Law with Criminology (with Foundation Year)

LLB Law (Hons)

UCAS code: M2LF

Start dates: September 2025 / September 2026

Full time: 4 years (5 years with a placement year)

Part time: Up to 11 years

Location: Headington

School(s): School of Law and Social Sciences

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Overview

Become a law graduate with criminology expertise. Investigate the issues and challenges which crime poses to our society and discover how law and criminology work together to solve these challenges.

Our LLB (Hons) Law with Criminology (with Foundation Year) prepares you for degree level study by equipping you with essential skills such as research, evaluation and communication. Passing the foundation year leads to our LLB Law and Criminology programme, where you’ll develop your understanding of English law and build your legal skills. You’ll look at policing and sentencing while gaining an understanding of the criminal justice system.

You’ll have opportunities to take part in events and activities that support your studies and with our friendly and diverse mix of staff and students, there are always new insights and perspectives to hear.

On graduation, you might take further legal training to become a barrister or solicitor. Or roles like probation officer, policy adviser, or public prosecutor may be of interest to you. Your tutors will support you in your decision making.  

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Students on field trip

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • You’re our priority

    Help is always easy to access. You’ll have regular meetings with your Academic Advisor, who will be a member of academic staff from the School of Law.

  • Gain practical experience

    Academic staff will help you make the most of extra-curricular opportunities including client interviewing and pro bono opportunities.

  • Test your legal skills

    Try mooting and test your skills of legal argument and communication in our Moot court.

  • Taught by experts

    Many tutors are involved in high profile legal research which informs their teaching.

  • Perfect preparation

    Build essential skills with an integrated foundation year. Gain academic confidence, improve critical thinking, and strengthen subject knowledge for your degree journey.

Course details

Course structure

In your foundation year, you will study a Foundation in Law, building confidence and essential academic skills.  In the first year of your degree, we’ll introduce you to the basics of law and criminology. Through the Legal Method module you'll dive into the world of English law. You will learn to find and understand legal information and gain skills in legal thought and argumentation. The module Theories of Crime will have you dig into the key concepts and theories of crime.

In the second year of your degree, you’ll move on to more advanced study of law and criminology. Optional modules explore how criminal justice may discriminate against different communities in society, the relationship between crime and capitalism, and crime in a globalised world.

There are further opportunities to specialise in your third year. You’ll have the chance on your Dissertation module to research an area of law at a deeper level. Other modules, like Carnival of Pleasures, will have you exploring why some people enjoy breaking the law and the feelings they experience from doing this.

Students studying in library

Learning and teaching

Throughout the course, you’ll learn in different ways. You’ll be supported at every level of the course, with close access to lecturers, small seminar groups and tutorials.

You will learn through a variety of teaching and learning methods including:

  • lectures, seminars and workshops
  • supervised independent learning
  • court visits
  • working with a wide range of practical resources.

During your studies, you’ll gain a range of personal and professional skills. These skills will be a springboard for your future career development in a number of industries.

Assessment

We use a range of assessment techniques. In some modules, you’ll be assessed through formal exams. In other modules, you may be assessed through coursework, in-class exercises or other means. 

Professional accreditation

After you complete your LLB, you can go straight to the vocational stage of training. If you want to be a barrister, you’ll be ready to progress to the Bar course. You’ll also have a strong foundation of law knowledge from which you can move on to prepare for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).

Study modules

Teaching for this course takes place face to face. Including your foundation year your academic supervisor will be from the School of Law. In your foundation year and continuing into your degree years, you can expect around fourteen hours of contact time per week. In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1200 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.

Foundation Year

Compulsory modules

  • Introduction to Law

    In this module, you’ll gain a strong understanding of the English and Welsh Legal System. You’ll gain the knowledge you need to study law at degree-level and the role of the courts. You’ll have a firm grasp of the sources of law in a common law system, and how the courts work in England and Wales. You’ll also visit a court, and gain an understanding of how courts operate. 

  • Principles of Criminal Law and Reading Cases

    In this module, you’ll gain a crucial skill in a key area of Law - the ability to read legal cases with precision, rigour, and clarity. You’ll also explore some fundamental concepts of criminal law, including what constitutes a criminal act or criminal mindset.
  • Research Skills

    In this module, you’ll gain the core knowledge to succeed in your Foundation in Law course. You’ll develop key skills in how to undertake a research project in law. You’ll get to know legal databases, and the process of managing and carrying out a research project.  
  • Study Skills

    In this module, you’ll develop the tools you need to study Law successfully at university. You’ll gain excellent organisation and time management skills, crucial to studying the law in the full workload of an LLB Degree. You’ll gain the critical skills to read widely and purposefully. You’ll also learn how to take notes effectively while reading, as well as write clearly and correctly.

  • Criminal Advocacy Application

    In this module, you’ll develop key skills for practising law. You’ll develop core knowledge of criminal advocacy, which is when you make your client’s case to the court. You’ll get to know the criminal procedure of a Crown Court Trial, and develop your ability to communicate confidently and persuasively when speaking in public. You’ll gain the oral presentation skills you need for criminal advocacy in the Crown Court, and you’ll learn these skills through video recording, feedback and analysis. 

  • Introduction to Constitutional Law and Essay Writing

    In this module, you’ll gain core skills in legal writing, accelerating your chances of success in your Foundation in Law course, and later LLB degree. You’ll learn how to use journal articles to enhance your legal analysis. You’ll also have the opportunity to practice your legal writing, allowing you to improve continually. 
  • Principles of Contract Law and Problem Solving

    In this module, you’ll get to understand the law of Contract, which governs and enforces how, and when, we make legal agreements. You’ll understand Contract Law from the point of view of a consumer, and understand the most recent law on consumer rights. You’ll gain a strong understanding of statutory interpretation - how courts interpret and apply the law. You’ll also gain key skills in problem solving, vital to practicing the law. 

  • Research Project

    This module gives you the chance to do independent research on a fascinating legal subject. You’ll gain core skills for studying the law at degree-level, as you identify, define and complete your own research project. You’ll base your project on one of three topics, centered around our staff’s research interests, meaning you’ll always be taught by an expert. You’ll have expert guidance and one-to-one support from your supervisor, who will help you as you get to know your topic.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

  • Contract Law

    In this module, you’ll get to grips with contract law. You’ll gain a detailed understanding of the formation, operation, and termination of contracts. You’ll understand the key ideas behind contract law. You’ll develop the critical skills in legal reasoning and analysis you gained from your Legal Method modules.

    You’ll enhance your legal skills, as you tackle case studies in contract law. You’ll explore:

    • the purpose of contract law
    • formation of contract
    • agreement problems (such as mistake or misrepresentation)
    • terms of contract
    • exclusion causes
    • statutory control
    • breach of contract and damages.
  • Criminal Law

    You’ve committed a crime. But what makes you responsible for it? In this module, you’ll get to grips with the key principles of criminal responsibility, and build key skills for your degree. You’ll look at individual defences and offences, as well as fatal and non-fatal offences against people and property. You’ll study crimes including: 

    • murder and manslaughter
    • theft and burglary
    • ‘offences against the person’ such as assault and battery.

    You’ll also learn about defences such as: 

    • insanity and automatism
    • duress and self-defence
    • duress.
  • Legal Method

    In this module, you’ll gain invaluable legal skills for your degree. You’ll learn to think like a lawyer, and understand:

    • the sources of English law
    • the structures and functions of the UK Courts.

    You’ll also learn:

    • how to critically read and assess statute and case-law
    • how to evaluate legal arguments
    • how to find and use online legal information.

    You’ll dive into the world of UK law. You’ll learn to find and understand legal information. And you’ll gain key skills in legal thought and argumentation.

  • Public Law

    In this module, you’ll dig into Public Law, and gain key legal knowledge for your degree. You’ll explore its key elements, including:

    • civil liberties and human rights
    • judicial review processes
    • the separation of the different elements of the government 
    • constitutional and administrative law. 

    You’ll explore the relationship between Public Law and three key elements of the state - the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. And you’ll consider the relationship between the State and its citizens.
     

  • Theories of Crime

    What is crime? Who commits crimes, and why? And why are some acts criminal, when others aren’t? In this module, you’ll dig into the key concepts and theories of crime. You’ll challenge your own common-sense understanding of crime, through the theories of celebrated criminologists. And you’ll consider:

    • who invents crime and why
    • the role of crime in society
    • how might we study crime today digitally (online) and visually (through images).

Year 2

Compulsory modules

  • Digital Crime and Criminology

    How does the digital world affect our understanding of key criminal law and criminological concepts? In this module, you’ll explore key concepts in the rapidly growing field of digital law and criminology and you’ll investigate how law and criminology meet and merge in the digital age. You’ll be introduced to the key theoretical frameworks of interest to digital criminologists and digital lawyers and you’ll work on applying these frameworks to specific topics of contemporary interest such as cyberhate, sexting and pornography.

    Students will be introduced to the key theoretical frameworks of interest to digital criminologists and digital lawyers including the ‘digital’, intersectional digitalities and key themes in internet regulation. Students will then be applying these frameworks to specific topics of contemporary interest such as cyberhate, sexting and pornography, for example.

  • European Union Law

    In this module, you’ll get to grips with the European Union (EU) and its foundations. You’ll dig into key areas of law, central to the EU system. And you’ll explore the political and social implications of EU Law. 

    You’ll examine the history of EU Law, and its key institutions:

    • the European Parliament
    • the Council of the European Union
    • the European Commission. 

    You’ll then focus on Union Law, and how it relates to national law. You’ll also consider the role of the Court of Justice of the EU. You’ll explore substantive law, as you understand the internal market of the EU, including:

    • free movement of people
    • citizenship.
  • Land Law

    Land law is a fascinating attempt to solve people’s conflicting interests in land. You’ll get to grips with the English Land Law and its key concerns. You’ll explore:

    • the nature of law, property and land
    • the division of estates and interests (into legal and equitable)
    • land registration.

    You’ll gain a detailed knowledge of freehold and leasehold estates. And you’ll explore co-ownership and trusts of: 

    • land leases
    • licences
    • mortgages

    You’ll also consider the rising importance of the Human Rights Act 1998 to Land Law. 

  • Tort Law

    In this module, you’ll get to grips with tort law (law which deals with civil loss or harm). You’ll explore:

    • the tort of negligence 
    • employers’ liability
    • trespass to land
    • public nuisance
    • the Rylands-v-Fletcher case
    • trespass to the person
    • defamation
    • privacy
    • vicarious liability (when you’re liable for acts you didn’t commit).

    You’ll also investigate the rising importance of human rights law. 

Optional modules

  • Public Criminology

    In this module, you’ll dive into real world problems of crime and criminal justice. You’ll apply your criminology knowledge to:

    • find solutions to key questions of crime and justice
    • find solutions to problems in current practice
    • explore how these solutions can inform future research. 

    You’ll examine case studies from current policy and practice. You’ll apply the insights of:

    • practitioners
    • policy-makers
    • politicians

    currently working in criminal justice. You’ll gain a strong understanding of how criminology works in real life. And you’ll explore why there is a disconnect between the classroom, and criminology in practice. 

  • Criminology Work Based Learning

    In this module, you’ll kick-start your career, and gain key work experience in organisations related to crime. You’ll do a placement, or work-based learning activity in:

    • a public sector organisation
    • a non-governmental organisation (NGO)
    • a voluntary organisation.

    Whether working with the police, prison services, schools or charities, you’ll gain invaluable skills for your future career. You won’t engage directly with clients or service users, but you’ll gain a strong knowledge of how organisations identify and fight crime. 

  • Crime and Intersectionality

    In this module, you’ll get to grips with intersectionality - a way of understanding someone’s identity as made of characteristics such as race, gender and class. Intersectionality offers you a unique way to study crime. You’ll discover how criminal justice institutions, such as the police and criminal courts, respond to and discriminate against different social groups.

  • Crime, Capitalism and Markets

    In this module, you’ll dive into capitalism, and its key relationship with crime. You’ll use a political economy approach, meaning you’ll look at the economy and its relationship with law and government. You’ll explore free-market capitalism, as well as capitalism on a global scale. And you’ll gain critical skills, as you consider the:

    • individual
    • moral
    • cultural
    • social
    • elements of the economy, and how these relate to crime. 
  • Globalisation and Crime

    In this module, you’ll explore and examine areas of crime and crime control across different regions of the world through the lens of 'globalisation', or the increased interconnectedness of social relations across the globe.

    You’ll use a combination of theoretical concepts and case studies to interrogate and understand the interconnectedness of crime and responses to crime in the contemporary world.

     

  • Researching Crime: Methods, Approaches and Ethics

    In this module, you’ll explore the key research methods of Criminology. You’ll gain invaluable critical skills, as you look at:

    • research methods
    • design 
    • processes
    • outcomes

    You’ll also understand the ethics of research, including:

    • the requirements of conducting research with vulnerable populations.
    • how your identity can help or hinder research relationships.
       
  • Green Criminology

    You'll engage with the emerging field of Green Criminology. You'll learn the key theoretical concepts of green criminology and environmental justice. 

    You'll focus on understanding Green Criminology as a transnational field. Including the social issues impacting individuals on a global scale. 

Optional Year Abroad

Optional modules

  • Year Abroad

    This module offers the opportunity to study abroad, experience a new culture, and apply your skills in different contexts to enhance your employability. It will help you develop self-management, cross-cultural communication, and interpersonal skills.

    You’ll receive support to secure a place at a partner institution abroad, where you can choose modules related to your degree or explore new areas that complement your studies.

    Studying at an international university will help you enhance your interpersonal skills through cross-cultural communication with students and tutors, allowing you to build lasting relationships. You'll also improve your study skills by focusing on your chosen areas of interest, gaining valuable international experience that will strengthen your CV.

    This year abroad module lasts for one academic year and is taken after the conclusion of your second year of study, once you’ve completed all your level 5 studies. Your year abroad is not credit-bearing.

Year 3

Compulsory modules

  • Equity and Trusts

    In this module, you’ll explore Equity (fairness in the law). You’ll also investigate trusts, which exist to regulate situations where someone cares for another person’s affairs. 

    You’ll engage with Equity, and equitable remedies. You’ll also dive into trusts in all their forms. You’ll gain key critical skills as you analyse private trusts, and how they generate equitable interests. You’ll then consider the key features of charitable trusts. You’ll explore:

    • the administration of trusts
    • the powers and duties of trustees
    • breach of trust 
    • the law of tracing.
  • The Prison and Imprisonment

    Should we punish prisoners, or support them to re-enter society? In this module, you’ll dive into the key issues of prisons. You’ll consider modern prisons, globally and historically. And you’ll examine prisons through:

    • prisoners
    • prison staff
    • wider society. 

    You'll trace the evolution of the prison - from the rehabilitative ideal of the post-war period, to the greater focus on punishment today. You’ll look at how political parties use prison policies to win votes, rather than reduce crime. 

    You’ll dive into the inner workings of prisons, from governance to administration. You’ll look at the routines of prison life, and how prisoners cope with, and give meaning to them. You’ll consider sentence progression for different types of prisoners. And you’ll explore how well prisons prepare inmates for life after release. 

Optional modules

  • Carnival of Pleasures

    Why do people enjoy committing crimes? How might crime offer identity and purpose? In this module, you’ll explore the role of:

    • pleasures
    • performance
    • identity 
    • meaning

    in criminal acts. You’ll think about the multiple meanings and actions that crime holds for different people across time. You’ll consider the social benefits of crimes and resistance to the law. And you’ll explore how different interpretations of crime might affect crime control and criminal justice.

  • Computer Law and Artificial Intelligence

    The internet rules society. In a vastly digital age, lawyers really need to understand technology and the legal challenges it presents. In this module, you’ll examine the legal issues of current internet technologies and hardware. You’ll gain key technical knowledge, as you evaluate the regulatory systems of these technologies, and how they affect society. You’ll explore how digital technologies challenge copyright law. And you’ll be introduced to some of the legal issues relating to the use of artificial intelligence.

     

  • Dealing with Drugs: Control and Intoxication

    In this module, you’ll bust some key assumptions around psychoactive drugs. You’ll look at why we use them and how we control them in society. You’ll investigate:

    • criminological
    • sociological
    • historical 

    and policy insights, to explore the relationship between drug use, individuals and public morality. You’ll gain key critical skills as you debate drug policies, and how we can lessen the harm of substance abuse. You’ll look at alternative ways to regulate drugs than our current ‘war on drugs’ mentality. And you’ll explore the future of synthetic drugs.

  • Equality Law

    How do we prevent discrimination against race and sexual orientation in the law? In this module, you’ll focus on the Equality Act 2010, and other legislation on:

    • sex
    • race
    • sexual orientation
    • religion
    • disability discrimination
    • equal pay. 

    You’ll explore how courts interpret the Equality Act, and how it impacts the workplace. You’ll look at how it interacts with the law of the European Commission (EC), and how we might extend equality law. You’ll gain valuable critical skills for your career, as you ask:

    • what difference the Equality Act has made
    • who benefits (and does not benefit) from the act
    • what we can do in the future to improve protection.
  • International Human Rights Law

    How can we effectively protect human rights? In this module, you’ll get to grips with international human rights law. You’ll gain key critical skills as you analyse arguments and ideas about human rights, and the ideas behind them. You’ll also consider their current legal and political meaning through examining: 

    • relevant laws
    • current debates
    • case studies.
  • Law Dissertation

    This module gives you the chance to do research on a topic that fascinates you. Over the course of your final year, you’ll work independently on a research project, with the help of an expert academic supervisor. Your dissertation will grow out of your specific passion, and you’ll gain excellent self-discipline and organisational skills for work. You’ll gain core skills for your career, including:

    • research
    • critical analysis
    • time-management 
    • planned and focused writing.

    If you’re a combined honours student, you’ll be able to write a dissertation on both of your chosen subject areas

  • Law in Action

    In this module, you’ll gain core practical experience in law, as you apply your knowledge and skills to a practical legal activity. You’ll gain fantastic skills for work and boost your legal career, as you do a placement in an environment related to legal work. You’ll understand how to transfer your law studies from an academic discipline, to practicing it in the real world.

  • Medical Law

    In this module, you’ll get to grips with the structure of the NHS. You’ll explore topics such as:

    • access to health care
    • autonomy and consent
    • responsibility
    • accountability and negligence
    • birth and its regulation
    • death, dying and the incurably ill patient.
       
  • Nationality, Immigration and Asylum

    In this module, you’ll get to grips with nationality and immigration law, and what it reveals about British society. You’ll examine the key issues and policies around nationality, national identity and migration. You’ll gain a firm understanding of migration in the UK and abroad, as you debate critical issues of today. You’ll also consider current UK law, and the historical, social and political factors that have shaped it. 

  • Parents, Children and the State

    How does the law deal with child abduction, and disputes over children? How can the state protect children who may be victims of abuse within their own families? In this module, you’ll get to grips with law relating to parents, children and the state. You’ll dive into law reports, as you look critically at the legal concepts around:

    • relationships between parents and children
    • the relevance of the state to parents and children.

    You’ll consider:

    • parental responsibility
    • resolution of disputes over children
    • child protection
    • child abduction
    • adoption.

    You’ll gain vital skills in legal reasoning as you learn legal analysis techniques, and how to answer problem questions. 
     

Work Experience/ International Study Exchange

Optional modules

  • Work Experience

    In Year 2 and 3 you’ll have the opportunity to participate in the CLOCK scheme (Community Legal Outreach Collaboration Keele). Where you'll gain firsthand experience of the legal world. You’ll be interviewing and advising clients, in legal cases and courtroom settings. You'll join a commitment to provide wider access to justice in the local area and gain useful legal expertise for your CV.

  • International Study Exchange

    If you take this module you will study Law in a university outside the UK for an academic year, experiencing different educational and legal cultures. This will help you develop your knowledge, skills and understanding. After the *International Study Exchange year you will complete your final year with Oxford Brookes and then graduate. The International Study Exchange year is not credit-bearing.

    *To go on this exchange you must have completed all your Level 5 studies, and your exchange is dependent on the appropriate partner university's availability.

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

After completing the course, you’ll be ready to take the next steps towards a rewarding career. A law degree can lead to a variety of careers. You could take the Bar Course and become a barrister, or start your preparation for the Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam. 

Not all of our graduates go into the legal profession, for example, graduates have also joined the Civil Service, and one is now a senior policy adviser in the Home Office. You’ll also be prepared for practitioner careers in criminology - in areas like prison services, policing and local government. 

Whatever your plans, you’ll have developed a range of skills which will make you a valuable employee.

To gain further specialist legal knowledge and carve your own career path, you could undertake one of our postgraduate LLM Master of Law pathways.

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: 48

A Level: DD

IB Points: 24

BTEC: PPP or MP

Contextual offer

UCAS Tariff Points:

A Level:

IB Points:

BTEC:

Further offer details

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. This combination of A-level grades would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Applications are also welcomed for consideration from applicants with European qualifications, international qualifications or recognised foundation courses. For advice on eligibility please contact Admissions: admissions@brookes.ac.uk

International qualifications and equivalences

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£5,760 (Foundation); £9,535 (Degree)

Home (UK) part time
£720 per single module (Foundation); £1,190 per single module (Degree)

International full time
£16,750

Home (UK) full time
£5,760 (Foundation); £9,535 (Degree)*

Home (UK) part time
£720 per single module (Foundation); £1,190 per single module (Degree)*

International full time
£17,250

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2025 / 26
Home (UK) full time
£5,760 (Foundation); £9,535 (Degree)

Home (UK) part time
£720 per single module (Foundation); £1,190 per single module (Degree)

International full time
£16,750

2026 / 27
Home (UK) full time
£5,760 (Foundation); £9,535 (Degree)*

Home (UK) part time
£720 per single module (Foundation); £1,190 per single module (Degree)*

International full time
£17,250

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

*Tuition fee level for 2025-26. Tuition fees for home undergraduate students in 2026-27 will be confirmed by the Government later in 2025 and will be updated on our website as soon as the information becomes available.

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.

For further information please see our 2025-26 tuition fees FAQs.

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

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.

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.