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Criminology and Criminal Justice at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

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

Course summary

What is crime? Who commits crime and why? Should crime be punished? This BSc Criminology and Criminal Justice gives you the chance to think critically about such questions. It offers you a unique and cutting-edge approach to criminology by exploring conventional approaches to criminal justice, as well as offering you an appreciation of alternative responses to harmful behaviour in society. It is ideal if you are looking for a course that is critical, questioning and creative. Why choose this course?

  • We offer you high-quality, flexible and supportive teaching by internationally recognised academics with expertise in the social, political, economic, theoretical and cultural contexts of crime.
  • We employ social justice principles to allow you to focus on key issues such as race, gender and sexuality to understand everyday problems and injustices including policing and racism, domestic and sexual violence, and hate crime.
  • This course equips you with wide-ranging skills that are valued in the working world of frontline criminal justice or advocacy, policy or campaigning.
What you will learn On this flexible course you can tailor your learning to your interests, be it terrorism, drugs, migration, prison abolition or alternative routes to justice. You will learn to critically evaluate evidence and examine theories to better understand criminological problems. You will analyse real-world events through a focus on national and international criminal justice policy, institutions and practices. You will also think about the people who make, and those who are subjected to, these systems and processes. Our skills-based approach fosters your skills in critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and communicating and writing for different audiences: transferable skills that are highly valued in a range of professions and careers. How you will learn Our lectures and seminars are delivered through innovative methods including virtual learning environments, multimedia content, student-led study groups and built-in study skills acquisition. This BSc Criminology and Criminal Justice is available for you to study full- or part-time. It has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening. Highlights
  • Dedicated academic skills workshops are run by our Learning Development Tutors, who can advise on a range of study skills.
  • You can participate in our year-round Criminology Careers Events: Work for Social Justice, Work for Criminal Justice. You can achieve support from Birkbeck alumni through our Mentoring Pathways scheme.
  • You can hear from scholars within and beyond Birkbeck including at the esteemed Annual Criminology Lecture, Law on Trial events week and our Criminology Research Seminars. These showcase prominent academics carrying out path-breaking research on crime, criminal justice and related themes.
  • You may be eligible for the Birkbeck cash bursary scheme to assist with the costs of study, such as purchasing books, printing and travelling to classes.
Careers and employability On successfully graduating from this BSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:
  • a critical appreciation of social interests, positions and values and their impact on social policy and law-making in criminal justice
  • the ability to confidently communicate information about crime and criminalisation to a range of audiences
  • the ability to research, plan and present investigations into a particular area of crime and criminal justice including analysing and interpreting theoretical or empirical research.
Graduates can pursue career paths in criminal justice, public safety, social welfare or policy, charities and NGOs or academia and research. Possible professions include:
  • community development worker
  • prison or probation officer
  • social worker
  • adult guidance worker.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

We employ a range of assessment tools, including independent research essays, seen and unseen examinations, group work, oral presentations, reflective journals, and creative and critical thinking exercises.

How to apply

29Jan

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

Please select a course option – you will then see the application code you need to use to apply for the course.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge and previous work experience. We may waive formal entry requirements based on judgement of academic potential. ALTERNATIVE ENTRY ROUTES Successful completion of our Certificate of Higher Education in Criminology allows you to apply for entry onto Year 2 of this degree.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
75%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
75%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
International £18060 Year 1

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

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.
Criminology and Criminal Justice at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS