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Crime and criminal justice are major social and political issues. On our Criminology degree you address questions such as: why do people commit crime? How much crime is committed? What causes crime rates to rise or fall? How can crime be effectively prevented? How should we deal with offenders?
Overview
Kent’s criminology programmes are based in the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR), which has consistently achieved the highest ratings for the quality of its teaching and research. The School is a large and vibrant community with a supportive and welcoming culture. You benefit from the extensive experience and expertise of staff and fellow students and our School Employability Officer runs a programme of annual networking events to help you develop your skills and contacts while studying with us.
On our programmes, you are taught by staff with internationally recognised expertise in criminological theory and criminal justice policy, and research interests in cultural criminology, policing and security, racist violence, imprisonment, night-time economies, terrorism, drug use, youth crime and female offenders.
Think Kent video series
In this talk, Dr Marian Duggan discusses her current research project which is an analysis of how the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (also known as ‘Clare’s Law’) is operating in Kent. Billed by the Government as a domestic violence ‘prevention policy’ and regularly referred to in the media as a ‘success’, she evaluates exactly how this scheme is operating in practice, whether it is achieving its aims of violence prevention and how useful a tool it is in reducing the average of two women a week who are killed in the UK as a result of domestic violence.
Independent rankings
In the National Student Survey 2015, 90% of Kent students studying Law and related subjects such as Criminology were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.
Course structure
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.
Year abroad
The Year Abroad option available with this degree programme is an excellent opportunity to experience learning in a different cultural context and educational setting; providing the opportunity to develop your skills, confidence and networks internationally.
The Year Abroad is subject to availability and you must also meet the academic and attendance requirements, usually achieving an average mark of 60% at Stage 2, plus satisfactory attendance and coursework submission records.
See our A-Z course list for more details or contact our Go Abroad team. Subject to availability, work placements can be undertaken anywhere in the world.
Teaching and assessment
We use a variety of teaching methods including lectures, case studies, group projects and individual and group tutorials.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- the principal concepts and theoretical approaches in criminology, sociology and social policy
- the social processes that shape contemporary society and the relationships between groups
- the key international policy developments around human rights
- contemporary issues and debates in specific areas of criminal justice
- the main sources of data about crime and social welfare and a grasp of the research methods used to collect and analyse data
- patterns of social diversity and inequality and their origins and consequences
- interdisciplinary approaches to issues in criminology and the ability to use ideas from other social sciences
Intellectual skills
You develop the following intellectual skills:
- problem-solving and the ability to seek solutions to criminal issues and other social problems and individual needs
- research, including the ability to identify a research question and to collect and manipulate data to answer that question
- evaluation and analysis, to assess the outcomes of crime prevention and social policy intervention on individuals and communities
- sensitivity to the values and interests of others and to the dimensions of difference
- interpretation of both research data and official statistics
- identification and gathering of appropriate library and web-based resources, making judgements about their merits and using the available evidence to construct an argument to be presented orally or in writing.
Subject-specific skills
You gain the following subject-specific skills:
- identification and use of theories and concepts in criminology and analysis of policies and practices
- seeking out and using statistical data relevant to issues of crime and sociological issues
- 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
- understanding the socio-legal context in which individuals and agencies operate
Transferable skills
You gain the following transferable skills:
- communication: communicating ideas and arguments to others, both in written and spoken form for both specialist and non-specialist audiences making short presentations to fellow students and staff; preparing essays and referencing the material quoted according to conventions in social policy
- numeracy: analysing and utilising basic statistical data drawn from research and official sources at a rudimentary level
- information technology: using IT to wordprocess, conduct online searches, communicate by email and access data sources
- working with others: developing interpersonal and teamworking skills to enable you to work collaboratively, negotiate, listen and deliver results
- improving own learning: exploring own strengths and weaknesses; having an appetite for learning and being reflective, adaptive and collaborative in your approach; studying and learning independently, using library and internet sources; developing skills in time management by delivering academic work on time and to the required standard
- problem-solving: developing the ability to identify and define problems, exploring alternative solutions and discriminating between them.
Careers
The variety of careers related to crime control has increased in recent years, with traditional justice agencies joined by companies in the voluntary and private sectors. Recently, our graduates have gone into police forces, criminal justice services, social services, and the crown court; more general areas such as banks and financial services; or on to further study.
If you have chosen to take the Year Abroad option you will have further increased your portfolio of skills by gaining experience of living and studying in a different culture. You will have learnt to appreciate and assess different approaches to criminal justice and rehabilitation, social policy and socialisation giving you a uniquely global perspective.
Entry requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | BBB
|
| Access to HE Diploma | 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. |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | Distinction, Distinction, Merit. Health and Social Care or Public Services preferred. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 15 at HL |
International students
The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.
Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | ||
| Part-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.
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.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
UK/EU/International students on an approved Year Abroad for the full 2016/17 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Those on an approved Year in Industry pay an annual fee of £865 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page.