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Are you interested in why people commit crime? Do you want to explore what society does to reduce offending?
Criminology combines sociological and psychological approaches to understanding deviant behaviour and society’s response to criminal acts.
You’ll explore a wide range of topics, from examining the role of the media in how we understand crime and justice, to explanations for serious violent crime by both individuals and the state.
We’ll look at ethical issues arising from historical and cultural differences in the definition and management of crime, as well as how to understand people at the margins of both society and criminal justice, such as women and young people.
Experience is crucial, so you’ll put theory into practice on your professional work placements. You’ll benefit from our links with local criminal justice agencies and other networks, which will give you the chance to gain degree-relevant work experience.
By the time you graduate, you’ll have a thorough knowledge of how the Criminal Justice System works, including how society is policed and individuals are punished.
Using the key theories and practices of criminology, you’ll also develop critical thinking skills that will enable you to ask key questions about crime, deviance and social control.
Outside of your degree, you’ll have the opportunity to take specialist employability skills courses to enhance your CV and help you stand out in a competitive job market. These optional short courses blend theory and practical application, so you’ll develop real-world knowledge and expertise as well as the confidence needed to excel in your chosen career in law enforcement, offender rehabilitation, intelligence analysis, social justice or the wider criminal justice system.
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You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Durin your first year, you'll study four modules.
Explore and examine the origins of criminology, some of its historical debates, concepts, literature and research.
You'll look at the core perspectives and theories related to crime and criminality.
Find out about the history and development of criminology as an academic discipline.
Explore criminological understandings and situations of violence in society.
We'll cover the types, characteristics, and forms of violence and violent acts within society.
You'll distinguish between individual acts to organised actions of groups and states, all whilst unpacking the ambiguous content and perception of violence.
You'll give due consideration to the frequently neglected victims of violence.
The module framework includes criminology, sociology, psychology, law, cultural studies, political science and sociobiology.
Learn about policing UK society, starting with the history of police development, roles and structures, and addressing modern day criminal activity.
You'll explore how police maintain trust and confidence in communities, and the impact on modern criminal behaviours.
We'll cover policing strategies, internal police cultures - looking at areas including gender and race - and how attitudes have changed over time.
You'll also examine criminological theories to understand how and why crime is committed and its relationship to police interventions.
Learn the basics of social research, academic writing, presenting and professional development.
Combine your learning from personal experience with an ability to engage in an empathic, ethical and compassionate way.
Reflect on and develop your employability profile, find and apply for placements, and complete a Professional Challenge Project or work placement at the end of semester two.
In the second semester, you'll begin to understand the importance of social research by examining how sociological data may be collected, analysed, displayed and explained effectively.
You'll look at different ways of communicating research and identify the methods used by historical and contemporary criminologists and sociologists.
You'll get advice throughout the year relating to the professional application of your skills.
You'll have regular personal tutor meetings, giving you more personal support and professional skill development.
During your second year, you'll study four core modules.
Understand why we view criminals and crime in certain ways, due to cultural factors and the media.
Think critically about crime, crime control and its media coverage.
We'll look at contemporary criminological theories, exploring how crime is constructed and defined by subcultures, the nation-state, the criminal justice system and corporations.
We'll also explore how these theories help us interpret media depictions of crime and crime control.
You'll analyse how mainstream media and social media shape our collective (mis)understanding of a range of crime and crime control.
Explore the theory of desistance and the concept of rehabilitation within the practice of the criminal justice system, particularly in relation to the prison system and probation delivery.
You’ll be given an overview of offender management in prisons and the community in England and Wales, as well as the opportunities to critically examine the management, treatment and control of individuals processed through the system and the pressures it faces.
You’ll draw up on a range of lived experience perspectives to support your learning, alongside a recognition of wider policy and political climates through case study examples.
Get an understanding of the history and theories of victimology, the term 'victim' and the social construction of victims.
You'll reflect on the relationship between social inequalities and victimisation in domestic violence, hate crime, sexual violence and corporate crime.
Learn about victimology theories and the experiences and interactions of the victim for both the crime and the criminal justice system.
You'll be encouraged to think critically of the term 'victim' and consider how to improve the victim's experiences.
You'll explore how to collect, analyse, display and explain social science research data.
You'll find out what it means to be research literate and how to apply this to employment, policies and organisational considerations.
We'll focus on qualitative and mixed methodology in one semester and quantitative methodology in another semester.
You'll look at different ways to communicate research and identify methods used by social scientists.
You'll be able to critically evaluate the strength of research findings and identify appropriate ethical considerations.
You'll also develop skills to plan and begin an independent research project.
You'll finish the module with a six-week professional placement, using your research methods skills and knowledge to think about how research may inform the approaches taken in the workplace.
You can opt to do at least 60 hours of volunteer work instead, spreading out your placement activity over two semesters.
During your final year, you'll study two core modules and will be required to choose two option modules.
Your final year dissertation project is the culmination of your studies.
It's an independent project guided by the support of your supervisor.
It can either be a theoretical-based piece of work, investigating a particular issue within social sciences, or you can take on a piece of primary research.
It should bring together knowledge and understanding from other modules to create a research project that could generate new knowledge, or develops our understanding of the topic.
The proposal for the research project undertaken in SOC 6044 will have been developed and assessed within SOC 5042 Contemporary Research 2.
You'll have a flexible range of opportunities to enhance your professional skills and graduate opportunities as this module will be tailored to each student's development.
You'll apply the theoretical understanding you've been developing throughout your degree to a chosen professional context. This could include a work-based project or skills development approach where you will identify and address specific gaps in your portfolio of graduate-level skills.
Critically explore concepts, debates, literature and research on justice, punishment and human rights.
You'll consider whether the criminal justice system balances these three elements.
In the first semester, you'll explore the history of punishment. You'll assess the importance of protecting human rights within punishment and look at the work of philosophers including John Locke, Jeremy Bentham and Michel Foucault.
In the second semester, you'll critically analyse the philosophies of punishment -
deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation and retribution - underpinning the criminal justice system.
We'll explore how much criminological theory can help us understand criminality and harm in the 21st century.
We've already seen dramatic transformations with protests and uprisings, climate change, a global financial crisis and the birth of social media and the dark web.
You'll critically assess which theories can help us understand and respond to the negative consequences of these changes, and why we are willing to inflict harm on others and ourselves.
You'll develop an in-depth understand of 21st century policing issues such as cybercrime and terrorism.
We'll explore the role of intelligence agencies and how effective they are at fighting security issues in Britain.
You'll get a critical awareness of the role of police and agencies such as the National Crime Agency and British Security Service (MI5).
You'll analyse political and cultural texts covering historical, critical and contextual approaches to gender.
You'll examine the way gender is performed, consumed and contested.
We'll look at issues concerning power, gender and identity, examining debates on the social construction of gender.
Get a critical introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Genocide Studies.
You'll explore case studies relating to historical and contemporary instances of genocide, and interrogate the memorialisation of genocide.
You'll evaluate international legal mechanisms of genocide prevention.
We may address themes including the relationship of genocide to cognate categories in international legal discourse such as crimes against humanity and ‘ethnic cleansing’, sociological, criminological and social-psychological approaches to perpetration, the aftermath of genocide and the emerging concept of ecocide.
Explore how police, partner agencies and government bodies combat transnational and corporate crime that transcend regional, national and international boundaries.
You'll discover how law enforcement and government bodies have to work together to prevent and detect these often clandestine crimes.
We'll explore the exchange of weapons, drugs and stolen property, and the exploitation of people through human trafficking and modern day slavery.
Scrutinise the infiltration of governments and businesses through fraud, corruption and money laundering.
We'll also look at how technology and the internet facilitate transnational crimes.
Develop a critical understanding of the definitions, explanations and responses related to youth justice and crime.
Understand how to critically appreciate the impact of ethic, gendered, political and cultural inequality and difference in the experience of youth justice and crime control.
Explore issues pertinent to social justice and injustice with regards to children and young people’s lives, through a variety of contemporary theoretical and policy related lenses.
Explore the lives and experiences of criminalised women, often a marginalised and unheard demographic of the criminal justice system.
With a growing body of work, underpinned by feminist thought, aiming to recognise the gendered experiences and challenges of criminalised women, you’ll unpick and offer a space to develop critical thought and challenge the patriarchal and neo-liberal agendas within society.
You’ll discuss the intersecting layers of system failure, marginalisation and stigma which saturate women’s experiences, alongside the gendered stereotypes the women face. You’ll consider what can influence both women’s offending and desistance from crime, drawing upon research, policy and practice.
You'll explore the key fields of both Convict Criminology and Lived Experience Criminology and their implications, including thematic, empirical and conceptual contributions and be encouraged to critically evaluate the recent developments of people with ‘lived experience’ of criminality and incarceration to criminological perspectives. The module will scrutinise and conclude whether these contributions are likely to enhance or inhibit knowledge production within the field of criminology.
You will explore different ways in which people die in our society, and the grief processes we go through as a society, even if we do not know the victims.
Beginning with an introduction to ways of dying, you'll examine how various manners and methods of death are determined and investigated. This involves a detailed look at forensic and criminal investigations to establish cause and intent, including the role of coroner’s inquests and criminal proceedings when necessary.
You'll learn about societal processes following a death, such as public notifications and organised gatherings, as well as the role of the media in reporting deaths and shaping public perception. You'll consider the emotional landscape of grief, introducing grief models and processes to understand both public and private mourning, with particular attention to how cultural differences shape death celebrations and mourning practices.
You'll analyse the impact of death on victims, highlighting the psychological toll and societal expectations of respectful public grieving and explore how individuals can navigate the complexities of being “respectable public grievers” in the public eye, balancing personal loss with societal norms.
Throughout the module, you'll use case studies to critically evaluate and analyse societal expectations of death and grief and here from guest speakers who can offer unique insights into working with survivors, family members and law enforcement agencies.
You'll develop an understanding of the role of intelligence agencies in combating insecurity in Britain since 1900. You'll gain an understanding of the role of the British Security Services, Police and Military since the the beginning of the 20th Century, examining critically the changing nature of the threat posed to the British state. You will focus on the way institutions have adapted to varying security concerns from German or Soviet spies, the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the more recent emergence of Terrorism and State Interference. You will also examine the complexity of securitisation within a democratic political framework.
This module focuses on the evolution of security studies as a discipline and its implications for practice. You'll examine a variety of theoretical and empirical materials in order to analyse pressing questions related to issues of war, security and peace in the world today.
Experience matters. That's why we embed professional work placements within the majority of our standard undergraduate degrees.
Careers and Placements will work with you to find a placement or help you to arrange your own, whether that's in Leeds, another part of the UK or even abroad. You will be able to take part in a series of workshops, events and live ‘employer challenges’ to boost your confidence and prepare you for your placement.
During your placement, you could have an opportunity to gain degree-relevant work experience, build your knowledge of career sectors and secure valuable employer references and industry contacts. This experience will help you to shape your career decisions and find the right path for you.
Our students have completed placements in a wide range of roles and organisations, including forensic hospitals, HM Prison Service, the Police National Computer, Leeds City Council anti-social behaviour projects, crime prevention projects, charities that support ex-prisoners, the homeless and drug and alcohol abusers, and educational providers for children with behavioural problems.
To find out how we can help you make your career ambitions a reality, visit:
A variety of assessment methods are used, matched to the learning outcomes for your programme, allowing you to apply and demonstrate the full range of knowledge and skills that you have developed.
For more details on specific assessment methods for this course contact hello@leedstrinity.ac.uk
Your time on campus, learning through in-person teaching, is at the heart of your academic experience and the way we deliver our programmes. This is supported and further enhanced by additional engagement activities and opportunities provided online and through digital teaching materials. This blended approach seeks to ensure a positive learning and teaching student experience.
Your programme of study has been carefully designed around a three-phase model of delivery:
Preparation, Live and Post teaching and learning and the digital materials used will vary by course, but will be designed to help you structure your learning, take a full and active part in your course, and apply and test your developing knowledge and skills.
At Leeds Trinity we aim to provide an excellent student experience and provide you with the tools and support to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional potential.
Our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy delivers excellence by providing the framework for:
We have a strong reputation for developing student employability, supporting your development towards graduate employment, with relevant skills embedded throughout your programme of study.
We endeavour to develop curiosity, confidence, courage, ambition and aspiration in all students through the key themes in our Learning and Teaching Strategy:
To help you achieve your potential we emphasise learning as a collaborative process, with a range of student-led and real-world activities. This approach ensures that you fully engage in shaping your own learning, developing your critical thinking and reflective skills so that you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the extensive learning support system we offer to shape your own development.
We believe the secret to great learning and teaching is simple: it is about creating an inclusive learning experience that allows all students to thrive through:
Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.
Information about the large range of qualifications we accept, including A-Levels, BTECs and T Levels, can be found on our entry requirements page. If you need additional advice or are taking qualifications that are not covered in the information supplied, please contact our Admissions Office.
| Qualification | Grade |
|---|---|
| UCAS tariff | 104 |
| GCSE requirements | GCSE in English Language or English Literature at grade C or 4 (or higher) will be required |
Tuition fees cost £9,535 a year for this course in 2025/2026. Students who enrolled in 2024/2025 will also be charged £9,535 for academic year 2025/2026.
Tuition fees for part-time study are charged a pro-rata amount of the full-time equivalent.
Depending on government policy, tuition fees may change in future years.
Tuition fees for 2026/2027 entry will be set in summer 2025.
Living costs, e.g. accommodation, travel, food, will also need to be taken into consideration.
Leeds Trinity offers a range of bursaries and scholarships to help support students while you study.
Visit our webpage for international students.
Part-time study is not available for international students on a Student Route Visa.
We advise students that there may be additional course costs in addition to annual tuition fees:
For full-time undergraduate courses, you apply through UCAS. That's the University and Colleges Admissions Service.
On your application form, you'll need to know our institution code - it's L24 - and the course code. If you click through to the UCAS website using the button below, it'll take you to the right place with all the information you need.
As part of your application, you'll need to write a personal statement - we've prepared a guide to help you.
Applications are open for courses starting in September 2025. You have until 30 June to apply. After this date, you can apply through Clearing.
If you’ve already used all five choices on your application, and you’re not holding any offers, you may be able to apply through UCAS Extra.
Undergraduate applications for September 2026 entry will open on Tuesday 13 May. You’ll be able to submit your application from Tuesday 2 September.
There's lots more information about the application process on the UCAS website, or you can get in touch with our Admissions team who will be happy to help:
Providing you with the opportunity to develop the professional skills and experience you need to launch your career is at the heart of everything we do at Leeds Trinity University.
A Criminology degree opens doors to a wide range of careers across the Criminal Justice System, including police, prison and probation services. Your degree will also prepare you to work directly with offenders, as a probation officer or prison services officer, or in a more analytical role, such as a data analyst for HM Prison and Probation Service or local government.
After you graduate, Careers and Placements will help you as you pursue your chosen career through our mentoring scheme, support with CV and interview preparation and access to graduate employability events.
To find out how we can help you make your career ambitions a reality, visit:
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