Skip to content Accessibility statement
Home>Study at York>Undergraduate>Courses 2023/24>Criminology (BA)

BA (Hons) Criminology

Take a fresh look at crime and disorder

Year of entry: 2023/24
Show year of entry: 2024

UCAS code

L611

Institution code

Y50

Length

3 years full-time

Typical offer

AAB (full entry requirements)

Start date

September 2023 (semester dates)

UK (home) fees

£9,250 per year

International and EU fees

£21,950 per year

Visit us

Sign up for email updates to be the first to know when upcoming events are announced.

Discover York

in the UK for Criminology

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

Explore what crime means in our culture and society and how it affects our lives.

Look beyond traditional views and develop new ways of thinking about the effects of crime, how it impacts individuals and societies and how we respond to it.

Challenge your own opinions about the nature of crime and disorder and learn to evaluate evidence, think critically and craft arguments – attributes valued by employers. After a core introduction to Criminology you can tailor your degree to your developing specialist interests.

 

I have gained real-world experience on the course - during my second year we visited the York Crown Court where we investigated the varying roles within a legal court case. We've also got to meet inspirational guest speakers, such as prison directors and forensic psychologists – they have broadened my knowledge of the career paths available to me and given me aspirations for the future.
Mark, BA Criminology. More student views.

Interdisciplinary approach

Taught across two departments: Sociology, and the School for Business and Society

World top 100

for Sociology (QS World Rankings by Subject 2022)

5th in the UK

and world top 25 for Social Policy and Administration (QS World Rankings by Subject 2021)

Course content

The course progresses from broad to specialised topics. Core modules in the first year introduce you to the breadth of Criminology.

You'll study the social, economic and cultural aspects of crime and criminal justice before developing your preferences and expertise in the following years, leading up to your dissertation.

Study abroad

There are opportunities for you to spend time abroad during your course:

Placements

There are opportunities to spend time in industry as part of this course.

Year 1

You'll be introduced to the core aspects of criminology, policy, crime and criminal justice.

Core modules

Academic integrity module

In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.

Year 2

You'll learn how social, cultural and policy changes shape criminal activities and you'll develop social research skills. You can also choose an area of interest from a range of options.

Core modules

Option modules

You will also study one option module:

Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.

Learning by design

Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

  • Interpret, explain and analyse offending behaviour through a critical understanding of criminological theory and criminal justice institutions, policies and practices.
  • Confront and analyse real-world social and crime-related problems via criminological debates and criminal justice institutions, agencies and policies to critically assess the complexity of societal transgressions.
  • Work creatively in teams by cooperating with others in a manner which is respectful of diverse views, values and the cultural position of others. 
  • Design and undertake ethical criminological research projects which draw upon appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative skills to produce empirically rigorous analysis of social issues upon which future actions can be based.
  • Synthesise complex arguments about crime and deviance in order to challenge assumptions and misperceptions about offending behaviours and criminal justice system.
  • Critically communicate information and well-reasoned arguments in appropriate formats concerning matters of crime and deviance, using a range of media and digital technologies.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees

UK (home) International and EU
£9,250 £21,950

UK (home) or international fees?

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

  • UK (home) fees may increase within the government fee cap in subsequent academic years. We will notify you of any increase as soon as we can.
  • International fees are subject to increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

More information

For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.

Additional costs

You may choose to buy textbooks, but this is not required. You may also incur some minor costs through occasional printing or photocopying, and the production of your final year dissertation.

Funding

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2023/24 throughout the year.

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

Teaching and assessment

As you progress through your course, you'll take part in a range of activities designed to help you develop essential skills.

 Teaching and assessment methods

Careers and skills

You'll develop a range of transferable skills to help you succeed in whatever career you choose. 

 Careers opportunities and transferable skills

Entry requirements

Typical offer
A levels

AAB

Access to Higher Education Diploma 36 credits at Distinction and 9 credits at Merit or higher
BTEC National Extended Diploma DDD
Cambridge Pre-U D3, D3, M2
European Baccalaureate An overall average of 80%
International Baccalaureate 35 points overall
T levels We will consider a range of T Level qualifications for entry. Please visit our dedicated T Levels page for a full list of accepted T Levels.
Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers Scottish Highers - AABBB

Advanced Highers - not required for entry

We may also be able to consider three Advanced Highers or a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers, where an applicant does not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications.
International foundation programme Foundation Certificate from our International Pathway College or an appropriate alternative.
Other international qualifications Equivalent qualifications from your country

Alternative offers

Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.

Criteria Adjustment
Widening participation If you successfully complete one of the following programmes, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to three A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer: Black Access Programme, Next Step York, Realising Opportunities, YESS, YorWay to York. More about widening participation.
Contextual offers If you have experience of local authority care or live in an area with low progression to university, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to two A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer. More about contextual offers.
EPQ If you achieve C or higher at EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.
Core Maths If you achieve B or higher in Core Maths, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.

English language

If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:

Minimum requirement
IELTS (Academic and Indicator) 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component
C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency 176, with a minimum of 169 in each component
Duolingo 120, minimum 105 in each component
GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) Grade C / Grade 4
LanguageCert SELT B2 with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component
LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component
PTE Academic/PTE Academic Online 61, with a minimum of 55 in each component
TOEFL 87 overall, with a minimum of 21 in each component
Trinity ISE III Merit in all components

For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.

If you've not met our English language requirements

You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.

The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.

After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.

Applying

To apply to York, you will need to complete an online application via UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

We consider applications for deferred entry, including requests made after taking up an offer.

We encourage mature students to email the Admissions Tutor for consultation and advice.

Next steps

Contact us

Get in touch if you have any questions

Learn more

Department of Sociology

Discover York

Accommodation

We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.

Student life

Explore campus and city life and hear what our current students have to say about living here.

The city

Lively, full of culture and beautiful, York is regularly voted one of the best places to live and visit in the UK.

Meet us

Find out more about York. Chat to staff and students and take the tour, on campus or online.