“All the lecturers had their own unique way of teaching and a wealth of real-world experience.”
BA (Hons)Criminology
Apply on UCAS
Starting in: 2026
Register your interest- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
- 4 years with year in industry
- 5 years with foundation and industry years
UCAS code: L312
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 104-120Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study a criminology degree at Solent University
If you are curious about crime and justice with ambitions to shape society, this degree opens career opportunities in a range of roles across prisons and court services, policing, or investigation.
- Top0in the UK for satisfaction with assessment in criminology, out of 86 institutions (The Guardian Uni Guide 2026)
- Top0in the UK for teaching quality in criminology, out of 88 institutions (Times Good Uni Guide 2026)
- £0minvested in our campus estate and facilities
- Our sociology, social policy and anthropology courses, including the BA (Hons) Criminology, are ranked 3rd in the UK for sustained graduate employment (LEO 2025).
- The course is designed, taught and assessed in partnership with social work practitioners, service users, and carers, ensuring you are up to date with the latest developments in the field.
- You will be taught by experts with extensive links with local and national employers, such as Hampshire Constabulary, the National Probation Service, the National Crime Agency and various international organisations.
- Guest speakers include professionals who work within the police, the probation service, cybersecurity and the military.
- You will use our portable crime scene and courtroom during the Investigating Crime Scenes and Forensic Evidence modules.
- Benefit from a strong mentoring support network that has led directly to employment for students, and extended beyond employment, into pastoral and welfare care.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Course overview
Develop advanced skills and professional practice on this contemporary criminology degree, opening a variety of professional employment avenues within criminology and criminal justice.
The course is informed by and regularly updated to incorporate current industry thinking, thanks to lecturing staff with strong connections and ongoing practice within the sector – ensuring what you study is current, relevant and practically linked to real-world developments and issues.
And we are proud to offer a wide range of expert guest speakers to enhance your learning and offer a network of employment opportunities. You can also take advantage of visits to real-world criminology and criminal justice organisations, both locally and internationally – giving your studies an enhanced international perspective.
You’ll learn to work as part of a professional team, exploring a range of social problems, and their representations and consequences, as well as the impact of modern communications technology on the processes of justice.
You will also develop a range of transferable interpersonal and verbal communication skills – essential for any professional role, in any industry – through presentations, role-plays, debates, interviews and group work.
If you’re looking to study our criminology degree but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience, the social sciences foundation year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress. Find out more about the social sciences foundation year.
This course also offers the option of a placement year. A placement year allows you to put what you've learned in your first and second years into practice in the workplace, gaining valuable real-world work experience before you graduate. Our course and placements teams will help you find the perfect industry placement in your chosen field.
Who is this course for?
If you’re looking for a career path in criminology or a similar professional/voluntary capacity, this is the course for you.
You will develop analytical and research skills that can be transferred to a broad range of careers, not only in criminology-related fields but also within the wider justice and voluntary sector. And you will also be able to make valuable industry connections through site visits, guest speakers and the range of lecturing staff, who remain credible in their research and practitioner status with industry.
What does this course lead to?
Solent criminology graduates will be well placed for a huge range of careers in criminology and criminal justice, from probation and policing services to charity and social service work with offenders and young people.
Graduate stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
Meet the team
The course team have had extensive experience of the criminal justice system and its related disciplines, providing students with personal insights gained through first-hand experience. Some staff members attend and speak at the European Criminology Society Conference, National NSPCC Safeguarding Conference, New Jersey Leadership Conference, International Association of Chief Officers, National Catholic Church Diocese Conference and the Mencap South Regional Conference.
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
Students have access to our portable crime scene and mock courtroom, in the Investigating Crime Scenes, and Forensic Evidence modules.
You'll also find an extensive range of criminology resources, journals and online materials in the Solent Library.
International opportunities
Broaden your horizons by adding an international dimension to your CV – essential to achieving success in today’s fast-changing, global environment.
Studying, working or volunteering in another country could be the experience of a lifetime. Enhance your degree by developing important global skills such as knowledge of other countries, language skills, intercultural awareness, adaptability and confidence.
For more information, please email international.mobility@solent.ac.uk.
What you'll study
Core modules
Introduction to Criminology
Approaching offending from a range of perspectives, this module explores the impact of key social divisions on crime and justice. Themes such as ethnicity, sexuality, power, and class, are used to examine crime and deviance within the contexts of our social environment, cultures, and communities.
Big Questions in Social Sciences
Drawing on present-day issues concerning crime, this module teaches the skills needed to become a successful social scientist, such as how to find, use and acknowledge academic research, and construct and present persuasive arguments.
Criminal Justice Process
This module will introduce you to the main stages and actors of the criminal justice process and the major theoretical and analytical approaches that inform the function and operation of the criminal justice process.
Victimology
This module is designed to make you a better-informed critic and analyst of crime and victimology. On completion you will be better equipped to explain the impact of crime on victims and will have an in-depth knowledge of perspectives on victimization and the responses to victimization.
Explaining Criminal Behaviour
Why do people commit crime? This module explores the wide range of fascinating psychological, biological, and sociological explanations for criminal and deviant behaviour
Researching Criminal Worlds
Research is the bedrock of our understandings of crime and justice. In this module you will learn the different methods employed to create strong, credible, and ethically sound new knowledge about crime and deviance.
Core modules
Cybercrime and AI
Technology is the defining feature of crime today and cybercrime poses one of the biggest threats to modern society. This module investigates the rapidly evolving range and nature of electronic crime, threat actors’ motivations and techniques, and how individuals, organisations, and governments can reduce such risks.
Methods and Analysis in Criminology
Building on the learning gained from Researching Criminal Worlds, here you will refine the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct your own investigation, analyse your data, and present your findings. These are essential skills for all criminologists and invaluable preparation for the third year dissertation.
Police and Society
This module examines how the police operate in England and Wales. Exploring critical themes such as police culture, accountability, and relationship with the media and public, police efficiency and effectiveness will be considered within various social contexts.
Global Crime
No understanding of crime and justice can be complete without recognising the transnational nature of much criminal activity and, therefore, the need for cooperation between policing agencies. This module explores how perceptions of the nature and extent of crime have expanded and diversified in a globalised world.
Youth Justice
This module aims to provide participants with a critical appreciation of theoretical perspectives underpinning the policy and practice of the Youth Justice system in England and Wales.
Crimes of the Powerful
Whilst most government and popular crime narratives focus on the crimes of marginalised people, criminologists recognise that it is the crimes of powerful groups that often cause most harm. Focusing on criminal activities perpetrated by corporations, elites, and state bodies, this module encourages you to be a better-informed critic and analyst of crime by examining the offences of those who hold significant social, economic, and political power.
Placement Year
An optional placement year is available between the second (level 5) and third (level 6) years. You will be expected to find your own placement, but course staff will be able to work with you in finding a suitable placement, and you will have regular staff contact throughout the placement.
Core modules
Dangerous Offenders
In this module, you will engage in discussions covering a range of current controversies surrounding dangerousness, risk and offences committed by those offenders deemed to be a threat to the public.
Crime, Media, Culture
The media is a key player in issues of crime and justice. Drawing on a wide range of media types, media theory, and case-studies, this module tackles the complex interplay between the media, law enforcement, public, and offenders.
Dissertation
In this module, you will research in a discipline related to your degree programme. You will synthesise knowledge from other modules to support the development of a research project that is relevant to your subject area. You will work with a supervisor and will utilise a range of research and academic skills to produce a written dissertation that demonstrates a systematic approach to the research process.
Optional modules
Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.
Migration, Refugees and Global Crisis
This module looks at contemporary social issues that focus on migrant workers, the ‘refugee crisis’, border control and policies, and other global issues related to people and their movement around the world.
Terrorism and Political Violence
This module will assess the nature of contemporary “terrorism” by examining definitional disputes and motivational dynamics. Particular manifestations of political violence will be evaluated in detail, which will require a focus on aims, strategy and tactics.
Police, Law and Community
This module explores the legal foundations and development of the police, the impacts on the communities that are policed, and the ongoing relationship between the two. Crime prevention and analysis issues are examined and related to criminological theory and twenty-first century policing challenges.
Gangs, Drugs and Alcohol
The impact of alcohol and drugs on the perpetration of crime and deviance is significant. Drawing on national and global perspectives, this module navigates the complex areas of crime, health, addiction, government strategy, and multi-agency co-operation to understand offending and victimisation related to drugs, alcohol, and gangs.
Crime, Gender and Sexuality
This criminology module offers you an insight into the intrinsic relationships between crime, gender, and sexuality, studying sexual offences such as rape and sexual abuse, as well as other serious crimes.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:How you will learn and be assessed
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Written assessments
- Written exams
- Portfolios
- Workshops
- Individual presentations
- Group presentations
- Fieldwork
Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.
Find out more
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
The disability advice team provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose a career in criminology?
Crime and justice are real global concerns and criminology is a key skill within criminal justice and related fields. The industry offers a variety of employment opportunities that are valuable to society, interesting, stimulating, rewarding and professional.
Typical employers would include central and local government, the police, prison and probation services, court services, and security services.
The ties the team have with the professional world have helped past students obtain work experience, including volunteer placements, temporary paid work, work shadowing weeks, and internships.
You could earn:
Crime scene investigator
Starting salary: £16,000 to £26,000
Graduates are often at the top end of the starting salary amount. Experienced crime scene investigators can earn between £24,000 and £35,000.
Probation officer
Starting salary (in training): £22,294
Once you've completed your training (which can take 15 or 21 months, depending on your qualifications) your salary will rise to £30,208, plus allowances. You'll also receive a range of Civil Service benefits.
Youth worker
Youth support worker: £19,308 to £28,787
Qualified professional youth workers can earn between £25,313 to £42,718. Salaries for local authority youth service managers vary according to the size of the authority and responsibility of the post, but can be in excess of £40,000.
The stated salaries are published on prospects.ac.uk. Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Graduate stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
“All the lecturers had their own unique way of teaching and a wealth of real-world experience.”
Solent Careers
The Solent Careers team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
We also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence
Every student at Solent University will also have the option to study an additional Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence qualification alongside their course. Free of charge, the course ensures you'll be prepared for a fantastic and varied career after graduation.
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
LLM Professional Legal Practice
Embark on your journey to becoming a solicitor with full SQE 1 and 2 preparation.
Find out moreTuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are not yet available. For guidance, the 2025/26 fees were:
- UK, ROI, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,535 per year
- International full-time fees: £17,750 per year
- UK, EU (settled status) and Channel Island placement year fee: £1,650
- International placement year fee: £1,650
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
The 2026/27 additional costs are not yet available. For guidance, previous additional costs have been:
Optional costs
The course offers optional trips to all students to the USA and Strasbourg. The USA trip is around £1,400 to £1,500; the Strasbourg trip is around £500.
There will also be occasional trips to courts, police training, etc where students must pay for their own transport and subsistence. Study trips occur throughout the year, and although optional, prove very popular.
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Solent EU Welcome Scholarship (Fee Discount)
This scholarship is available to students from an EU country, with EU nationality, who are applying for an undergraduate course starting in September 2025. The scholarship will reduce your tuition fees to £10,500 per year - this includes foundation years.
Find out more about the scholarship
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £20. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
104-120 UCAS tariff points
- A minimum of two completed A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at DMM or BTEC Diploma at D*D*, or T-level Merit or equivalent qualification, or a combination of qualifications which comply with the minimum entry requirement of 120 UCAS points.
- Direct entry into year two or three may be considered for this course.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about international qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application.
How to apply
Want to apply through Clearing? Contact us today
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 31 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Find out more about Solent's contextual offers
Alternative entry options
Top-up route:
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses. Please contact our admissions team for more information: contact us
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
- IELTS minimum 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component
- TOEFL IBT minimum 80 with a minimum of 20 in each individual component
- Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 95 in each component or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-Sessional English programme
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
UCAS points: 104-120
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Make your application
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
- 4 years with year in industry
- 5 years with foundation and industry years
