Criminology
BSc (Hons)
UCAS code: LL31
Start dates: September 2025 / September 2026
Full time: 3 years
Part time: up to 6 years
Location: Headington
Department(s): School of Education, Humanities and Languages
Overview
Can the death penalty be justified? Should we criminalise ‘fast fashion’? Should we legalise street drugs? Study criminology at Oxford Brookes and you’ll try to answer some of society’s biggest questions, exploring who commits crime and why – and what practical and political measures we can take to prevent crime.
While many criminology courses are taught from a criminal justice angle, we’re a bit different at Oxford Brookes. You’ll study the subject from a much broader, interdisciplinary perspective. You’ll look at the social causes of crime. You’ll consider how race, gender and class overlap and define our perceptions. And most importantly, you’ll learn to challenge common misconceptions that can cause inequality in the criminal justice system.
You could work with an NGO on placement helping to support disadvantaged children to make positive decisions and avoid crime. Or maybe you’ll choose our Green Criminology module and work towards a career in environmental justice. Perhaps you want to join the Police? Whatever path you want to take, we’ll help you get there.
Why Oxford Brookes University?
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A distinctive social focus
Being part of the School of Education, Humanities and Languages, you’ll get to study the subject from a wide range of views.
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Leading lecturers
The unique social angle of the department also attracts renowned researchers in areas like immigration or drugs who teach on the course.
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Links with top organisations
Thanks to our partnerships with organisations like Thames Valley Police and the Tap Social Movement, you’ll have great options for work placement or real-life projects.
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Make the degree yours
Optional modules let you study topics that interest you, while the dissertation is your chance to focus on an area you care about.
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A stepping stone to a rewarding career
Whether you want to work with the police or campaign for the environment, criminology gives you the tools to succeed.
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Free language courses
Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
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Study abroad
You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Oxford Brookes. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.
Course details
Study modules
Teaching for this course takes place face to face and you can expect around 7 hours of contact time per week. In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.
Contact hours involve activities such as lectures, seminars, practicals, assessments, and academic advising sessions. These hours differ by year of study and typically increase significantly during placements or other types of work-based learning.
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Careers
Criminology graduates often choose to work in law enforcement or the criminal justice system. But those aren’t your only options. Your skills will be ideal for a wide range of career destinations including:
- NGOs
- charities
- local authorities
- crime consultation
- community support
- security firms
- research.
We offer work placement options such as Citizens Advice, Shannon Trust, who work in prisons to promote literacy, Thames Valley Police, charities such as ‘SAFE,’ Support for Young People Affected by Crime, or Children Heard and Seen (CHAS). Or even a local brewery, Tap Social, who sell beer to support social justice movements. So you’ll have a great opportunity to get some experience.
Student profiles
Joint honours options
You can also study this course as part of a joint honours degree. This course can be joined with:
Related courses
Entry requirements
Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.
Standard offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 104
A Level: BCC
IB Points: 29
BTEC: DMM
Contextual offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 88
A Level: CCD
IB Points: 27
BTEC: MMM
Specific entry requirements
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
Please see the University's standard English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
If you do not meet the entry requirements for this degree, or if you would like more preparation before you start, you can take an international foundation course. Once you enrol, you will have a guaranteed pathway to this degree if you pass your foundation course with the required grades.
If you only need to meet the language requirements, you can take our pre-sessional English course. You will develop key language and study skills for academic success and you will not need to take an external language test to progress to your degree.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Credit transfer
Many of our courses consider applications for entry part-way through the course for students who have credit from previous learning or relevant professional experience.
Find out more about transferring to Brookes. If you'd like to talk through your options, please contact our Admissions team.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
International qualifications and equivalences
How to apply
Application process
Full time international applicants can also apply through UCAS
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Financial support and scholarships
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Most modules included a recommended reading list. All recommended texts are available from the library. We recommend our students purchase The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (Oxford University Press, fifth edition) as a core course textbook. It retails for under £50 if bought new, and considerably less if bought second-hand.
Information from Discover Uni
Full-time study
Part-time study
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.