Why study this course?
Our Criminology (including foundation year) BSc will prepare you for study at undergraduate level, while providing you with the knowledge to examine the causes and effects of crime. This four-year course is designed for those who don’t meet the the standard criminology degree entry requirements to enter the three-year course or who have been out of education for a few years and would like to prepare for academic study at undergraduate level.
During Year 0 you’ll improve your critical thinking, essay writing and other academic skills to build your confidence and improve your learning techniques. You’ll be supported by a tutor and academic mentor to achieve all of your academic goals and settle into university. In the following three years you’ll engage in academic investigation of the criminal justice system and examine criminological theories.
More about this course
Our Criminology (including foundation year) BSc course is perfect preparation for a career in crime and justice related settings. You’ll not only study criminological theories and learn to research the causes and implications of crime, but you’ll also gain valuable academic skills that will help you progress to managerial roles or postgraduate study.
On this course you’ll receive excellent support to ensure that you settle into university life and achieve good academic outcomes. In your foundation year, your tutor and mentor will help you work on your strengths and weaknesses and prepare for the following three years of undergraduate academic study. During this year, your modules will focus on developing your academic literacy, critical thinking and analytical skills through the production of short texts about subjects in the field of social sciences and current affairs. You’ll also be joined by students studying the foundation year from other disciplines, providing a perfect opportunity to work with others to improve your skills.
We place great emphasis on our teaching quality and your lecturers will take their time to work with you to develop your skills and ensure you reach a good level of understanding of the topics.
During the foundation year you’ll also take a module that is more focused on criminology, so that you can get a view into the topics you’ll be studying and prepare for the following years. If at the end of your foundation year you decide that you’d like to specialise in a different area of study, there will be flexibility to move to a different course in the School of Social Sciences or the School of Social Professions subject to approval.
In the three years that will follow you’ll experience greater flexibility in choosing what you’d like to study and enjoy the opportunity to combine your criminology degree with the study of psychology, policing, sociology or law. The course content will also begin to be more specialised. Learn more about our Criminology BSc undergraduate degree programme.
Assessment
Your assessment will be split between coursework, presentations and exams. Coursework may include portfolios of reflective writing, digital portfolios, essays and reports.
Fees and key information
Apply nowEntry requirements
In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:
- at least one A level (or a minimum of 32 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Subsidiary/National/BTEC Extended Diploma)
- English Language GCSE at grade C (grade 4) or above (or equivalent)
If you are a mature student with significant work experience, you are invited to apply for this course on the basis of the knowledge and skills you have developed through your work.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).
English language requirements
To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.
If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2023/24 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 0 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Monday afternoon
- autumn semester - Tuesday morning
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Thursday morning
This module aims to:
1. Explore the rationale of examining a variety of sources critically in academic and/or professional practice
2. Provide the opportunity for students to critically explore various themes relating to their pathway choice and sustainability.
3. Develop students’ ability to identify, evaluate and construct a variety of arguments - This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Monday morning
- spring semester - Monday afternoon
- spring semester - Tuesday morning
- spring semester - Tuesday afternoon
- spring semester - Thursday morning
- spring semester - Thursday afternoon
This module will follow a task based approach involving a process of critically examining an issue, historical or current. Students will be involved in the process of identifying an issue and conduct research into it to gain a critical understanding.
There is a focus on collaborative group work during which students explore a past and/or potential intervention to the issue.
Students will critically reflect on the process and their own learning.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Monday morning
- autumn semester - Monday afternoon
- autumn semester - Tuesday morning
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Wednesday morning
- autumn semester - Thursday morning
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
This module aims to:
1. To introduce students to the study of media, crime and ‘race’.2. To enable students to develop their reading and seminar skills and to respond critically and analytically to a range of texts.
3. To enable students to search, find and use appropriate digital resources, and further develop and consolidate academic skills to enhance their learning experience.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Monday morning
- autumn semester - Tuesday morning
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Wednesday morning
- autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Thursday morning
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
This module explores introductory ideas around the themes of self and society, in order to:
- introduce students to academic study in the Social Sciences and Humanities at H.E level
- encourage students to reflect on their own identities, as well as their skills and qualities and how they might further develop them through their H.E studies
- introduce and develop academic literacy, critical thinking and analytical skills through engagement with and production of a range of short Social Science and Humanities themed texts
- introduce reflective practice and support students to become effective, self-aware learners
- introduce and develop digital literacy skills
- develop organisational, planning and time management skills
- guide students to constructively use feedback to improve academic work - This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Monday morning
- autumn semester - Monday afternoon
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Wednesday morning
- autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
This core module aims to enable students to:
• Investigate the basic principles of research
• Critically analyse published research
• Develop and practise research skills
• Develop writing skills required for effective report writing
• Develop strategies to use feedback to improve writing - This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Monday morning
- spring semester - Tuesday morning
- spring semester - Wednesday morning
- spring semester - Thursday morning
- spring semester - Thursday afternoon
This core module aims to enable students to:
• Increase their knowledge and awareness of current research in their subject area
• Source and critically analyse published research in their area of interest•
• Further develop and practise research skills
• Further develop speaking skills required for effective presentation of research findings
• Further develop strategies to use feedback to improve writing - This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Monday morning
- spring semester - Monday afternoon
- spring semester - Tuesday morning
- spring semester - Tuesday afternoon
- spring semester - Wednesday morning
- spring semester - Thursday morning
- spring semester - Thursday afternoon
This module aims to:
- Improve academic literacy through essay writing and feedback in the context of Social Science and Humanities debates
- Develop critical analysis and evaluation of academic source material
- Select and integrate source material appropriately in academic writing
- Develop students’ voice in academic writing
- Integrate reflective practice throughout the essay writing process
- Further develop organisational, planning and time management skills
- Guide students to constructively use feedback to improve academic work - This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Friday morning
Module aims
1. To provide you with an introduction to selected subject areas and to see the links between various subject disciplines in the School of Social Science.
2. To help you understand your chosen subject area in a wider context & make informed choices about degree pathways.
3. Introduce you to specific undergraduate study skills
Further develop reflective writing skills and reflective practice of a learner
Year 1 modules include:
The module aims to:
1. Examine the emergence and development of criminological theory
2. Examine the different ways in which different criminological traditions theorise crime and its social control
3. Examine how the assumptions which underpin different traditions provide for different strategies of intervention and control
4. Develop students’ learning and transferable skills in preparation for modules at levels 5 and 6.The module gives a broad introductory overview of policing in terms of law enforcement and combating crime. It traces historically the evolutionary process of policing as a distinct function of the state. The module introduces the development of policing traditions in England and Wales in some detail and also offers a grounding for comparison with policing systems in some other jurisdictions.
This module introduces students to the scope and functions of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales. It provides a broad overview of the mechanisms and aims of the CJS upon which students can build a more detailed knowledge of criminal justice policies, crime control, punishment and social control by the state, at levels 5 and 6. The module also specifically provides students with an introductory picture of the extent of officially recorded crime.
The module aims to:
1. Provide students with a solid grounding in the field upon which to build a grasp of issues relating to criminal justice
2. Review the historical development, structures and roles of key agencies responsible for the execution of justice in England and Wales
3. Identify key models of the Criminal Justice System such as the due process and crime control models
4. Consider recent, and significant, examples of changes in the CJS (such as the increasing levels of inter-agency cooperation)
5. Develop students’ knowledge of current policies relating to the ‘problem of crime’.The module aims to:
1. Introduce and familiarise students with a wide range of criminological research
2. Introduce students to various research methods and approaches used in criminological investigation
3. Introduce students to a range of issues that need to be taken into account when undertaking criminological research.
4. Familiarise students with the processes involved in conducting criminological research and the structure and format of research reports adopted by academics
5. Build and develop core academic skills and competences, including searching for sources, referencing, and reading and writing academically.
6. Prepare students for levels 5 and 6
Year 2 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Thursday afternoon
This module builds on level 4 introductory modules by focusing on specific categories of crime and behaviours, which have emerged as sources of concern. It gives attention to the emergence of concern about imagined dangerous groups, and moves on to more recent social anxieties. This includes the crimes associated with the socially and economically marginalized, and those associated with the economically and socially powerful.
The central themes revolve around why some behaviours and some groups of people are ‘constructed’ as the focus of concern and special treatment. Equally, it considers why some crimes, such as corporate crime, or state crime, usually receive less attention. This exploration encourages reflection on how and why certain behaviours are defined and constructed as ‘crime’, and ‘social problems’.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon
- all year (September start) - Wednesday morning
The module aims to:
1. Develop an informed grasp of the strengths and limitations of survey research including identification and consideration of the ethical issues which may arise
2. Develop students’ competence in designing and conducting primary quantitative research in relation to data collection, analysis and report-writing
3. Develop an informed grasp of the strengths and limitations of qualitative research including identification and consideration of the ethical issues which may arise
4. Develop students’ competence in designing and conducting primary qualitative research in relation to data collection, analysis and report-writing
5. Examine the ways in which quantitative and qualitative data are created and used in professional settings such as the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police, voluntary sector organisations related to the Criminal Justice System and private sector organisations such as MORI and Gallup and so to enable students to work towards a career in the field of Criminology. - This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Friday morning
The module aims to:
1. Explore the operational challenges and ethical dilemmas inherent in specialist police operations
2. Examine particular aspects of specialist policing in detail from both practical and academic viewpoints
3. Analyse the effectiveness of governance in relation to specialist policing operations
4. Compare and contrast different perspectives in relation to policing priorities.
5. To develop student communication and team working skills.
6. Improve critical analytical thinking for real world problems. - This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Friday afternoon
This module looks at the media impact on public perceptions of crime and justice. It also looks at the way contemporary media and technologies influence criminal behaviour and influence the operations of the criminal justice system.
The module aims to:
1. Consider the various relationships between media, technology and crime.
2. Develop an understanding of the role of the media in shaping perceptions of crime and criminal justice, with a particular emphasis on marginalised groups.
3. Develop a critical awareness of how different groups are represented in the media with regard to crime, criminality and deviance.
4. Provide an overview of the way technologies interact with crime and the criminal justice system.
6. Develop summarising and analytical skills. - This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Thursday morning
A1. To provide students with a historical, theoretical and comparative understanding of the diverse forms of youth culture and youth social organisation;
A2. To consider the key developments in political mobilisation of young people;
A3. To investigate the concepts and nature of social control in relation to youth;
A4. To develop confidence in use of appropriate learning, analytical and discursive skills when dealing with current youth issues.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Friday afternoon
Academic authors have shown that for centuries adults have expressed concerns about the anti-social and criminal behaviour of young people. In recent times, this concern has centred on rising levels of violent crime by young people and the burgeoning ‘gang, gun and knife crime culture’ in the UK. You will critically examine young people’s involvement in crime and violence.
This module examines key theories for understanding violence by the young and explores the connection between violent behaviour and a variety of social issues such as peer pressure, gender, ‘race’ and ethnicity, and alcohol and substance misuse. This highlights the impact of changing economic, political and cultural contexts from the global to local.
Module aims:
1. Familiarise you with the theoretical perspectives that have shaped criminological thought on violence by young people.
2. Encourage you to develop a critical overview of young people’s engagement in violent crime.
3. Develop your ability to research, analyse and communicate critical and informed arguments relating to the theory, policy and practice underpinning youth involvement in violent crime.
Year 3 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Friday afternoon
The module aims to:
1. Identify and explore key concepts underpinning crime control
2. Examine contemporary policies and practices of principal crime control agencies
3. Enable students to understand the linkages between contemporary crime control and wider social policy (and accompanying political debate)
4. Enhance analytic skills and instil a critical awareness through consideration of both official rhetoric and evidence together with the limitations of crime control policies and practice in a 'real world' context
5. Explore the application of criminological theories and concepts to penal policy and practice and encourage confidence in the use of varied learning and discursive strategies
6. Develop understanding of the operation of prisons and the role of imprisonment within the criminal justice system and wider society
7. Explore comparative penal perspectives and develop understanding of diversity within penal policy and practice. - This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon
The overall aim of this module is to equip you with the knowledge and skills to design and conduct an independent criminological research project, and to produce a written research report. This gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of criminological theory and its application, of the quality and significance of criminological research evidence, and the relevance of your research to contemporary issues and debates in criminology and criminal justice fields.
The module aims to:
- Give you the opportunity to reflect upon your learning, your experience, and the skills you have acquired to date, to independently define and research a criminological topic which is of interest to you.
- Further develop your research skills, encouraging you to formulate feasible criminological research questions, to select appropriate quantitative/qualitative methods, and to reflect upon ethical issues which arise in research.
- Give you the opportunity to produce a written research report which demonstrates your knowledge, understanding and skills for conducting criminological research, recognising the relationship between criminology and related fields as well as the limits of knowledge.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Wednesday afternoon
The module aims to:
1. Provide the opportunity for the student to gain experience of a working environment
2. Enhance and extend their learning experience by applying and building on their academic skills and capabilities by identifying and / or tackling real life problems in the workplace
3. Provide the opportunity to reflect upon the culture and structure of a working environment and their activity within it
4. Develop new capabilities and skills in the context of a work environment. - This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Thursday afternoon
The module introduces students to the key concepts and theories relating to the social construction of gender and sexuality and their application to a range of social sectors and issues in the UK and abroad. The ways in which gender and sexuality are both constitutive of the social and are constituted through social structures, institutions and interactions are explored, as are the ways in which theories of gender and sexuality have informed the sociological study of the family, work, health, education, crime, the welfare state and politics, media and the body.
Module aims
• To introduce and critically analyse key concepts in the sociological study of gender and sexuality;
• To introduce a range of theoretical approaches to understanding the operation of gender and sexuality at the levels of social structures, social relations and social identities;
• To consider the impact of gender and sexuality across a range of social sectors and social issues;
• To consider the links and intersections between gender, sexuality and other forms of social identity and difference, including class, race, ethnicity, etc.
• To consider the social and political sources of the persistence of discrimination and inequalities on the basis of gender and sexual orientation. - This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Thursday morning
You will develop an understanding of the international human rights framework and consider debates and theories challenging this framework (including a critical assessment of the concept and implementation of the universality of human rights). The module will enable you to evaluate various international conventions on the protection of human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The module will examine violations of human rights in the light of various social and political contexts across the world and gain an understanding of how human rights applies in specific contexts; how such violations impact societies, communities and individuals; and how individuals and organisations work for justice in such harrowing circumstances. In addition, the module will explore issues surrounding cases of historic injustice relating to human rights abuses and atrocities committed in conflicts.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Monday morning
This module will provide students with an opportunity to engage with contemporary debates on the relationship between religion and the state and sources of religious intolerance. Students will be required to critically examine the ideas of the classic and contemporary social scientists on religion and explore the application of their ideas to an ever-changing world. Overall, the aim of the module is to develop the students’ capacity to utilise social scientific concepts and perspectives in their analyses of religion in contemporary society. The disciplinary focus of the module will, initially, be the sociology of religion. The application of a range of social scientific approach will also be introduced - historical, political, economic and social psychological approaches.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
ou will explore the definition, characteristics and offending behaviour of serious and serial offenders, with a particular focus on mass, spree and serial murderers, sexual offenders and arsonists. You will also consider how such offenders are investigated, their behaviour and characteristics analysed. Key explanatory theories used to explain serious and serial offending will be examined and the efficacy of these in relation to methodological concerns critically evaluated. Finally, the module explores the identification and apprehension of serious and serial offenders.
The module aims to:
1. discuss and give examples of some of the most disturbing and controversial forms of offending behaviour;
2. identify the prevalence of serial and serious offending within the broader population of criminal offences, questioning common assumptions about, and contemporary popular focus on, these categories of offences;
3. evaluate and debate the definition and measurement of serious and serial offending, particularly in relation to methodological concerns;
4. describe and critically discuss a range of key theories and concepts employed in the explanation and understanding of serious and serial offenders;
5. critically evaluate the investigation and detection of such offenders and offences. - This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Friday morning
This module aims to exploit specialism’s residing within the criminology team in London met so that students can apply theories to exciting and relevant areas of criminology
The module aims to:
- Introduce students to theories and debates on the nature of crime control in the modern state
- Provide an overview of the major traditions of thinking within Criminology regarding the issue of illegal drugs their use and distribution
- Examine the way the attempts to control crime and deviance are examples of broader debates over social control
- Sensitise students to the ethical and social consequences that flow from the way in which contemporary society elects to punish offenders and prevent crime
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Thursday afternoon
The aim of the module is to examine the debate over of the origin of a variety of forms of ideological, nationalist and religiously motivated violence in the form of 'terrorism'. You will examine the contemporary range of counter terrorist agencies and policies in the national and international context. You will develop a deep critical understanding of the ways in which meanings are constructed and how these impact on social life.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
The aim of this module is to encourage you to develop a meaningful understanding of the experiences of victims of crime within the criminal justice system and beyond. The module is delivered via workshops which begin by exploring the notion of victimhood and critiquing the ways of understanding the impact and extent of victimisation for a diverse range of crime victims. You will consider the ways in which we identify and respond to victims of crime. You will study the development of victimology as an academic discipline and the key theoretical concepts within the field. More broadly, you will explore the social, political and cultural contexts which influence our understanding of and responses to victims of crime. Via workshops, readings and discussions you will also
critically explore and analyse the development of victim-centred policy and practice
within the criminal justice system and beyond. This knowledge and understanding will be useful for those seeking to work with and/or advocating for victims of crime.Via the workshops, reading and discussions:
a. You will develop an understanding of the key theoretical concepts within victimology.
b. You will identify some of the social and political factors that placed victims at the forefront of academic and professional discourses.
c. You will explore the nature and extent of victimisation and critically appraise criminal justice responses to victims of crime.
d. You will develop your ability to research, analyse, and communicate thoughts relating to victimisation, victim policy and practice.
What our students say
"[The foundation year] helped me to know my strengths and weakness and prepare me for my degree course. I can now tackle issues that I would have struggled with if I had gone straight to a degree course. My communication, organisation and reading skills have all improved. At first it was challenging, but as I progressed through the course I was able to face some of my challenges and overcome them with the help all of my lecturers."
Course leader survey
"The course has prepared me very well for my degree and I am more confident now than ever. The lecturers were great, as they take their time to explain and clarify things for us and eventually we gain a better understanding.”
Course leader survey
Where this course can take you
Graduates from our criminology related courses enter a range of careers, such as police officer, special constable, investigating analyst, support worker, senior detective constable, investigating analyst and probation officer. They now work for organisations as diverse as the Metropolitan Police, Ten Intelligence and Mears.
Continuing your studies with us
The School of Social Sciences has a wide range of exciting industry-linked postgraduate courses available on a full-time and part-time basis in criminology, security, diplomacy, international relations, sociology and psychology. The following courses would be ideal for progression after this course:
- Human Rights and International Conflict - MA
- Organised Crime and Global Security - MA
- Woman and Child Abuse - MA
- Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability - MSc
- Get into law with our Common Professional Exam - GDL
If you've already studied your undergraduate degree with us, as a graduate of London Met, you'll be entitled to a 20% discount on any further study with us.
Important information about this course
We're committed to continuously improving our degree courses to ensure our students receive the best possible learning experience. Many of the courses in our School of Social Sciences and Professions are currently under review for 2023-24 entry. We encourage you to apply as outlined in the how to apply section of this page and if there are any changes to your course we will contact you. All universities review their courses regularly and this year we are strengthening our social sciences and professions courses to better reflect the needs of employers and ensure you're well-equipped for your future career.
What is a degree with a foundation year?
This is a four-year degree course with a built-in foundation year (Year 0). It's the perfect route into university if you don't meet the necessary entry requirements for the standard undergraduate degree. You'll graduate with a full undergraduate degree with the same title and award as those who studied the three-year course.
Additional costs
Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.
Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.
Discover Uni – key statistics about this course
Discover Uni is an official source of information about university and college courses across the UK. The widget below draws data from the corresponding course on the Discover Uni website, which is compiled from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges. If a course is taught both full-time and part-time, information for each mode of study will be displayed here.
How to apply
If you're a UK applicant wanting to study full-time starting in September, you must apply via UCAS unless otherwise specified. If you're an international applicant wanting to study full-time, you can choose to apply via UCAS or directly to the University.
If you're applying for part-time study, you should apply directly to the University. If you require a Student visa, please be aware that you will not be able to study as a part-time student at undergraduate level.
When to apply
The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) accepts applications for full-time courses starting in September from one year before the start of the course. Our UCAS institution code is L68.
If you will be applying direct to the University you are advised to apply as early as possible as we will only be able to consider your application if there are places available on the course.
To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.
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