BSc (Hons)
Undergraduate degree - single or combined honours
Criminology explores the causes, motivations and patterns of crime. In addition to improving our knowledge and understanding of crime, criminology also considers responses to crime and informs policies and practices in policing, law, criminal justice and punishment.
With our Criminology degree, you'll study crime from a variety of approaches, gain practical and relevant experience, and develop transferable skills that you can take into a range of careers and employment sectors.
Two final-year Criminology students have been working as part of a new placement project between BSU and social enterprise Your Consultation Group (YCG) to digitise a training programme for people in prison and for prison leavers.
Read the full story
Criminologists study crime from a variety of approaches, making this a diverse field of study. Core modules focus on the main theories, debates, issues and research in criminology and criminal justice, while optional modules enable you to develop your particular interests in areas such as violent crime, victimisation, prisons and terrorism.
We’ll support and encourage you to gain practical experience in relevant fields through voluntary work and placements. You’ll develop practical and analytical skills as well as subject knowledge in crime and criminal justice.
At BSU, our courses are designed to equip our graduates with the knowledge and skills they’ll need for the real world. To do this, we are continually improving our courses by responding to feedback from students and other stakeholders. This may mean changes may be made to the curriculum. You’ll always be given notice of any such changes.
For more information on how we approach such changes at the university, please read our policies on
Year one
You’ll learn about the research traditions of criminology and be introduced to key concepts, theories and issues. You’ll investigate different types of crime and you’ll also learn about criminal law and criminal justice agencies and institutions.
Year two
You'll study contemporary debates in criminology and criminal justice and the history and development of policing, crime control and prevention.
You can also choose from a number of optional modules to create a programme tailored to your personal interests. You can investigate the criminological imagination by exploring differing perspectives and theories within criminology. You can also study violent crimes such as homicide and robbery.
Year three
You’ll undertake an original piece of criminological research in an area that interests you and you’ll also be able to examine terrorism, punishment and penology and victimisation with our optional modules. You’ll have the choice to take our optional module in criminology which involves working with prison learners through a partnership with HMP Erlestoke.
There will also be opportunities to undertake a voluntary placement in an organisation relevant to the criminal justice sector with our optional community engagement module.
We use a range of assessments to gain a comprehensive measure of your performance. Assignments may include essays, book reviews, examinations, portfolios, crime scene investigation reports, presentations, design of a non-custodial punishment, reflective writing, briefing papers and individual and group projects.
We take pride in our innovative and engaging modules that inspire and challenge, and we encourage you to reflect critically on your subject.
We’ll guide you through your studies, support you, and help you make the most of your academic studies. Your personal timetable will comprise all the modules for which you have been registered, and these incorporate different modes of teaching.
You’ll participate in a wide variety of activities including lectures, seminars, workshops, one-to-one tutorials, and sessions with visiting speakers.
To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our information on Your Learning and Teaching at BSU.
Third-year BSc (Hons) Criminology students visiting HMP Erlestoke as part of a unique module where students learn criminology alongside prison learners.
This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document for more information.
At BSU, our courses are designed to equip our graduates with the knowledge and skills they’ll need for the real world. To do this, we are continually improving our courses by responding to feedback from students and other stakeholders. This may mean changes may be made to the curriculum. You’ll always be given notice of any such changes.
For more information on how we approach such changes at the university, please read our policies on
The modules available to you will depend on the pathway you are studying (e.g. single/combined honours) and core requirements.
Core and required modules include:
Optional modules include:
Required modules include:
Optional modules include:
Phoebe Abbott, BSc (Hons) Criminology student, tells us about her favourite experience at BSU – visiting Erlestoke Prison, an active correctional facility.
Read more about Phoebe's experiences at BSU
As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.
We’ll strongly encourage you to take advantage of placement opportunities in your second and third year, so you can apply your learning in the real world contexts of criminal justice. Practitioners contribute to teaching in some modules and you can find out more from them about working in fields related to criminal justice.
Fieldwork opportunities, such as trips to local courts, will also provide opportunities to observe the legal system in action and learn more about potential careers. We also have links with local criminal justice organisations including local police services and prisons.
Project work enables you to focus on your particular interests and is built into all three years of the programme. Through individual and group projects you’ll develop employment-related skills in research, analysis, time management, leadership, problem-solving and planning.
Your first year involves a project with creative, critical and reflective elements.
Moving into your second year, you’ll undertake in-depth study of the spatial dimensions of crime. A module in research methods will give you experience of research design and data collection and analysis to support project work.
In the dissertation core module in your third year, you can apply the knowledge and skills you’ve developed to an independent research project on any criminological or criminal justice topic that interests you.
A qualification in Criminology will prepare you for a career in a variety of relevant fields in criminal justice and associated social and welfare professions including:
As a social sciences degree, the course will give you with a range of transferable skills which you can take into a career in a number of others sectors such as health and social care, marketing, HR, teaching or the media.
If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.
You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.
"My placement year was the best decision I have ever made. It helped solidify my goals, give me the connections I need to progress in my field, and got me a job for the future."
Anna Fabrikant, BSc (Hons) Criminology with Professional Placement Year
The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.
As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.
"The chance to take part in various field trips in the final year was amazing and really solidified all that we learned in the three years preceding the trips. Additionally, a placement year enabled me to secure postgraduate employment ahead of finishing university."
Jasmine Henry, BSc (Hons) Criminology with Professional Placement Year
Our Criminology students have completed placements with many different organisations, including:
Anna Fabrikant shared their experience of studying BSc (Hons) Criminology with a Professional Placement Year.
BSU offers five Criminology combinations:
*This combination is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Criminology is taught at our Newton Park campus.
All modules can be found on our Virtual Learning Environment, Ultra, providing unlimited online access to learning materials such as handbooks, lecture slides, assessment information, discussion boards and other resources.
Our library gives you access to books, academic journals and DVDs and an extensive range of electronic services. It also provides a place for individual study and collaborative work.
Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.
Working alongside HMP Erlestoke, Dr Natalie Booth and Dr Faye Vanstone are extending the reach of higher education into the criminal justice sector with an innovative criminology course for prison learners.
Read the full story
| Student | Annual tuition fee |
|---|---|
| UK full time | £9,535 |
| UK part time | £4,768 |
| International full time | £17,310 |
During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.
You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.
Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.
We’re looking for individuals who are interested in all aspects of crime, justice and punishment.
You’ll be looking to study these issues from varying perspectives including psychological and sociological, that challenges conventional or ‘common sense’ notions of criminality.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:
If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Course enquiries
For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page. Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.
Programme leader: Faye Vanstone
Email address: f.vanstone@bathspa.ac.uk
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed under 'Typical offers' in the main column below. For combined courses, please check both subjects. If your qualification is not listed, please email admissions@bathspa.ac.uk with your specific details.
