Bournemouth University - BA (Hons) Sociology & Criminology

Bournemouth University

BA (Hons) Sociology & Criminology

Investigate whether some people are more likely to commit a crime or be a victim of crime from a sociological standpoint, and discover what social factors can drive a person in a criminal direction. Examine hot topics such as social exclusion, human trafficking, terrorism, penology, policing, victimology, and a variety of other eye-opening elements.
This course will provide you with the advanced knowledge and analytical skills required to break into the public and social sectors.
Choose between a 30-week'sandwich' placement or a shorter four-week placement - both are essential for improving your employability.
In your final year dissertation, conduct your own research on a topic that interests you or is related to your future career or study plans.

What can you achieve with a sociology degree?

You’ll develop a range of analytical and communication skills during this course that will serve you well when you enter the workplace in the public or social sectors, including the criminal justice system, or alternatively as a great starting block for further study. 

Entry Requirements

  • 104 - 120 UCAS tariff points including a minimum of 2 A-levels or equivalent. BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM.
  • If English is not your first language, you will need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in reading or writing and 5.5 in all other components or equivalent. 

Career Prospects

Sociology and criminology are a natural fit, with each discipline complementing the other. During this course, you will gain analytical and communication skills that will serve you well in the workplace - in the public or social sectors, including the criminal justice system - or as a great starting point for further study.
95% of our students are working or continuing their education within fifteen months of finishing their course.
Among the industries in which our graduate's work are:

  • Social services
  • Criminal justice
  • Community work
  • Police
  • Prisons
  • Education
  • Probation Service
  • Government and civil service
  • Counselling charities and the voluntary sector

Course Details

This course will be taught by a variety of instructors with relevant expertise and knowledge to the content of each unit. Senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians, and research students will be among those involved. You will also benefit from industry guest lectures on a regular basis.
This course is part of a coordinated suite of social sciences courses that includes the following specializations: BA (Hons) Sociology, BA (Hons) Sociology & Social Anthropology, BA (Hons) Criminology, BA (Hons) Criminology with Psychology, BA (Hons) Criminology with Law, BA (Hons) Criminology with Law.

Year 1

Core units:
Introduction to Social Theory
Introduction to Social Research
Key Themes & Perspectives in Criminology
Introduction to Criminological Theory
Social Inequality & Exclusion
Crime & the Criminal Justice System

Year 2

Core units:
Qualitative Research Skills
Contemporary Social Theory
Human Trafficking and Criminality
Core or option:
Quantitative Skills
Doing Ethnographic Research
Option units:
Impact of Crime
Ethnographies of Crime & Policing
Understanding Globalisation
Crime, Health and Society
Understanding Cultures
Growing Up and Growing Old
Placement Learning unit
Criminological Psychology
Being Human in a Posthuman World

Final Year

Core units:
Dissertation
Criminology of Organisations
Politics & Ideology
Option units (choose two):
Drugs, Crime and Society
Seekers, Believers and Iconoclasts: Sociology of Thought
Terrorism, Protection and Society
Troubling’ Gender
Anthropology of International Intervention
Crime and Criminal Justice in the 21st Century
Intersectional Criminology
Capitalism’s crimes, contracts, and crises. Decolonial perspectives in the social sciences
Sport and Leisure Cultures

*The information’s are correct at the time of publishing, however it may change if university makes any changes after we have published the information. While we try our best to provide correct information, It is advisable to call us or visit university website for up to date information.

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