Curious about studying Criminology (with a Foundation Year) - BSc (Hons)at University of Staffordshire? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Stoke-on-Trent Campus
Full Time
Sep 2026
4 Year
Criminology at Staffordshire University is a dynamic and diverse course. Through an understanding and appreciation of human rights and underpinned by cutting-edge research, you will explore the relationship between criminological theories and criminal justice policies and practices. You will be exposed to, and encouraged to discuss, explanations for crime and antisocial behaviour and how the police and courts deal with such matters.Additionally, you will study the role of punishment in the secure estate, investigate crimes of the powerful and come to understand the role of the media.Throughout your degree, you will be encouraged to think creatively, challenge established beliefs and develop your own research interests.Our exciting pathways give you the option to focus on an area of Criminology that interests you. You will have the opportunity to choose to study our parent Criminology degree or to specialise in one of our exciting new pathways: Criminology with Offender Management, Criminology with Victim Support, or Criminology with Organised Crime and Terrorism. The Foundation Year route is designed for students who may not have the necessary academic profile for entry onto the 3-year course. We recognise that some of our applicants may have also been out of formal education for a while or feel they may need to enhance their skills and capabilities first. You will study a range of modules that are designed to increase academic confidence and prepare you for the remainder of your Criminology degree.Upon completion of your studies you will be awarded a BSc (Hons) Criminology, BSc (Hons) Criminology (Offender Management), BSc (Hons) Criminology (Organised Crime and Terrorism), or BSc (Hons) Criminology (Victim Support)
Foundation Year Modules
What are the core differences between an essay and other types of academic writing? Why is important to make this distinction? How do I improve my own writing skills? In this module, we will be answering all of these questions and more. Law and its application across the justice sector is intrinsically connected to language.. We will be considering how language is adapted to suit a variety of audiences, whether that is writing an academic essay, or writing a formal letter.We will be examining the core features of legal English and its use across the justice sector, which will form the foundations for your degree and future career.
Foundation Year Modules
Foundation Year Modules
Foundation Year Modules
This module is designed to provide students with an introduction to the sociological causes of crime and criminal behaviour. In this module we will explore the role media has to play in crime, moral panic, and theories of crime. We will also explore and critically analyse different crime prevention policies, including situational, environmental and community approaches to crime prevention. Case studies will be used throughout the module to ensure application of theory to contemporary crime challenges.
Foundation Year Modules
How can psychology explain and influence issues within the Criminal Justice System? This module will provide you with an introduction to, and evaluation of, some of the ways in which psychological research and theories can help us to understand contemporary and key issues that we see in Criminal Justice cases in a number of areas including policing, interviewing and in the court room, setting the scene for explorations into criminal behaviours and impacts in later modules.
Theories of Crime and Justice provides you with a comprehensive grounding in the area of criminological theory. This module familiarises you with the different assumptions, explanations and proposed solutions embedded within these theories and sensitises you to the importance of the social contexts in which theories are produced. The module is also designed to develop your learning about 'crime' and 'criminal justice', so you learn that they are not fixed and settled entities but complex and shifting processes whose different characteristics are revealed (and concealed) when viewed through the lenses of different theories.
Criminal law is an exciting subject, which you will find enjoyable and engaging. You will explore the law relating to some of the most serious and/or common criminal offences, including homicide, non-fatal offences against the person and fraud. Learners will explore a range of defences, such as, self-defence, diminished responsibility and insanity. You will learn about several key contemporary concepts of criminal liability such as fitness to plead and accessorial liability. You will consider some basic rules of evidence and aspects of sentencing to provide you will an effective and practical overview.
Media and Crime is an exciting module in which you will examine the complex interrelationships between the media and representations of criminal activity, including crimes of the powerful vs crimes of the powerless. The module offers case studies of representations of crime generated across a range of media sites including television, film, literature, advertising, newspapers, magazines, music videos and websites. You will also can analyse visual representations of crime from historical and contemporary media sources.
This module reflects the subject knowledge and understanding concerning the philosophy and politics of criminalisation, victimisation, criminal justice and modes of punishment. An integral part of this module is a critical analysis of power imbalance, human rights, civil liberties and the relationships of authority, discipline and coercion. The main aim is to review the politics of punishment and the socio-political controversies and debates which have shaped contemporary policies and penal practices.
48 Grades/points required
Not currently available, please Contact University for up to date information.
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