Course in brief

Criminology and Sociology is the ideal joint honours degree for those seeking to understand the changing world we live in. It combines the study of two academic subjects that share many theories and concepts.

The criminology part of the course focuses on one specific social phenomenon: crime. You will explore important questions about criminalisation, crime causation, crime control and the criminal justice system in both the UK and elsewhere, and will be encouraged to move beyond superficial understandings of crime and justice.

The sociology component of the degree enables new ways of thinking about the social world. During the three years of the degree you will have the opportunity to explore diverse perspectives on the relationship between the individual and society, with teaching staff who are active in researching social changes and concerns.

In both criminology and sociology, there are a wide range of specialist topic options on contemporary issues to choose between and you have the opportunity to specialise further in your final year dissertation. Second year students can opt to take the Community Engagement module which involves a short placement with a community organisation.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code LM39

Full-time 3 years

Book your open day place

Applying for 2018: read our guide

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BBC–CCC (112–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range. 

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range. If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we may still make you an offer if you have a good GCSE (or equivalent) profile or relevant non–academic achievements.

International Baccalaureate
28 points.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Level 3 units in law or sociology preferred. At least 45 credits at level 3, with 18 credits at merit or above.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least three subjects including English language and maths and science, social science or humanities. Functional Skills will not be usually be accepted but may be considered where the applicant has an otherwise good spread of GCSEs.

Foundation degree/HND/HNC
Direct to year 2.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

Relevant professional experience.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country
 
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For academic preparation courses.

Course in detail

Course structure

The course covers the following areas of study:

  • deviance and control
  • youth and delinquency
  • the relationship between gender and crime
  • the relationship between race and crime
  • cross-cultural issues in crime and justice.

You are taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops, but there is an increasing emphasis on independent study as the course progresses. Although assessment is split between essays and exams in year 1, your second and final years consist mainly of coursework.

You have the opportunity to do a work placement in year 2 and also to enrol on our international exchange programme, which allows you to study in Spain or Sweden for a portion of your degree.

Year 1

In your first year, you will study modules that introduce you to both sociology and criminology. You will also begin to develop the research skills which you will use throughout your degree.

Modules

  • Introduction to Research Methods
  • Sociological Imaginations
  • Introduction to Criminal Justice Studies
  • Contemporary Social Inequalities
  • Foundations of Sociology
  • Theories of Crime
Students at desks, pens poised, listening to a lecture

Year 2

In your second year, you will build on the knowledge and skills you gained in year 1, and learn about the different ways in which societies try to control crime.

The community engagement module is an opportunity to undertake a voluntary work placement with a local organisation. Previous students have worked with organisations including Sussex Police and Sussex Pathways, a mentoring scheme that aims to rehabilitate local offenders.

Modules

  • Criminologies of Crime Control
  • Critical Perspectives on Criminal Justice
  • Researching Social and Cultural Life (20 credits)
  • Researching Social and Cultural Life (10 credits, for students going on Erasmus exchange)
  • Sociology and the Life Course
  • Theorising the Social World

Options*

  • Community Engagement: Theory into Practice or Critical Analysis (20 credits)
  • Community Engagement: Theory into Practice or Critical Analysis (10 credits, for students going on Erasmus exchange)
  • Critical Analysis (20 credits)
  • Critical Analysis (10 credits, for students going on Erasmus exchange)

*Option modules listed are indicative and may be subject to change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

In your final year at Brighton, you will write a dissertation on a topic in criminology, sociology or both. The dissertation is an opportunity to develop an idea independently, with the support of an academic supervisor throughout. 

Modules

  • Dissertation
  • Sociology Topic 1
  • Sociology Topic 2
  • Contemporary Studies in Crime and Justice

Options*

  • Cross-Cultural Criminology
  • Global Issues: Crime, Power, Harm

*Option modules listed are indicative and may be subject to change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great opportunity to develop your vocational skills and gain practical work experience while contributing to the wider community. Our award-winning Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP) can pair you up with a local organisation and find a volunteering placement that is right for you.

Option module, Community Engagement, in year 2 allows you to incorporate volunteering in your degree programme. It involves 30 to 50 hours of work with a not-for-profit or community organisation that reflects your academic interests and career aspirations.

Previous students have had volunteering roles including:

  • activity volunteer for CCHF All About Kids
  • centre volunteer for the Centre for Ecotherapy
  • communication supporter for Connect
  • listening and support volunteer for the Samaritans
  • support volunteer for the MS Society
  • volunteer for Fresh Start
  • volunteer befriender for the Alzheimer's Society.

Cupp teamCUPP is an award-winning project that aims to tackle disadvantage and promote sustainable development through partnership with local organisations

Careers and employability

Alongside specialist subject knowledge, this degree provides the opportunity to develop a broad range of transferable skills that are relevant to numerous career pathways. Our graduates are working in diverse roles in the public, private and voluntary sectors including social research, social work, policing, probation, crime prevention, community safety planning, tackling youth offending, journalism, environmental management, teaching, housing and welfare services. Each year a number of graduates progress to postgraduate study at Brighton and other institutions.

Brighton police station

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,920 GBP

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Forward-thinking and welcoming, the city of Brighton & Hove is a community of creative and diverse people who share values like sustainability and inclusivity – just like its university.

Miles of pebble beaches, hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs, a packed calendar of culture, music and sport and great independent and high street shopping attract visitors from all over the world. By the end of your course you’ll still be finding new things to enjoy about the city.
 
The Brighton Festival, England’s largest arts festival, takes place every May – as does the Great Escape Europe’s leading industry showcase for new music, 300 bands perform over three days at venues across the city. Major events celebrate Pride, digital culture, cinema, photography, food and the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate show is a highlight, turning the university into the largest exhibition space in the south east as we celebrate the outstanding creativity of our students.

As a student here you’ll have a unique opportunity to experience what the city has to offer. Volunteering and placement opportunities enable you to play your part in the events, organisations and communities that make Brighton such a compelling place to be.

i360 and ticket booth on the seafront  What to expect enriching experiences 

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Surrounded by the South Downs National Park and just five miles from the centre of Brighton, our Falmer campus has benefited from over £60million of investment over the past 10 years. 7,000 students are based here, studying subjects including English, education, social science, nursing and medicine.

Recent developments include the Falmer Sports Centre – with its fitness suites and sports hall – and the innovative Checkland Building, which has natural ventilation systems and an insulating green roof.

Falmer has also recently installed more than 600 solar panels, which reduce the campus’s carbon emissions by more than 80 tonnes. The renovation has made us one of the top universities in the UK for on-site renewable energy production.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • Grand Parade is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance. 
  • Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus. 
  • Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence. 
  • Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field. 
    Varley Park and Falmer are around four miles from Brighton centre; there are good public transport services nearby.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. 

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Brighton accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field

Moulsecoomb Place


  

Maps

house Accommodation
campus University building

Falmer campus and Brighton and Sussex Medical School map

 

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the official university document for each course. They are updated each year, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification

Find out more

Sociology and criminology news

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Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Visit the School of Applied Social Science blog.

Student views  

Aderonke Alao

"I really enjoyed my degree, in particular the work placement in the second year where you have the opportunity to spend 50 hours working in a not-for-profit organisation.

"I worked for a children's charity, helping to engage local children through art. It was an independent placement that I found myself. The charity was based in Staffordshire but I worked on my own in the Brighton area.

"The placement gave me a really valuable experience of managing my own time, working with other professionals and working with children with disabilities."

Aderonke Alao

Emine Ali-Jackson

"A personal highlight of the course was the Community Engagement module. For this I undertook a work placement at Varndean School, where I helped to mentor the pupils. This was a great experience as it allowed me to develop essential everyday skills such as patience, planning and communication.

"My overall university experience was excellent. I had quite a few ups and downs but it has really helped me to mature. The nature of independent living and looking after yourself prepares you for the real world. I also feel that working to deadlines is excellent preparation for life after university."

Emine Ali-Jackson

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