BA Criminology (3 Years)

Institution University of Manchester
Method At the institution
Location Manchester
Type Undergraduate

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BA Criminology (3 Years)

Objectives The course aims to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of criminology and related disciplines at a breadth and depth appropriate to a first degree qualification. More generally, the course imparts an understanding of criminality and the institutions of criminal justice within their social, economic and political context and seeks to promote an appreciation of the role of justice and the `rule of law' in the criminal justice system. We provide students with the opportunity to develop specialised knowledge and skills in certain areas of criminology and socio-legal studies. An important feature of the Manchester single honours programme is the emphasis on understanding data analysis and research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) - together with how theory, research and practice can combine effectively. In keeping with good educational practice, the programme develops the student's powers of critical inquiry, logical thinking and empirical analysis; it will develop a range of key transferable skills, such as computer literacy, numeracy, written and oral communication. In essence, the intellectual rigour of this programme will provide you with the depth of knowledge and skills required both for developing a relevant career in the field of criminal justice and for pursuing further study and research. All School of Law students have the opportunity to attend skills training courses that have modules aimed at employment in general and more specialist careers - including criminal justice and crime reduction.
Entry requirements Selected entry requirements English language: Candidates must show a high standard of written and spoken English. We require GCSE English Language or equivalent such as IELTS 7 or TOEFL 625. A level: Grades ABB. General Studies is not included as part of the standard offer. A subject with a very large practical component may be excluded or raise the offer. AS-levels are not accepted in place of A-levels. Unit grade information: The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit grade information which, like all other available information, will inform the consideration of applications. Unit grades will not normally form part of offer conditions, except for Mathematics programmes. GCSE: A strong performance in all subjects, with an absolute minimum of Grade C in English Language and Mathematics. Key Skills qualification: The University warmly welcomes applications from students studying the Key Skills qualification. However, as the opportunities to take these modules are not open to all applicants, currently this is not an essential requirement of the University. International baccalaureate: 6,5,5 at Higher Level with an overall score of 33 in the IB Diploma. Additional entry requirements Additional entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
Academic title BA Criminology
Course description Course description
This new degree course will admit its first students in September 2008. The single honours degree is an exciting development and rests on a long and distinguished tradition of criminological research and teaching at the University; the current staff within the Centre for Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies are all actively involved in advancing knowledge in this discipline.

Crime, whether measured by official police data or through victimization surveys, is regarded as a major problem in Britain and in other industrialized countries. It has been the focus of party political debate for several decades. Indeed, evidence of society's preoccupation with crime and disorder is all around in the media - yet, debates rage about which phenomena should be defined as such, how crime and disorder events are interpreted, and how society should react to them. Criminal offending has been the subject of government intervention through a great number of general and specific policy initiatives. These have been aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the criminal justice system; a system which now has both a record number of police officers and a record high number of offenders in prison. The government, through its Research and Statistics Directorate (Home Office) employs a large number of criminology specialists to monitor trends, evaluate interventions and provide advice on matters of prevention and reduction of crime and offending behaviour. Research on crime and criminal justice is also undertaken in the universities. Importantly, the universities also provide a focus for considered thinking on how crime and our reactions to it can be understood both theoretically and in comparison to other nations. This is important in a rapidly changing social and economic world.

The Criminology course will enable you to understand why crime has become a dominant social problem, at how crime and criminal behaviour are related to other social issues, and how we can best research the challenges which face the criminal justice system. It will give you the necessary analytical skills to critically engage both with complex data and the intricate policy debates within the field of criminology. The course will also enable you to develop skills relevant to a variety of key professions concerned with criminal justice and crime reduction, including the police, prisons, offender management, youth justice, and community safety.

Course content for year 1
In the first year you are introduced to sociological and psychological explanations of crime and criminal behaviour; you are given a foundation for understanding the criminal justice system and criminal law and you will become familiar with the evidentiary basis for theories of social behaviour. Year one consists of common compulsory modules.

Course content for year 2
In year two, we further extend student understanding of criminological theory, and enable students to extend their knowledge of the range of theories and techniques in use in contemporary criminal justice systems. You will become familiar with specific patterns of crime and criminality and we seek to further extend student understanding of criminal justice by introducing them to theoretical and operational issues associated with the regulation of behaviour in democratic societies. Importantly, we will develop your understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods. There will be a number of exciting optional choices available, dealing with: youth justice, drugs and society, policing and regulation, psychology and crime.

Course content for year 3
In the final year, student knowledge of current research issues in selected areas of crime and criminal justice is developed, together with further student understanding and appreciation of the inter-relationships between crime, law, criminal justice, and society. The final year also allows you the opportunity to develop specialised knowledge in particular areas of criminology and/or law. A range of specialist options are available on violence, comparative analysis of crime and criminal justice, crime prevention, terrorism, management of offenders, white-collar crime and advanced theoretical criminology. A key element of final year work is the opportunity to undertake an extended piece of work of your own devising (a dissertation).