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Criminology BSc

Course code

L311

L312, L313 with placement

Start date

September

Placement available

Mode of study

3 years full-time

4 years full-time with placement

Fees

2024/25

UK £9,250

International £19,430

Entry requirements

2024/5

ABB - BBC (A-level)

DMM (BTEC)

29 (IB)

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Overview

Criminology is a fast moving constantly evolving subject which reflects the current social, and political climate. You are provided with opportunities and the resources necessary for you to develop an understanding of how the law is used as a tool to marginalise and criminalise some communities and individuals, while ignoring the crimes of the rich and powerful.

Studying criminology at Brunel means you are taught by academic staff who are actively engaged in criminological research further enriching the substantial and supportive learning resources on offer to you.

The criminology department at Brunel recognises and emphasises the importance of theory that is based on evidence and encourages you to engage in critical evaluation of concepts of crime and deviance. This critical approach nurtures lively debate, and we encourage you to develop independent opinions based on a wide range of theoretical and methodological perspectives, employing both quantitative and qualitative data in considering the processes of criminalisation and victimisation over space and time.

As critical criminologists, you will be encouraged to engage in debates about race, gender, migration, social harms, green criminology and a wide variety of other current topics. Whilst being furnished with the necessary research training in both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis to engage with and challenge debates as they evolve.

The programme sets out from a broad multi-disciplinary Social Sciences content at FHEQ Level 4 where you will be studying alongside sociology students in some modules as well as on criminology specific modules and then to a more focussed disciplinary content at FHEQ Level 5, and more specific thematic content at FHEQ Level 6, where students are encouraged to personalize their studies through their choice of a range of advanced optional modular blocks.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

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Course content

Criminology at Brunel takes a critical approach that is reflected in the range of subjects that seek to challenge notions of crime and deviance through a number of intersecting lenses such as gender, migration, sexuality, race, ethnicity and urbanisation. Brunel offers a wide range of contemporary subjects such as cybercrime, crimes of the powerful, gangs and social harms. These supplement more established criminology debates such as the part played by the media in shaping notions of criminality and the demonization and moral panics that are attached to youth.

We recognise the importance of theory and practical application of theory and with that aim we prepare our students with the tools needed to carry out vigorous research and the opportunity to take up placements with a number of organisations. The vitality of criminology at Brunel is designed to instil students with the knowledge and study skills required for post graduate study should they chose or a wide variety of career options.

This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 4 years full-time with placement, starting in September.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

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Careers and your future

Students can expect to have an array of employment opportunities across the public, private and voluntary sectors. This might be in different sectors of the criminal justice system, such as prisons and probation services. But it might also be in a number of related services such as drug and alcohol support services, youth services, victim support services (increasingly in areas of child protection, internet safety, prevention of radicalisation and extremism), as well as other third sector organisations and community-based services. Critical criminology is an excellent grounding for students who are thinking of a later conversion course that allows them to practice law. It also provides them with the critical thinking skills sought by third-sector organisations that challenge issues of human rights violations in areas such as migration, incarceration, and protest both in the UK and internationally

As criminology graduates, they will also have career opportunities in different policing roles: in a range of police services, border security, the National Crime Agency, and numerous others including the private sector security services. Criminology graduates will also have opportunities for further study at the postgraduate level in related disciplines at Brunel as well as in other HE institutions.

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UK entry requirements

2024/25 entry

  • GCE A-level ABB-BBC.
  • BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DMM.
  • BTEC Level 3 Diploma DM with an A-level at grade B.
  • BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma Merit with A-levels grade BB.
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma 29 points. GCSE English equivalent Standard Level 5 or Higher Level 4 and Mathematics Standard Level 4 or Higher Level 4
  • Obtain a minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points in the Access to HE Diploma .
  • T levels : Merit overall

A minimum of five GCSEs are required, including GCSE Mathematics grade C or grade 4 and GCSE English Language grade C or grade 4 or GCSE English Literature grade B or grade 5.

Brunel University London is committed to raising the aspirations of our applicants and students. We will fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

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EU and International entry requirements

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

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Fees and funding

2024/25 entry

UK

£9,250 full-time

£1,385 placement year

International

£19,430 full-time

£1,385 placement year

Fees quoted are per year and may be subject to an annual increase. Home undergraduate student fees are regulated and are currently capped at £9,250 per year; any changes will be subject to changes in government policy. International fees will increase annually, by no more than 5% or RPI (Retail Price Index), whichever is the greater.

More information on any additional course-related costs.

See our fees and funding page for full details of undergraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Please refer to the scholarships pages to view discounts available to eligible EU undergraduate applicants.

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Teaching and Learning

We recognise the importance of being taught by tutors engaged in research, and the curriculum adopts a variety of methods that reflects the expertise of individual lecturers. We believe that learning is a social activity – students are encouraged to share knowledge, discuss ideas, and aid each other in their intellectual development. We view learning as interactive and co-constructive and situate teaching as a guided conversation rather than a simple instruction to students. Teaching and learning will normally take place in a variety of contexts and may include the following formats:

  • Lectures
  • Tutorials
  • Seminars
  • External visits to places of relevance to modules
  • Whole group interactive sessions
  • Working in groups
  • Weekly Journal Entries
  • Comparative Analyses
  • Group critiques
  • Group and individual learning
  • Tutor-led, participant-led, self-directed, research and study
  • Use of subject-specific and generic technologies
  • Resource-based learning, including library work, internet research.
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Assessment and feedback

Assessments will be varied but always relevant to the nature of the activity/enquiry being carried out and to the expected outcome – which may involve presentation of research, written essay, portfolio work and group participation. Assessment will be through a variety of means to evaluate different skill sets:

  • Coursework essays
  • Individual and Group projects
  • Portfolios
  • Work diaries
  • Reports
  • Case Studies
  • Critical Reviews

Students’ knowledge and understanding of learning outcomes will be studied via a range of assessment practices. This mix simultaneously will enforce a broad and comprehensive coverage of the Programme themes and the more selective, creative and skills-oriented form of understanding that will come from particular blocks. Knowledge and understanding of practice-based, research-oriented outcome will be assessed by means of reports of skill-oriented work (as with research methods) at FHEQ Level 4 and 5, and the final year dissertation at FHEQ Level

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.

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