Overview
What factors can explain changes in crime rates? How is climate change linked to the crimes of the powerful? Are prisons the appropriate response to criminal acts? Are we all treated equally before the law?
In this course, you'll examine the dynamic and often challenging relationships between the state, offenders, victims, and society. You'll critically study how laws are made, and explore how social structures influence crime, crime control and justice. Through class discussions, research-based activities and real case studies, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the forces that shape both criminal justice policies and their lived experiences.
Why Criminology at LSBU?
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- On this course, 87.1% of students think that teaching staff are good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2025).
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- Teaching and learning is underpinned by research from staff whose expertise is recognised both nationally and internationally.
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- Our critical approaches are rooted in the community, lived experiences and underpinned by a commitment to social justice.
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- Access to our Oxford University Press Trove online library of high quality textbooks. We also have an award-winning library for group and quiet study space.
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- Students are part of a wider academic and research community, including the Justice, Conflict, Activism and Communities Research Group, which organises seminars and public events throughout the year.
| ModeFull-time | Duration1 year | Start dateSeptember | Application codeM934 | Application method UCAS |
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Location
London South Bank University student union is located at 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA.
If you are visiting our Southwark Campus, you may wish to use our downloadable campus map (PNG File 466 KB). For information on accessibility, see our DisabledGo access guides. See our location page for more details.
Entry Level Requirements
Need further information? Call us on 0800 923 8888 to discuss entry requirements.
1.Completion of Level 4 and Level 5 Undergraduate Criminology Modules at another institution.
2.Students are expected to have completed
Level 4 120 Credits (or the equivalents); AND
Level 5 120 Credits (or the equivalents)
3.Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs A-C including Maths and English, or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).
4.We welcome qualifications from around the world. English language qualifications for international students include for example IELTS score of 6.0 or Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C.
The admissions team can advise as suitable alternative routes.
5.Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will need to be accredited by formal full transcripts indicating
a) The Name of the Module
b) The level of Credits for the Module (e.g. 15, 20, 30)
c) The overall percentage for the module.
Choose your country
Select country here:
Missing English and Maths qualifications?
If you do not have the required English and Maths qualifications needed to satisfy the entry requirements for this programme, we have courses available at our partner College that you can take to upskill in these areas. Find out more at South Bank College.
Advanced entry
If you have already completed some studies at another university, we may be able to consider you for advanced entry. Please see our advanced entry page for more information.
United Kingdom
£9790
Tuition fees for home students
International
£17400
Tuition fees for international students
Tuition fees are subject to annual inflationary increases. Find out more about tuition fees for Undergraduate or Postgraduate courses.
For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for undergraduate students.
Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.
See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 630 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).
Possible fee changes
The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.
The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees to reflect increased costs of delivery and to maintain an a high-quality student experience. This increase would be no more than Consumer Prices Index (CPI) increases plus 5%.
Scholarships
We offer several types of fee reduction through our scholarships and bursaries. Find the full list and other useful information on our scholarships page.
Are you an international student looking to kickstart your global career at LSBU? If so, our new LSBU Future Global Graduate Awards could help you benefit from the high-quality, career focused education that LSBU offers. Find out more about our Global Graduate Awards.
International students
The course is not currently open to international students.
International applicants can apply directly to LSBU and should consult our international how to apply guide for further information on the application process and key dates.
Course delivery modes and application methods
| Mode Full-time | Duration 1 year | Start date September | Application code M934 | Application method UCAS |
Accommodation
Once we have made you an offer, you can apply for accommodation. You can rent from LSBU and you’ll deal directly with the university, not third party providers. That means we can guarantee you options to suit all budgets, with clear tenancy agreements and all-inclusive rents that include insurance for your personal belongings, internet access in each bedroom and on-site laundry facilities.
Or, if you’d rather rent privately, we can give you a list of landlords – just ask our Accommodation Service.
Read more about applying for accommodation at LSBU.
Finance
You don't need to wait for a confirmed place on a course to start applying for student finance. Read how to pay your fees as an undergraduate student.
Prepare to start
Getting started
Students can prepare themselves for the course by following the news - quality newspapers, good TV news bulletins, Radio 4 news etc - particularly news about crime (politics of crime as well as actual crime stories).
This course provides you with valuable knowledge and the ability to think critically about a range of topics within criminology. You will also gain transferable skills, which will provide you with a solid background to starting your career in different fields. Topics you will study include criminal justice, prisons, policing, punishment, youth crime and hate crime.
- Research project (20 Credits in Semester 1 and 20 Credits in Semester 2)
This level six double module covers two semesters and consists of the research for and completion of an academic project with a 9000-word limit. Each student chooses a subject relevant to the study of Sociology, Politics, International relations or Criminology (according to their course) in which they wish to specialise, and then uses the skills and knowledge that they have accumulated and developed through modules studied at previous levels to undertake and complete the project. During the whole process, from choice of subject to final submission, each student will have the support and guidance of a supervisor allocated for this purpose. - Gender, Crime and Justice
This module is inclusive of engagement with contemporary and critical theoretical discussions that move beyond binary understandings of gendered experiences of crime and the criminal justice system. - Contemporary criminology
This module allows students to examine, in depth, contemporary and specific areas of criminological debate and theory. The module adopts a flexible design in response to current developments in the field of criminology and in the context of current social and political problems. Students will be encouraged to critically explore topics within the area and apply them to wider criminological debate and theory.
One optional module from this pool:
- Race, Culture, and Identity
This module addresses the centrality of race and ethnicity (including whiteness) to social relations. It provides an analysis of race and ethnicity within a changing scholarship and within their historical, cultural, political and theoretical contexts. Theoretical understandings of the intersectionality of race, gender and sexuality will also be explored, highlighting their impact on all aspects of people’s lives. The complexities of analysing race, gender and sexuality are applied to representations in cultural forms, such as media and film. The module also demonstrates how the concepts covered have been influential in shaping public policy. - International Security
This module introduces the study of international security, covering a wide spectrum of security issues, including the causes and consequences of civil wars, the impact of terrorism and counter-terrorism, and the idea of ‘culture wars’. The second part a detailed grounding in the theory and practice of international security by exploring conceptual matters in (critical) security studies such as the debate between ‘narrowing’ or ‘widening’ the scope of security. One of the central aims of the module is to encourage students to historicise and think critically about contemporary constructions of ‘security’, against the narrower field of ‘strategic studies’ (which focuses on weapons systems and their use in particular wars). - Crimes of the Powerful
This module explores the phenomena of state crime, corporate crime and the involvement of powerful social forces in human rights abuses. It examines the problems involved in conceptualising state crimes and human rights and looks at contemporary crimes against humanity, including in the area of environmental rights. The module also explores the problems involved in regulating and controlling state crime and human rights atrocities in which states and state officials play a key role. The critical engagement with globalization provides a framework within which students explore significant contemporary debates and developments. - 21st Century Society: From Networks to Artificial Intelligence
The world is changing. Huge advances in areas such as information technology, computing, communications, mobile devices, transport, and building techniques are changing the way we interact, do business, work, organise cities, and go about our daily lives. How do the theories that have dominated sociological thinking relate to and comprehend these changes? Do we need new theories? This module will look at the latest sociological theories that are trying to understand what these changes are, how they affect society, and how sociology itself might have to change. - Politics and Protest
This module will examine forms of social and political conflict characteristic of contemporary western societies. The main focus will be on understanding social movements and forms of political contention in the changing social structure of these societies. Although it has a contemporary western focus the course will situate discussion also in the context of historical and comparative material on social movements. The emphasis throughout however will be on examining the ability of social and political theory to understand the nature of political identity and its expression in political protest and social movements.
Notes Applicable for the Year 2025-26
1. All students on UG Criminology must undertake three modules per Semester.
2. All students on UG Criminology must take the Project at Level 6 which runs as 20 Credits in Semester 1 and 20 credits Semester 2.
3.Please note that although most optional modules run, we do not guarantee to run every optional module each year. Not all option combinations are available due to timetabling restrictions.
Careers
Our Criminology courses open pathways to careers in a variety of settings including probation, policing, the prison service, NGOs, local authorities, youth offending teams, education, social work. Many of our students also progress into Master programmes and PhDs in Criminology, Psychology, Law, Social Sciences, Gender Studies.
Career opportunities
Our students volunteer and find jobs in a range of setting, including the police service, the prison service, legal advice, victim support, domestic violence and child abuse agencies and charities, youth offending and youth mentoring schemes.
A social science degree also has the real advantage of opening up careers in a number of professions such as teaching, social work, administration and higher level education. Other graduates have forged exciting careers in research, public relations, advertising, retail, management and media-related work.
Career roles
One popular role is as a probation officer working with offenders before, during and after they are sentenced. Possessing a great deal of patience, strong oral communication skills and a non-judgemental attitude, working in probation can be very rewarding work. A qualified probation officer can earn between £28,000-£35,000. (National Careers Service)
The police service also offers a wide variety of long-term opportunities providing a two-year probationary period is completed. Salaries after 5 years can be up to £30,000. (BBC News)
There are a number of career opportunities within the criminal justice system or agencies and charities working with victims of crime, ex-offenders, and witnesses.
Career progression
The academic strength of our programmes has allowed many graduates to continue onto postgraduate degrees and academic research.
Criminology staff have links with practitioners working in the criminal justice system and utilise the expertise of these contacts to organise guest speakers so students are able to hear from industry experts.
For example: Harry Potter, a criminal defence barrister, and a former fellow of Selwyn College Cambridge, says his famous name has been a distinct advantage. He has represented clients in all areas of crime, including court-martials. He is a published author of several books on legal and Scottish history and his latest book on the history of prisons will shortly be published. He has worked for the BBC presenting a TV series on our legal system and a documentary on capital punishment. He is also a qualified Church of England priest and for eight years was a prison chaplain attending many lifer review hearings. He believes that too many people are jailed and for too long. He regularly lectures at LSBU on the death penalty, criminal justice and prisons.
Optional Work Placement
Students will complete a work-based learning module as part of their second year where they will complete an optional work placement or take part in other forms of work-based learning. In the past, our students have volunteered with charities and criminal justice agencies, with local authorities, on programmes ranging from rehabilitation of offenders to victim support and campaigner groups. Through these, students contribute to real world situations linked to their subject of interest. In many cases, students maintain a relationship with the organisation they volunteer for. Placements ground a student's experience, provide confidence and bolster a CV immeasurably.
Our students have taken up work placements at:
- Chance UK – a unique early intervention mentoring organisation who provide adult volunteer mentors to work with children aged 5-11 years at risk of developing anti-social behaviour in later life.
- Kairos in Soho – a pan-London LGBT Community Development Organisation.
- The Naz project London – a sexual health organisation that works to mobilise Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities in relation to HIV and other sexual health concerns.
- Richmond Advice and Information on Disability (RAID)
- Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS)
Teaching and Assessment
The course is taught in variety of ways, including lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. We adopt an inclusive, interactive and problem-based approach to teaching and learning, that fosters the development of students’ critical skills and agency over their learning. Guest speakers are also invited from relevant industries and social sectors. Assessments are all coursework based, offering a mix of innovative and creative and more traditional academic assignments.
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