Course information
Typical offer BBB
UK fee £9,535
UCAS code L3M9
International fee £19,700
Institute code L34
Taught by Sociology
6th in the UK for Criminology (The Guardian University Guide 2025)
14th in the UK for student experience in Sociology (The Times Good University Guide 2025)
Course description
Course description
Who decides what counts as crime – and why does it matter?
Our BA Sociology with Criminology empowers you to question the boundaries of justice, exploring how society, culture and power shape our understanding of right and wrong.
This degree is designed for you if you are eager to confront real-world challenges and make a difference. You will dive into the complexities of power, privilege, race, gender, and inequality—issues driving today’s social debates and central to our curriculum. Examine why certain behaviours are criminalised, how social justice is achieved, and the impact of education, health, and policy on everyday life.
This course brings together two of Leicester’s most respected subject areas. We have a long history as a pioneer in sociology in the UK, earning a distinguished reputation for teaching and research. Criminology at Leicester is ranked 6th in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2025) and our experts are at the forefront of national and international conversations on crime and society.
In your first year, you will gain a thorough grounding in both disciplines through core modules such as:
- Introduction to Criminology: Discover key theories and concepts that explain crime and criminal behaviour.
- Sociology in practice: Apply sociological ideas to current social issues and real-life situations.
- Theories of crime and criminality: Examine criminal behaviour and the social factors that influence crime.
- Ways of researching: Gain practical skills in research methods used in Sociology and Criminology.
- Interpreting key texts: Critically engage with classic and contemporary works to understand major debates.
As you progress, flexibility underpins your degree structure, allowing you to tailor your studies to your interests and career ambitions. Choose from a wide range of specialist modules, including:
- Violence: Investigate the causes and impacts of violence in society.
- Education and social justice: Analyse education’s role in promoting or limiting social justice..
- Forensic science: Learn about scientific methods used in solving crimes.
- Criminal justice and mental disorder: Study how mental health and the justice system interact.
- International migration: Examine migration trends and their effects on societies.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
- A/AS-levels: BBB. All subjects accepted. Two AS-levels considered in place of one A-level.
- EPQ with A-levels: BBC + EPQ at grade B.
- GCSE: English at Grade 4/C.
- Access to HE Diploma: Pass Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3, including 24 credits at Distinction.
- International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 28 points overall. Including grade 4 in English A or 5 in English B if not held at GCSE.
- BTEC Nationals: Pass Diploma with DDM.
- T-Levels: Merit or above, Humanities subjects preferred.
Other official national and international qualifications considered from across the world. You can review some of the qualifications we accept on our countries page and English Language equivalencies.
If your qualification or country is not listed, please contact us for more information, including the name and result of the qualification you have studied.
Contextual offers
The University of Leicester is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all applicants from all backgrounds. We make contextual offers to support students who may be impacted by the area they live in, their personal circumstances or who have completed one of our progression programmes. These offers are usually one or two grades lower than the standard entry requirements. To qualify for a contextual offer, you must apply for an eligible course and meet specific criteria – check if you’re eligible.
English Language Requirements
IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability.
If you do not yet meet our requirements, our English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) offers a range of courses to help you to improve your English to the necessary standard.
International Qualifications
Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.
Countries ListFees and funding
Fees and funding
UK Students
Starting in 2025
The tuition fees that will be payable by you to the University for the 2025/26 academic year will be £9,535
- £9,535 in your first year. Tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with inflation, subject to government regulations. The inflation rate used will be the Retail Price Index excluding mortgage payments (RPIX)
- Year Abroad: your fee will be £1,430 for that year
- Year in Industry: your fee will be £1,907 for that year
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
International Students
Starting in 2025
- £19,700 per year
- Year Abroad: £4,925, which is 25% of the full-time tuition fee
- Year in Industry: £2,955, which is 15% of the full-time tuition fee
If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.
If you are an EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme, you may qualify for the UK fee (subject to criteria).
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
Careers and employability
Careers and employability
Employability is at the core of our Sociology with Criminology degree, shaping your experience from the very beginning. In your first year, you will develop imaginative and critical thinking skills that form the foundation of your studies, while later modules immerse you in applied projects and real-world issues, giving you valuable hands-on experience.
Each year, research-focused modules help you build confidence in both qualitative and quantitative methods, ensuring you graduate with a skillset that is both contemporary and robust. By your final year, you will take full ownership of your research project, guiding it from initial design to final dissemination. You will also have opportunities to produce creative outputs, such as films or comics on social issues, helping your portfolio stand out to employers.
Throughout your studies, you will develop highly valued transferable skills, including intellectual confidence, information management and articulating complex issues, that prepare you to succeed in a variety of rewarding sectors. Our graduates go on to excel in areas such as social research, policing (including detective and intelligence roles), probation and prison services, the civil service, policy advising, compliance, communications, teaching, finance, and management.
Our graduates have secured roles* at leading organisations, including:
- Adecco
- Babcock
- Civil Service
- Financial Conduct Authority
- Goldman Sachs
- HM Prison and Probation Service
- International Business School
- Ministry of Justice
- National Crime Agency
- NHS
- University of Oxford
- Victim Support
At Leicester, our award-winning Careers and Employability Service works closely with the Sociology and Criminology teams and your personal tutor to help you identify your strengths and explore career pathways. Our specialist advisers support you with CVs, interviews, placements, and volunteering opportunities, guiding you every step of the way. You can also tailor your final research project to your own work experience, making your degree more relevant to your goals. Plus, our lifetime support continues even after graduation to help you achieve your professional ambitions.
Our Careers and Employability Service is here to support you, with advice on interviews, CVs, work experience, volunteering and more. From Freshers’ Week to Graduation and beyond, they are here to help you reach your professional goals.
Related courses
Related courses
Sociology
BA, 3 years
Politics and Sociology
BA, 3 years
Media and Society
BA, 3-4 years
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View list
Course structure
Year 1
Year 1
In your first year you will gain a solid foundation in the principles of sociology and criminology, covering a mixture of theoretical ideas and substantive topics.
- Introduction to Criminology
- Sociology in Practice
- Theories of Crime and Criminality
- Ways of Researching
- Interpreting Key Texts
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year 2
Year 2
You will gain more choice to shape your degree and follow your interests and career objectives in your second year, when you can choose two option modules to make your learning experience more individual.
Core modules
- Doing Qualitative Research
- Punishment and Rehabilitation
- Using Numbers in Social Research
- Live Sociology
Option modules
Choose one option module from:
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Year 3
Year 3
In your final year you will carry out a supervised main piece of work, conducting research in an area of your choice.
Core modules
Option modules
Choose two option modules from:
Then choose two option modules from:
- Forensic Science and Criminal Justic
- Drugs and Society
- Football and Society
- International Migration
- Green Criminology
- Understanding Extremism: Causes, Actions and Solutions
Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.
Why Leicester?
Our course places a strong emphasis on the areas you care about most – inequality, race, gender, education and health – ensuring your learning is relevant to today’s biggest social challenges.
Criminology at Leicester is ranked 6th in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2025). We offer research-led teaching delivered by staff whose work shapes national and international debates in sociology and criminology.
Our academic staff have written or edited dozens of books and publish regularly in major national and international journals. Where others only read their work, you will learn directly from them in lectures and seminars.
Benefit from outstanding facilities and support, including a specialist crime scene room, a dedicated building, open office hours and vibrant social study spaces, all within a welcoming community.
Teaching and learning
You will take three modules in each semester. The modules you take are taught using a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars and tutorials. Lectures provide you with the foundational knowledge needed to study the subject area, while the workshops give you the opportunity to discuss key ideas with your peers and your workshop leader. Seminars are an opportunity for smaller/deeper group discussions on topics and reading relating to the module. Tutorials in our first year offer support with skills development.
In all of our teaching sessions, you will be active agents in your learning journey. You will take part in a range of activities and tasks that will help deepen your knowledge and confidence in how to apply sociology in creative ways, with convincing arguments and evidence. You will also have the opportunity to participate in fieldtrips.
In addition to this you will be given a personal tutor who can provide one-to-one support on a range of academic and personal issues, a weekly ‘drop-in’ help-desk to ask any questions supported by teaching staff, and all the teaching staff in the School have regular ‘office hours’ sessions where you are able to discuss any problems you may have.
Assessment of each module normally takes place at the end of each semester. Our assessment strategy allows you to develop a range of academic and transferable skills throughout your degree. You will be assessed in a wide range of ways, depending on the modules you choose. Our assessments include field work diaries, blogs, mindmaps, photovoice, short films, creative adverts, policy analysis, skills logs, portfolios, essays, reflective reports, presentations and exams. You will have the opportunity to produce creative and authentic, real-world forms of assessment.
During the remainder of your study time, you are able to access our excellent learning resources provided by the Library and Sociology at Leicester. As well as traditional written material, a selection of multimedia resources to enrich your learning experience.
Independent learning
Academic support
Our Centre for Academic Achievement provides help in the following areas:
- study and exam skills
- academic writing
- presentations
- dissertations
- numerical data skills
- referencing sources
Our AccessAbility Centre offers support and practical help for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, including physical, mental health or mobility difficulties, deafness, or visual impairment.
Teaching staff
You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. PhD research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is informed by the research we do. You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles for Sociology and Criminology.
Apply now
| Attendance | UCAS Code | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance Full-time | UCAS Code L3M9 | Availability How to apply |
