Criminology BA(Hons)

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Top reasons to choose this course

• Policing, the prison system and the social construction of crime and (in)justice from a global perspective are some of the fascinating subjects the course covers.
• Learning is a varied mix of lectures, seminars, workshops, group work and independent learning activities and research.
• Varied assessment methods – in the first year, assessment is split between essays and exams; the second and final year mainly consist of coursework.
• Join a vibrant community – the programme area sits within the School of Humanities and Social Science, all based in one building.
• Expert teaching team with varied expertise and who are published and esteemed in their research areas.
• International exchange opportunities at the University of Lyon 2 in France; Universidad Pontificia Comillas Madrid in Spain; and Örebro Universitet in Sweden.
• Placement opportunities give you the chance to make industry connections and gain valuable experience. 
• Option modules enable you to tailor your degree to suit your personal career goals 
• Guest speakers will add to your learning and provide networking opportunities.

Year 1

In your first year you will be introduced to the theoretical foundations of criminology and the research methods used in social science. 

Modules

• Introduction to Researching Social and Cultural Life

  This module introduces you to key aspects of research design and the principles of qualitative and quantitative research. You will look at the principles of social research (eg, research ethics, quantitative/qualitative divide) and identify appropriate research methods, then apply these to specific contexts (eg, decolonising research, evaluating existing work, proposing new work).

• Criminal Justice Matters

  This module will introduce you to the criminal justice system in England and Wales by exploring its main institutions and agencies, for example, police, courts, prison and probation. You will explore some of the key debates and policies in relation to sentencing, victims and crime prevention. You’ll also gain an understanding of the politics and controversies in criminal justice and develop your skills in identifying, analysing information and presenting coherent arguments.

• Imagining Crime and Criminals

  This module will introduce you to critical issues which arise when we attempt to explain crime. You will discuss ‘common sense’ perspectives and critically consider the ‘taken for granted’ prevailing explanations for crime and definitions of the ‘criminal’ that circulate in society. The focus is on the social, cultural and political processes that criminology has identified as being involved in informing ‘public’ understandings of crime. You will analyse the role that the mass media plays in influencing these constructions and the academic literature which deals with these debates.

• Theories of Crime

  Here you will examine criminological theories from an historical perspective and gain an understanding of the political, social and cultural contexts in which different theories were developed, how they translated to policy, and their strengths, weaknesses and biases in explaining crime and deviance.

• Criminology in Action

  On this module you will actively engage with and apply key criminological concepts and thinking to contexts, roles and scenarios in criminal justice. Areas covered vary to stay relevant, but may include different forms of knowledge production about crime and social justice, such as crime as news, crime as fiction and academic approaches to writing about crime; assessing crime statistics; and exploring the ways in which contemporary criminal justice problems can be understood and responded to.

• Crime, Justice and Inequalities

  This module covers the theoretical, conceptual and academic tools to explore crime, criminal justice and inequalities. Through an exploration of these tools, you will develop an understanding of how criminological knowledge is established and used in criminal justice settings; the ways that difference and inequalities are formed; and the consequences of crime and criminal justice for everyday lived realities.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up-to-date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you will be told about any new developments through Student View.

Year 2

In year 2 you will extend your knowledge and learn about the social construction of crime and (in)justice from a global perspective. You will also spend time developing your knowledge about specific elements of the justice system, such as policing and prison. 

You will take a community placement which runs throughout the year, giving you a sustained period of work within a community organisation to help increase your employability while you study. There’s also the opportunity for international study through our exchange programme.

Modules

Core modules

• Researching Social and Cultural Life

  You will take this 10-credit module if you are on an exchange programme to learn about ethics and qualitative/quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. You will gain an understanding of the philosophical underpinning of social research, methodologies and methods and pick either a qualitative or a quantitative stream to further deepen your knowledge.

• Critical Perspectives on Justice

  This module introduces perspectives on justice as a foundation for other criminology modules. You will explore long-standing and emerging developments and debates relating to justice in the UK and elsewhere and look at ‘mainstream’ criminal justice and new ways of resolving criminal and social harms, including approaches drawn from non-Western traditions. You will also consider the struggles that some segments of society face to secure justice and the factors influencing this.

• Punishment, Power and the State

  In this module you will learn to apply critical thinking and key criminological concepts to the use of punishment in the criminal justice process. You will look at the penal system and the rationale for its use; examine the history of prisons, how punishment is decided upon and delivered; the prison demographic; the wider implications of the penal system; and the alternatives to orthodox punishment.

• Social and Cultural Research Practice

  In this module you will learn about qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods of research and then have the option to study either more advanced quantitative methods or more advanced qualitative methods. You will gain experience in the design and practice of research and the skills to develop a research proposal for your final-year dissertation.

Options*

• Cross-Cultural Criminology

  During this module, you will explore the effect of cultural context upon crime and (in)justice in countries outside the UK and how contrasting notions of legality and ‘criminality’ are established in diverse cultures. Topics will vary to reflect evolving global debates but might include the politics of capital punishment; gender, justice and social change; hate crime; cultures of violence; and gun control strategies.

• Policing and Society

  With a focus on contemporary Britain, this module examines the role of the police and explores a range of themes, issues and debates in a critical-analytical fashion. You will look at current and historical research on dilemmas in contemporary policing including a history of British policing, police ethics, police powers and citizens’ rights, policing in diverse societies and alternative or global models of harm reduction.

• Community Engagement: Theory into Practice

  At the heart of this module is a 50-hour voluntary placement within a local, not for profit organisation. You will explore community engagement theory, reflect on your personal values and aspirations and develop a range of transferable employability skills through both theory and practice.

• Debates and Conflicts in Criminology

  In this module you will evolve your ability to undertake independent inquiry and engage with academic literature. You will produce an independently researched literature review with a focus on intersectional perspectives in criminology, including feminist, anti-racist and decolonial approaches. The module provides a valuable stepping stone in your development of critical reading and literature reviewing.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

In your final year you will be given the opportunity to study topics in much more depth, adding critical perspectives to your portfolio of theoretical knowledge.

Your third year will also involve writing a dissertation which is a large-scale independent project about a topic of your choosing. The dissertation is an opportunity to design and develop an idea independently, with the support of an academic supervisor throughout.

You’ll also choose option modules, such as Global Issues: Harm, Crime and Power, which focuses on environmental crime, trafficking and international conflict.

Modules

Core modules

• Violence and Society

  In Violence and Society, you will examine how patterns of power, control and dominance permeate society and impact on our social understandings and experiences of violence. You will gain an understanding of the key themes and issues around violence and its macro, cultural and embodied manifestations. By the end of the module, you’ll have a critical awareness of violence as constructed at different levels of society and in different arenas.

• Contemporary Studies in Crime and Justice

  In this module you will choose to study two topics which will vary each year to reflect developments within criminology and criminal justice and the evolving research interests of the criminology team. Possible subjects may include miscarriages of justice, decolonial, postcolonial and Southern perspectives, gangs, victims and victimology, the politics of crime and justice and drug trafficking.

• Dissertation

  This enquiry-based module requires you to write a fully developed, researched and evidenced academic dissertation on a topic of your choice related to your degree programme. You will demonstrate the research, data handling, critical thinking, organisational and writing skills you have developed over the course of your undergraduate study.

Options*

• Critical Addiction Studies

  You will study biological and psychological theories and models of addiction during this module and analyse government responses to substance use, including via drug and alcohol policy. You’ll look at historical and contemporary attitudes towards those who use drugs as well as reflecting on your own beliefs about and attitudes towards addiction and addicted people and how these inform and are informed by your experiences of the world.

• Criminology of Borders

  This module applies criminological perspectives to issues associated with migration, its control and its impact on society. You will reflect on the limits of criminology as a discipline and consider the involvement of criminal justice agencies and policies in border control and the criminalisation of migration. You will also explore the construction of irregular migration as ‘deviant’, consider the intersection of immigration and criminal law and look at theoretical understandings of race, colonialism and citizenship.

• Global Issues: Harm, Crime and Power

  This module takes the study of criminology beyond mainstream conceptions of crime, power and harm to enable you to critically analyse a range of contemporary global issues, from human rights abuses to corporate environmental harms. This will give you fresh insights into and new criminological understandings of these global phenomena.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Placements

Spend a year on placement

Gain valuable experience and earn money during an optional placement year following year 2. You’ll return to the final year of your degree with added confidence, real-world experience and valuable contacts. 

A placement year significantly improves your CV, giving you a distinct advantage over others when applying for jobs and starting your career. It will also help you to develop the softer skills such as communication and teamwork.

For the assessed part of your placement, you will create a reflective piece of work on professional practice and skills. 

The university has links with a wide range of organisations including in health, culture and heritage, housing, councils, the police, the probation service, policy think tanks and charities.

Our dedicated Placements and Employability team will support you in getting a placement that meets with your interests and career ambitions. They can help with CVs and cover letter writing, applications, online testing and more. Plus, they’ll provide support and guidance when you’re on placement and make sure that everything is going well.

Community Engagement: volunteer with a non-profit

In your second year, the Community Engagement module lets you work with a local non-profit to gain real-world experience while making a difference. You will volunteer for around 50 hours, backed by training, tutor support and classroom learning on community engagement.  

We will help you find a placement that suits your interests. You will build your CV, develop skills like time management and interview prep, and gain insight into potential career paths – all while actively contributing to the community.

This experience not only enhances your employability but also makes a real impact.

Previous students have had placements with organisations including: 

• CCHF All About Kids 
• Centre for Ecotherapy 
• Connect 
• Samaritans 
• MS Society 
• Fresh Start 
• Alzheimer’s Society 
• Sussex Prisoners’ Families 
• Age UK 
• YMCA 
• MindOut 
• Trust for Developing Communities 
• Healthwatch Brighton & Hove.

Lab facilities

Mithras House has a series of lab rooms which can be used for teaching on your course or in your independent research work.

Life lab
A skills-based lab for practice-based teaching, social work, psychotherapy and counselling, and employability. The Life lab is fitted with lounge furniture to provide a comfortable space for conducting qualitative research with larger groups. The lab can be used to conduct research activities with children of all ages and can be used for meetings and events. The room also contains a dedicated space to conduct assessed role play or interviews with children.

City lab
This is a qualitative research methods and creative methods resource for all students, staff and researchers, as well as research participants, including children, community groups and the general public. It can also be used for meetings and events. The City lab contains a kitchen, a teaching/meeting room with enhanced acoustic isolation and two meeting spaces that can be separated with a screen or combined to accommodate larger groups.

Design lab
Housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles, which are used in some teaching on our History of Art and Design courses, this has the space and equipment for you to work on textile projects. Displays created by students on these programmes are on view in the social spaces of the building.

Community lab
A space designed for collaborative student learning, this is used by students and staff involved in the university’s Global Challenges programme – our collective mission to contribute towards solutions to tackle the pressing issues facing our world.

Stats lab
A specialist workspace with computing equipment for statistical analysis and projects involving video and audio editing software. The lab contains eight acoustically treated booths for both recording and transcribing interviews undertaken as part of dissertation research and for recording and editing podcasts.

Applied cognition lab
A dedicated research space for psychological research involving measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA) and electroencephalography (EEG). The space is designed to allow the participant and researcher to sit at separate desks whilst psychophysiological data is being collected. 

VR and eye tracking lab
The VR and Eye-Tracking Lab is used for psychological research using equipment, such as eye-trackers and virtual reality headsets. The space has adjustable lighting and a blackout blind for maintaining consistent lighting conditions during eye-tracking research, as well as sensors set up in the room to allow individuals to move freely around the room during virtual reality research.

Meet the team

Find out about the criminology degree team:

• Dr Hannah Thurston, course leader
• Dr Craig Johnstone
• Dr Daren Britt
• Deanna Dadusc
• Dr James Pickles
• Matt Follett
• Dr Roxana Cavalcanti
• Suzie Clift

• Dr Jon Robins

• Dr Amy Clarke
• Dr Raphael Schlembach
• Ven Fitchett

Read a Q+A with lecturer Dr Hannah Thurston about what she loves about teaching Criminology.

Criminology lecturer Dr Hannah Thurston.

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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