston Room
Inside the moot court facility, Foulston Room
Inside the moot court facility, Foulston Room
 

Become an investigator

By joining the Plymouth Cold Case Unit (PCCU), you can investigate a range of unsolved missing persons cases.
Uncover new evidence which can be used by the police to solve these cases while gaining experience and skills – including investigative, analytical and social – to help launch you into a rewarding career.
As part of this student-led, expert-guided group, you'll have access to international connections alongside facilities and training at both the University of Plymouth and Locate International.
Your work will give families of missing people comfort from knowing their loved ones have not been forgotten.
Applications are open to all foundation and year 1 students in the School of Society and Culture.

After hearing the details about cold cases and how there are not enough resources to revisit them, and knowing that I could help bring resolution to the families and friends of missing people, I felt it was my duty to help – the PCCU gave me a chance to do that.

 

Personalise your degree

At Plymouth, your degree really is what you make it. You can tailor your studies to focus on what fascinates you. By taking different options, you will gain a thorough grounding in your areas of interest – whether it be criminology related or a completely different subject such as history, politics or sociology. Whatever your passion, you will have the freedom to explore it.
Kayleigh McCluskey

I knew that Plymouth was very good for the course I wanted to do. They offered a flexible choice of modules, and I felt like I could choose modules I was interested in, and which fitted the career I wanted.

I also really liked the idea of doing work-based learning. I was lucky enough to spend time in the psychology department within HMP Channings Wood which was a huge eye-opener into what it was really like to work with offenders.
Kayleigh, National Probation Service 
 

i CrimSoc

The Criminology Society is open to anyone studying or interested in criminology and related fields. The society organises events, socials, and study groups, capitalising on the theme of crime and the police, to foster community and engagement among members. Make friends, develop skills and enjoy new experiences.

Criminology at Plymouth

Our students are taken on a critical and reflective journey. Students will explore the past, present and future in order to understand crime and criminal justice issues in the contemporary era. Criminology at Plymouth is designed to provide students with an interesting and innovative learning environment.
 

Innovative teaching led by experts

We believe in the importance of integrating our strong national and international research within our teaching. Our innovative teaching methods incorporate contemporary technologies such as VR, AI, and the exploration of forensic techniques and analysis – actively encouraging students to challenge the boundaries of criminological ideas.