
Criminology
Undergraduate Open Days
Join us at the Medway campus on Saturday 24 June and the Canterbury campus on Saturday 1 July. Meet staff and students, find out about our courses and explore our stunning campuses for yourself.
Course overview
Why do crime rates rise and fall? What can authorities do to reduce criminal offending? Does prison work? How can you prepare for a successful career in criminal justice? In studying criminology at Kent, you'll discuss all these questions and more, developing the knowledge and skills to answer them.
You’ll learn about criminal justice systems across the world, including our own prisons, police and courts – discovering the challenges each of them face. You’ll also explore key debates around crime policy through a critical and career-driven lens.
At Kent, you’ll be taught by world-leading academics and experienced criminal justice professionals – including those drawn from Kent Police, the London Metropolitan Police, HMP Prisons Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Probation Service, the legal profession and charities supporting victims and communities.
Our diverse and cutting-edge range of modules covers areas such as cybercrime, criminal psychology, drug policy, violent crime, terrorism, youth offending and hate crime, giving you the chance to expand your criminological imagination and tailor your degree to set up your own exciting career.
Adding a quantitative research minor to your programme opens your mind to new ways of thinking. Starting with no assumed statistical knowledge, you graduate with an advanced package of practical quantitative skills alongside subject-specific knowledge in criminology and criminal justice.
Why study Criminology at Kent?

Career development.
We work with you to build your skills, networks and opportunities via workshops and shadowing schemes with criminal justice professionals.
World-leading
Kent achieved the second highest score for criminological research quality in The Times Good University Guide 2023.

Gain hands-on experience
Develop practical skills in criminal justice: train in the UK's first Restorative Justice Clinic or volunteer with one of our partners.
Learn from the experts
Gain first-hand knowledge via our partnerships with the Police, HMP Prisons Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Probation Service and many charities.

Realise your potential.
Everything you need to know about our Criminology course
Entry requirements
Our typical offer levels are listed below and include indicative contextual offers. If you hold alternative qualifications just get in touch and we'll be glad to discuss these with you.
Additional requirements
BBB
Distinction, Distinction, Merit
30 points overall or 15 points at HL
Maths at grade C (or 4).
Other qualifications
Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average, and 60% in LZ013 Maths and Statistics if you do not hold GCSE Maths at 6/B or equivalent.
The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.
The School is committed to widening participation and has a long and successful tradition of admitting mature students. We welcome applications from students on accredited Access courses.
What you'll study
How you'll study
Teaching and assessment
In addition to learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, project supervision, and statistics classes, students can carry out hands-on research in the ‘field’ through placements and field trips. Most modules are assessed by examination and coursework in equal measure.
Contact hours
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Programme aims
This programme aims to:
- provide a pioneering educational opportunity within the UK context combined with student engagement in a range of disciplines, enabling students to progress into high-level careers and related postgraduate opportunities
- provide a broad knowledge and understanding of key concepts, debates and theoretical approaches in criminology which allow us to understand the social and personal context of all aspects of crime, victimisation and responses to crime
- develop new areas of teaching in response to needs of the community
- widen participation in higher education by offering various entry routes
- help students to link theoretical knowledge with empirical enquiry and to identify and understand different ideological positions
- develop problem-solving skills and an understanding of the nature and appropriate use of research methods used in social science research
- teach students key writing, research and communications skills
- give students the skills and abilities to enable them to become informed citizens, capable of participating in the policy process and equipped for a dynamic labour market
- provide students with the statistical and analytical tools to independently and successfully conduct advanced quantitative research
- help students make persuasive arguments using quantitative research, and to critically assess the arguments made by others in the course of social life
- help students link theoretical knowledge with empirical enquiry, so that they understand how to conduct and critique social research in the real world.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- the origins and development of UK Criminal Justice Policy institutions
- the principal concepts and theoretical approaches in criminology
- the ways in which images of crime and notions of crime are constructed and represented
- the principles that underlie criminal justice, how they have changed over time and how they relate to the workings of particular agencies of crime control
- contemporary issues and debates in specific areas of criminology and criminal justice
- knowledge of the main sources of data about crime and a grasp of the research methods used to collect and analyse data
- understanding of interdisciplinary approaches to issues in criminology and the ability to use ideas from other social sciences
- understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of statistical techniques applied to the study of social issues
- cross-disciplinary understanding of advanced quantitative reasoning and application of these methods to the analysis of complex societal problems
- knowledge of how to abstract findings from the application of quantitative research methods to examine essential features of complex societal problems and provide a framework for assessment of contemporary institutional arrangements
- understanding of the value of comparative analysis across disciplines
- understanding and awareness of ethical implications of social sciences’ inquiry.
Intellectual skills
You develop the following intellectual skills:
- problem-solving skills and the ability to seek solutions to crime, criminal behaviour and other social problems and individual needs
- data collection and research skills: ability to apply research and inquiry techniques with critical awareness; ability to formulate research questions and hypotheses across a range of different disciplines; gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of secondary and primary sources
- evaluative and analytical skills: to assess the outcomes of criminal justice, crime prevention and social policy intervention on individuals and communities; ability to evaluate and critically assess quantitative evidence, both in its own right, and to assess how this evidence is used in the arguments of others; ability to synthesise relevant information across multiple forms of evidence and to integrate these within a single account
- sensitivity to the values and interests of others and to the dimensions of difference
- quantitative: the appropriate use of analytical methods – including advanced methods – in handling, analysing and presenting statistical data across relevant disciplines; ability to interpret both research data and official statistics.
Subject-specific skills
You gain the following subject-specific skills:
- identifying and using theories and concepts in criminology to analyse issues of crime and criminal justice
- handling and interpreting statistical data relevant to issues of crime and criminal justice
- undertaking an investigation of an empirical issue, either on your own or with other students
- understanding the nature and appropriate use, including the ethical implications, of diverse social research strategies and methods
- distinguishing between technical, normative, moral and political questions
- communicating quantitative empirical findings effectively across disciplines and audiences
- constructing criminological arguments using quantitative empirical evidence
Transferable skills
You gain the following transferable skills:
- studying and learning independently, using library and internet sources.
- having an appetite for learning and being reflective, adaptive and collaborative in your approach
- making short presentations to fellow students and staff
- communicating ideas and arguments to others, both in written and spoken form
- preparing essays and referencing the material quoted according to conventions in social policy
- using IT to word-process, conduct online searches, communicate by email and access data sources
- developing skills in time management by delivering academic work on time and to the required standard
- developing interpersonal and teamwork skills to enable you to work collaboratively, negotiate, listen and deliver results
- appropriately using analytical methods – including advanced methods – in handling, analysing and presenting statistical data in diverse real-world settings.
A degree that opens doors
My desire to become a criminal barrister was largely due to what I learnt during my degree.

Your future
You’ll join our graduates realising their ambitions both in the field of criminal justice and in more diverse professions. Recently, our graduates have gone into:
- the police force
- the Probation Service
- the Home Office
- Ministry of Justice
- non-governmental organisations and charities
- HM Prison Service
- youth offending
- social work
- the legal profession
- policy analysis.

Hear from Christina Sriramula
You can tell by the way they deliver their lectures that all the staff are passionate about their subjects.

Fees and funding
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UK£9,250
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EU£13,500
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International£18,000
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UK£4,625
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EU£6,750
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International£9,000
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
Your fee status
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.