Start date:
Course information
Typical offer BBB
UCAS code L3M9
International fee £19,700
Institute code L34
Taught by Sociology
6th in the UK for Criminology (The Guardian University Guide 2025)
Top 25 in the UK for sociology (Complete University Guide 2025)
Course description
Course description
How does crime affect our lives? How and why are certain behaviours categorised as a crime? Studying sociology with criminology will give you a sociological insight into the world of crime.
This degree explores the important and diverse subject of crime and deviance, combined with analysis of wider social processes through the discipline of sociology.
The BA Sociology with Criminology employs a cutting-edge, creative practice-based approach, which is highly innovative and distinctive to sociology at Leicester. Our Sociology with Criminology BA will provide you with a thorough grounding in research methods, theory and a variety of substantive topics. Throughout your degree you’ll be getting to grips with topical issues in contemporary society – based on areas where our academics are conducting pioneering research. You will develop skills you can transfer to your chosen career, including traditional academic competencies.
This degree brings together two of our internationally respected subject areas; Leicester was one of the first sociology departments to be established in the UK, and we have developed a distinguished and international reputation a wealth of experience in teaching and an enviable research pedigree. Criminology ranks 8th in the UK for teaching Criminology (The Guardian University Guide 2024). We are home to some of the UK’s leading criminologists and as such, you will benefit from a pure, focused and definitive education in the study of crime.
Flexibility underpins our degree structure, which means that you will get to shape your degree to suit your own interests and career aspirations. Whichever direction you choose, you will be taught by enthusiastic scholars who are keen to share their expertise with you.
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
Tuition fees for 2025/26 are yet to be confirmed. As an indication of what you might pay, the fees for students who started in 2024/25 were:
- £9,250 in your first year. Tuition fees are subject to government regulations and may change in future years
- Year Abroad: your fee will be £1,385 for that year
- Year in Industry: your fee will be £1,850 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
We aim to provide you with a range of transferable skills that will give you a head-start in today’s competitive job market. Your capacity for imaginative, rigorous and critical thinking will be developed throughout the degree. Subject specific skills, such as knowledge of social processes, will be complemented by the type of transferable skills that are highly valued by employers in the graduate job market, including:
- Data analysis
- Information management
- Leadership
- Project management
- Creative and effective communication
- Intellectual confidence
- Articulating complex issues
The Career Development Service and Sociology work together to ensure you improve your employability, as well as recognising the skills you have acquired throughout your degree.
Our graduates go on to work in a variety of job roles, including:
- Detective Constable
- Director of Research and Innovation
- Investigator
- Police Officer
- Probation Service Officer
- Security
- Senior Psychologist
- Social Researcher
- Communications Director
- Compliance Manager
- Group Operations Director
- Head of Learning and Development
- Housing Director
- Learning Disabilities Teacher
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
Plus you will choose two 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.
Choose either:
Plus three optional modules from:
Plus two optional modules from:
- Forensic Science
- Social Movements
- Criminal Justice and Mental Disorder
- Football and Society
- International Migration
- 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 research feeds directly into our teaching, allowing you to gain from cutting-edge developments in your field as they occur.
Our academic staff have written or edited dozens of books and publish regularly in major national and international journals. Where other people only get to read what our experts think, you will be working directly with them, learning from them in lectures and questioning them in seminars.
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 |
