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Criminology with Law with Foundation Year BSc(Hons)

2025-26

Undergraduate Open Days
Undergraduate Open Days

Start date

22 September 2025

Duration

4 years full-time

Entry requirements

A Level - DDE

BTEC - MPP

See full entry requirements

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. On this Criminology with Law with Foundation Year BSc(Hons) degree, you’ll have the opportunity to gain real-world experience through a work placement in your third year. This will give you the chance to put the skills and knowledge gained on the course into practice; past students have completed placements working with the police, youth offending teams, in prisons, restorative justice organisations, and voluntary agencies. 
  2. You’ll be taught by experts from both criminology and law disciplines, who have a wide range of research, practice specialisms and knowledge in the areas you’ll study.
  3. To enhance your learning, you’ll hear first-hand experiences and viewpoints from guest speakers, such as legal professionals, senior police officers, drug outreach workers, and criminal justice staff.

This programme is not available to international students. Instead, international students should apply for our international foundation programmes delivered by our International Study Centre on campus. For more information please visit International Study Centre.

Our integrated foundation degrees are for those of you who possess the capability to pursue a degree but do not have the pre-requisite qualifications to directly apply to your desired course. The duration of the foundation element is one year, and, if you successfully pass, you will automatically progress on to the degree.

Are you passionate about crime prevention? Or perhaps you’re keen to learn more about different types of crime – why people commit crime, and the laws surrounding specific criminological concerns.

Our Criminology with Law with Foundation Year BSc(Hons) will see you delve into a wealth of topics, from a critical social sciences perspective. You’ll study the foundations of criminology in partnership with our Law Department, who will teach you the fundamentals of law.

Why study Criminology with Law with Foundation Year BSc(Hons)

On the course, you’ll explore the law relating to criminological concerns, including medical, family, immigration, and human rights laws. You’ll also learn about crime prevention, criminal justice and punishment, mentally disordered offenders, and violent and organised crime.

In your third year of study, you’ll have the opportunity to gain real-world experience through a work placement. Past students have completed placements with the police, youth offending teams, in prisons, restorative justice organisations, CCTV units, as well as in voluntary agencies supporting offenders and victims in the community. You may also have the opportunity to work and study abroad via the Turing Scheme.

On campus, you’ll be taught by experts from both criminology and law disciplines, who have a wide range of research, practice specialisms and knowledge of the areas you’ll study. You’ll also hear first-hand experiences and viewpoints from guest speakers, such as legal professionals, senior police officers, drug outreach workers, and criminal justice staff; they’ll give you an insight into key contemporary debates, concerns, and practices, as well as what it’s like working in positions in the criminal justice or legal practice fields.

You’ll also be able to specialise your study on key areas of interest in both criminology and law, including crime prevention and criminal justice to types of crime or offending, such as mentally disordered offenders. You might also focus on key explanations for crimes and criminal offending, and how crimes are defined and constructed. Enhancing your post-university career prospects, this course could prepare you for roles within the criminal justice system and beyond.

Course detail

Preparing for Study - Foundations for Academic Success

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the academic skills required to progress in higher education and successfully complete your academic studies. This will include a variety of transferable skills as well as life-long learning skills. You’ll learn about essay writing, referencing, numerical representations of data required for university study, and the how to use Summon in searching for scholarly material. You'll also learn how to evaluate sources of information and be introduced to personal development planning (PDP).

Preparing for Study - Research Project

This module provides you the opportunity to apply the skills required in higher education study. This will include finding suitable sources, using the University's search engine summon, and presenting your studies in an academic format. You'll learn how to plan and undertake a project whilst developing skills in the effective engagement with academic literature. You'll also be encouraged to evaluate your own academic skills and participate in peer review and feedback processes.

Working with People

This module will explore the importance of effective communication in public services, along with providing insights into the differing individual preferences and needs of patients, clients, service-users and carers. You'll also have the opportunity to develop the basic knowledge, understanding, values and skills to support communication and personalisation when working with people.

The Context of Health and Social Care

In this module you'll explore the contexts of health and social care services for physical and mental health, and wellbeing. You'll consider what shapes provision, as well as what impacts on the variations in health and wellbeing outcomes for different groups in society. You'll also learn about key issues such as social and welfare policies, austerity, and social inequalities.

Introduction to Studying People and Society

This module will introduce you to key issues relating to the study of society, social structures and systems, and also people as individuals. You'll explore important and topical issues relating to the psychology of human behaviour, how our society is organised and constructed, and how people experience social life. This will include consideration of crime and criminal justice, social structures, inequalities and social difference. This module aims to help prepare you for further study in core areas such as criminal justice and policing, criminology, psychology and sociology.

Entry requirements

DDEat A Level .

64 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications.

Pass at T Level with D or E grade on core.

MPP in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.

  • Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits, 15 at Merit, 30 at Pass.
  • 64 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.
  • NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma/Level 3 Extended Diploma at grade D.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in writing and no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements pages. If you have alternative qualifications or do not meet the IELTS requirement we also offer a range of Pre-Sessional English Programmes.

For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

Placements


This course includes compulsory work experience in the third year. You'll be expected to undertake at least 30 hours of work experience relevant to your course during that year. The module is designed to enhance your academic and personal development through work experience that shapes your key skills and increases your confidence for future employability.

Your work and careers module tutor, as well as your personal academic tutor, will be on hand to support you in finding suitable work opportunities. They will assist you with preparing your CV and with interview techniques. They'll also be in contact with you during your work experience so that you'll be fully supported while you gain the skills that employer’s value so highly.

Previous work experiences within the criminology and policing subject area have included working with the police in roles such as being a special constable, translator and appropriate adult. As well as departments and organisations such as the police visitor scheme, youth offending teams, prisons, restorative justice organisations, CCTV units, Local Authority anti-social behaviour units and courts as well as in voluntary agencies that provide support to adult and juvenile offenders and victims in the community.

For more information visit our placements page.](https://www.hud.ac.uk/undergraduate/placements/)

I gained valuable experience calling vulnerable individuals in West Yorkshire, assessing their needs, and reporting any safeguarding issues so that support could be provided. Assessing individuals’ needs and referring them to services will benefit my career as a Probation Officer.

None

Lauren Bradshaw, graduated from Criminology BSc(Hons) in 2022, now Trainee Probation Officer at NPS Salford

Your career


Previous Huddersfield Criminology graduates have gone on to work in wide range of areas, including organisations such as West Yorkshire Police, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, UK Home Office and Lotus Sanctuary CIC or gone on to undertake further study.**

 

* 75% of graduates from this course were in work or further study 15 months after graduation (HESA Graduate Outcomes 21/22, UK Domiciled)

**LinkedIn.

 

75% Graduates employed*

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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