Law and Criminology BA (Hons)

Course Content

• Course Details

  With detailed insight into law and criminology, students are able to understand how the law relates and responds to crime and criminal acts in society and conversely how criminal acts and changes in the behaviour, organisation and types of crime have an impact on how the law is enforced and new ones developed.

  Both our Law and Criminology programmes have been developed over many years to provide a contextualised study of both subjects. Students benefit from a varied and imaginative modular scheme, which is designed to offer students a wide range of options in addition to the foundation subjects identified by legal professional bodies. In addition, as the ‘problem’ of crime has increasingly become a matter of public and political concern, so the prevention of crime has been prioritised as a matter of social policy. The combination of Law and Criminology into one programme addresses each of these issues and many others in a systematic and methodical manner.

  Please note the modules shown here relate to the academic year 22/23. The modules relating to the academic year 23/24 will be available from June 2023.

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• Entry Requirements

  Standard entry requirements apply. A typical offer would be BCC at A Level or DMM at BTEC. We welcome international applicants and applications from those with a range of non-traditional educational or professional qualifications.

  For more information on how to make an application, please visit our How to Apply page.

  If you are an International student and would like information on making an application, please see our How to Apply page.

  Integrated Foundation Year Entry Requirements 

  The standard entry requirements for the Integrated Foundation Year are DEE at A Level or MPP at BTEC.

  For more information on how to make an application please visit our How to Apply pages for Home and EU, and International students.

  English Language Requirements

  All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:

  • IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with minimum of 5.5 in all bands for study at undergraduate level.

  For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.

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• Fees and Funding

  22/23 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 22/23 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  • UK Full Time: £9,250
  • UK Part Time: £1,500 per 20 credit module
  • UK Integrated Foundation Year: £9,250 for the foundation year; thereafter standard fees apply
  • International Full Time: £14,000
  • International Integrated Foundation Year: £14,000 for the foundation year; thereafter standard fees apply
  • Optional Work Placement Year: £1,100

  For information on the scholarships available to you, please see our scholarships page.

  Additional costs

  Your reading materials are accessible from our library however, you may choose to purchase your own copy of the textbooks. New law textbooks cost in the region of £30-£40 but you can often buy recent second-hand ones for much less.

  21/22 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 21/22 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  • UK Full Time: £9,250
  • UK Part Time: £1,465 per 20 credit module
  • UK Integrated Foundation Year: £6,780 for the foundation year; thereafter standard fees apply
  • International Full Time: £13,000
  • International Integrated Foundation Year: £13,000 for the foundation year; thereafter standard fees apply
  • Optional Work Placement Year: £1,000

  For information on the scholarships available to you, please see our scholarships page.

  Additional costs

  Your reading materials are accessible from our library however, you may choose to purchase your own copy of the textbooks. New law textbooks cost in the region of £30-£40 but you can often buy recent second-hand ones for much less.

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• Postgraduate Opportunities

  Our postgraduate courses are a great way to enhance the skills you have already learnt. Benefit from our 20% alumni discount on postgraduate fees to give yourself a CV that will catch the eye of employers.

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• Student Perks

  At the University of Northampton, everything we do, from funded trips to paid internships, is to give you everything you need to make a difference when you leave.

  If you join this full time degree at Northampton you will receive a laptop when your course begins. The laptops are built to a bespoke custom specification ideal for use in the seminar room, collaborative group work or studying at home.

  Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.

  To check out the full list of perks visit our Student Perks page.

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• Integrated Foundation Year (IFY)

  The Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) offers a new and exciting route into studying for a degree, attracting ambitious and driven students who are willing to learn and advance.

  If you have non-standard qualifications or do not quite meet the admissions requirements for Law and Criminology we can offer you a fantastic opportunity to study a four year Law and Criminology programme which includes a Integrated Foundation Year. The Integrated Foundation Year will help you develop the theoretical/practical and academic skills you need, in order to successfully progress to the full award.

  Featuring a reduced tuition fee in the first year, our four-year courses will enable you to successfully follow the degree pathway of your choice while gaining essential study skills. The foundation year of your chosen degree will be studied on a full-time basis and is aimed at supporting the transition to higher education. Years two, three and four are then studied as a standard degree programme.

  Please see our Integrated Foundation Year page for more details.

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• FAQs

  What is the British Society of Criminology?

  Every Criminology student (Single and Joint Honours) receives an undergraduate membership to the British Society of Criminology (BSC) for the entirety of their degree. Benefits of the membership include access to e-bulletins and newsletters, access to free BSC seminars and events, discounted rates to attend BSC events and many more. Check out the full Member Benefits list.

  How will I learn?

  The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and research workshops, student-chaired debates and problem-solving exercises as well as directed private study. Students are also expected to work independently and to actively participate in seminar discussion through individual presentations and small group activities.

  How will I be assessed?

  A variety of assessment strategies are used at each level to ascertain your level of competence in a range of academic and transferable skills. These strategies include essays, practical reports, multiple-choice tests, oral presentations, time-constrained essays, seen and unseen examinations, critical reviews and group project work.

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Careers and Employability

Law and Criminology is a popular degree with excellent career prospects. You will develop a range of analytical and critical skills related to law and criminology that can also be applied to a variety of working environments related to the subjects. The course provides you with a broad critical grounding which could be relevant to careers in a legal setting, policing, probation work, the prison service, the Home Office, the criminal courts and postgraduate studies.

The knowledge and skills accumulated by our graduates throughout their studies enables them to become extremely reflective and adaptable. Furthermore, the development of Changemaker attributes such as empathy, problem solving, ethical awareness, combined with a strong sense of social justice, make our graduates increasingly relevant for a variety of different career paths.