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Criminology at Lancaster University - UCAS

Course options

2024 - 20252025 - 20262026 - 2027
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This course is not open to application until the 13th May 2025.

Lancaster University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

28Jun
Lancaster University Open Day
Undergraduate
12Jul
Lancaster University Open Day
Undergraduate
13Sep
Lancaster University Open Day
Undergraduate

Course summary

Ready to see the world of crime and criminal justice differently? Join us to unpick theories and perspectives that explore today’s most pressing crime-related issues. You will study a wide range of topics and have the opportunity to connect with local agencies such as the police and the prison service. Work with our specialist careers advisors to plan your future in the criminal justice system and beyond. Why Lancaster?

  • Critically explore crime and justice: A thought-provoking degree that examines crime through a social justice lens
  • Exceptional academic support: Work closely with engaged lecturers who value your ideas and are committed to helping you grow as a criminologist
  • Build connections: Network with experts from NGOs, charities, law enforcement, and other criminal justice organisations
  • Unlock your career potential: Tailored career advice to discover diverse pathways and practical steps you can take to achieve your goals
  • Work with Leading Experts: Our academics advise the United Nations and the EU, influence drug policies in the UK and overseas and work with national and local criminal justice agencies
  • Explore today’s challenges on topics such as drug-related crimes, sex offences, organised crime, and human rights violations
A rich history of Criminology Lancaster is a city that has criminal justice at its heart. From the medieval period to contemporary times, the Castle in Lancaster has served as an assizes court, crown court and a fully functioning prison. From the infamous 1612 trial and execution of the ten people accused of witchcraft to the more recent exoneration of accused terrorists the ‘Birmingham Six’, Lancaster Castle has been the site of both persecution and justice. Past or present, this is not dramatised or romantic crime. This is real life: brutal, saddening, enraging, uncomfortable, but fascinating. Criminology at Lancaster has a long and distinguished history informed by this past but looking strongly to the future of crime and punishment in the United Kingdom and internationally. A critical view of crime and punishment The city as a centre for criminal justice and injustice creates a strong sense of what our degree is about. On this course, you’ll look critically at the social, cultural, political, and economic contexts of crime and criminal justice, as well as viewing challenges through a social justice lens. You will examine how crime is portrayed in the media and popular culture and explore how deviancy is rendered as a criminal act and how activism and protest can be demonised. You will learn to untangle the complex relationship between society, crime, and the criminal justice system and explore what alternative approaches to justice might look like now and in the future. Together, we will investigate the historical, present, and future dimensions of crime—spanning urban streets to digital spaces in national and global perspectives. Questions of justice Our sense of who we are as a society revolves around our definitions and relationship with crime. Who decides what counts as ‘wrong’? Why is ‘justice’ such a contested word? Why do some communities have higher rates of crime than others? What does it mean to ‘police’? Why do well-intended preventative campaigns fail to reach many people? You will engage with questions of morality, explore philosophical debates, and undertake deep self-reflection to focus on the meanings, values and judgements that frame crime. In doing so you will learn to ask and answer such difficult questions with evidence and confidence. Engage with experts Criminology at Lancaster takes you through landmark theories to the critical evaluation and analysis of statistics, to detailed studies of processes and pathways through the criminal justice system. You will be taught by an internationally recognised team of researchers who lead in shaping both criminal justice policy and the academic field of criminology.

How to apply

This course is not open to application until the 13th May 2025.

15Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
M930
Institution code:
L14
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For information on our fees, please see www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding.
Criminology at Lancaster University - UCAS