“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: 2025
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: CRI4
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 48Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study criminology with foundation and placement years
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.
- 0thin the top 20 best student cities (StudentCrowd, 2023)
- 0thUK uni for sustained employment (Longitudinal Educational Outcomes 2022)
- £0minvested in our campus estate and facilities
- Want to explore BA (Hons) Criminology but not quite ready to study at degree level? On the Social Sciences Foundation Year, you’ll explore areas such as mental health and wellbeing, contemporary issues in social sciences, and professional practice to help prepare for undergraduate study.
- Gain valuable first-hand work experience with a year-long full-time work placement between the second and third years of your degree.
- Solent ranked in the top 20% of UK universities for teaching quality (out of 131 institutions) (The Times Good University Guide 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.
- 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.
- Our portfolio of social and policy research is rich and diverse, with some of the most pressing societal concerns at the forefront of exploration - you will learn from experts in their field.
- You’ll be assigned a personal tutor who can assist you with pastoral support to help you make the most of your learning.
Course overview
During the Social Sciences Foundation Year, you’ll begin to develop the academic writing and independent learning skills necessary to study a scientific discipline. You’ll also begin to learn the basics of thinking and writing in social sciences.
The Social Sciences Foundation Year has an applied focus – students are encouraged and enabled to apply their theoretical knowledge to real world problems, such as mental health, psychological wellbeing and everyday problem-solving.
BA (Hons) Criminology 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.
The placement year will allow you to put what what you've learned in your first and second years into practice in the workplace, while gaining valuable real-world work experience before you graduate.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066Course features
Placement year
If you apply for this course with a placement year, you have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry between your second and third years
Foundation year available
If you're not quite ready for a full undergraduate degree, there's alternative entry through one of our foundation years
Further studies
After successfully completing your studies, there's an opportunity to continue your studies at Solent
Top-up option
If you have an appropriate Level 5 qualification, you can top it up to a degree in just a year
Who is this course for?
The course is specifically designed for those wanting to study social sciences but who do not meet the entry requirements. It is also suitable for those who wish to refresh their academic skills and subject specific knowledge before starting an undergraduate degree.
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.
If you're looking to gain a year's worth of industry experience as part of your studies, this course is for you. Our course and placements teams will help you find the perfect industry placement in your chosen field.
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.
What you'll study
Core modules
Professional Practice
In this module you will focus on your own intended professional practice through the process of personal development planning.
Contemporary Issues in Social Sciences
We use key sociological concepts – such as identity, power and social institutions – to explore a range of topics that shape our society including education, the family and healthcare.
Crime and Risk in Society
During this module, you’ll focus on an area of crime and justice that enables you to examine offending in our communities. Exploring a range of different types of crimes, you’ll use sociological approaches and crime theories to understand criminal behaviour. You’ll consider where and when crime takes place, as well as identify factors that contribute to criminal acts. Drawing on real crime cases, you will use a range of academic and popular sources to understand the complexities of criminal behaviour and the elements within society that work together to maintain social control.
Media Project in Social Sciences
This module invites you to examine and question the ways in which online social media; television; newspapers, and other media sources communicate and represent contemporary topics and issues in the social world.
Investigating in the Social Sciences
The module will introduce you to the methods used by social scientists to carry out research. You will learn about examples of research from different disciplines within the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and medicine.
Psychological Approaches to Mental Health
This module will introduce the topic of mental health and will explore the different psychological approaches - such as biological, psychological and social - which psychologists use to understand positive and negative aspects of mental health.
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.
Access Solent 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 Futures
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.
If you're in your final year, we also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are:
- UK, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,250 per year
- International full-time fees: £15,050 for foundation level. Fees will increase for year 1.
- 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 2025/26 other costs are not yet available. For guidance, the 2024/25 costs were:
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.
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 £15. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Student finance videos
Student finance Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.Student funding - the essentials Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.
Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
48 UCAS tariff points
- A minimum of two completed A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP, T-level Pass (D or E) or equivalent.
- Those wishing to progress on to BA (Hons) Social Work or BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing Practice must also have GCSE Maths and English grade 4/C.
- We will consider mature students who have not recently undertaken a formal course of study at A-level, or equivalent, but can demonstrate relevant work or voluntary experience, that's indicative of their ability to complete the course successfully.
- 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.
48UCAS points
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066How to apply
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.
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 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual 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.
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.
Make your application
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
- 4 years with year in industry
- 5 years with foundation and industry years
