Why do people commit crime? How should young offenders be treated? Can crime be prevented? What is the role of policing in society? As a Criminology student at Kent, you search for answers to these questions by examining the police, the courts, prisons and society as a whole. On this programme, you also develop valuable quantitative research skills which are in high demand by employers.
The School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research is one of the best in the country for teaching and research. Our academics are internationally recognised for their expertise in criminological theory and criminal justice policy.
Adding a quantitative research minor to your programme opens your mind to new ways of thinking. Starting with no assumed statistical knowledge, you graduate with an advanced package of practical quantitative skills alongside subject-specific knowledge in criminology and criminal justice.
In your first year you take introductory modules on criminology,
sociology and quantitative skills. You can also choose from a range of
options covering contemporary culture, media and youth behaviours. You will also learn to think like a quantitative researcher, developing a critical eye for statistics and data analysis.
In your second and final years, you deepen your understanding of crime and criminal justice. A wide range of options means you can focus on what interests you: areas covered include drug culture, forensic psychology, youth and crime, the sociology of imprisonment, and terrorism and modern society.
You also move on to more advanced quantitative techniques, building on the foundations you have learnt in the first year. You develop an advanced skillset in quantitative methods that is extremely rare in graduates from non-mathematical disciplines.
In your final year, you choose either a dissertation with a quantitative research focus or (providing you achieve the required academic standard by the end of Stage 2) a placement module where you can put your skills into practice.
Workplace experience is highly valued by employers, and the placements offered through Kent see students completing meaningful, applied quantitative analysis for business and organisations across a range of sectors, giving you the opportunity to add concrete workplace achievements to your CV.
Criminology is also available as a single honours programme without quantitative research. For details, see Criminology.
Or, you can take Criminology as part of a joint honours degree with Sociology, Social Policy or Cultural Studies.
Our students have the opportunity to spend a year or a term abroad at one of our partner institutions in North America, Asia and Europe. You don’t have to make a decision before you enrol at Kent but certain conditions apply.
The Social Studies Society is run by Kent students for anyone with an interest in Criminology, Sociology, Law, Social Policy, Economics and Politics. Previous activities include the Criminal Justice in Action guest speaker series.
There are events available throughout the year for students from the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. These may include:
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Typical requirements are listed below. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice.
Please note that meeting this typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee an offer being made.Please also see our general entry requirements.
If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.
BBB
Maths at grade C (or 4).
The School is committed to widening participation and has a long and successful tradition of admitting mature students. We welcome applications from students on accredited Access courses.
Distinction, Distinction, Merit in Health and Social Care or Public Services.
34 points overall or 15 points at HL
The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.
However, please note that international fee-paying students cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.
If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.
For more advice about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events.
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
Duration: 3 years full-time (4 with a year abroad), 6 years part-time (7 with a year abroad)
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.
SO410 - An Introduction to Quantitative Social Research
SO305 - Introduction to Criminology
SO336 - Sociology of Everyday Life
SO337 - Fundamentals of Sociology
SA300 - Social Problems and Social Policy 1
SA301 - Health, Care and Well-being
SO335 - Contemporary Culture and Media
SP304 - Introduction to Psychology 1
SP305 - Introduction to Psychology 2
SO744 - The Power and Limits of Causal Analysis
SO746 - How to Win Arguments with Numbers
CB554 - Introduction to Big Data
SO536 - Criminal Justice in Modern Britain
It may be possible to undertake a full-time paid sandwich year placement.
Placements are arranged by the Q-Step Placement Officer who provides one-to-one guidance and assists with any practical matters, although you can arrange your own placement (subject to agreement) if you so wish. You are also assigned an academic supervisor who assists you with your placement assessments.
Placements provide invaluable career experience and insights into the professional world and the repeated practical and professional use of your skills means that you can move seamlessly into quantitative methods careers, in academia or beyond.
Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.
You can apply to spend a term or year abroad as part of your degree at one of our partner universities in North America, Asia or Europe. You are expected to adhere to any progression requirements in Stage 1 and Stage 2 to proceed to the term or year abroad.
The term or year abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and does not count towards your final degree classification. Places and destination are subject to availability, language and degree programme. To find out more, please see Go Abroad.
SO748 - Placement Module - The Practice of Quantitative Social Research
SO533 - Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice
The 2020/21 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £9,250.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £1,385.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
In addition to learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, project supervision, and statistics classes, students can carry out hands-on research in the ‘field’ through placements and field trips. Most modules are assessed by examination and coursework in equal measure.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
This programme aims to:
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
You develop the following intellectual skills:
You gain the following subject-specific skills:
You gain the following transferable skills:
Criminology at Kent was ranked 7th in The Times Good University Guide 2020.
Of students studying Sociology and related subjects such as Criminology, who responded to the most recent national survey of graduate destinations, over 93% were in work or further study within six months (DLHE, 2017).
In an increasingly competitive job market, graduates with quantitative skills are in high demand by all employers from across the public, private and third sectors.
The variety of careers related to crime control has increased in recent years, with traditional justice agencies joined by companies in the voluntary and private sectors. Recently, our graduates have gone into:
Some graduates choose to go into more general areas such as banking and financial services, or on to further study.
The School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research has its own employability team who work with businesses to maximise opportunities for our students. We also hold an Employability Month every February and run networking events throughout the year to help you develop your skills and contacts.
The University has a friendly Careers and Employability Service which can give you advice on how to:
There are opportunities to apply your newfound skills in quantitative analysis in professional settings through placements and applied research modules. We have links to placements across many sectors, including government (national and local), think tanks and charities, cultural organisations and the private sector.
You graduate with subject-specific knowledge that is essential if you plan to work in the broad area of criminal justice. Alongside this knowledge, your advanced quantitative research skills, which give you the ability to understand, explain and critique data in diverse real-world settings, can set you apart from other graduates.
You also develop the key transferable skills graduate employers look for. These include:
You can also gain additional skills by signing up for our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a new language or volunteering.
This course page is for the 2020/21 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of undergraduate courses we offer.
Enquire online for full-time study
Enquire online for part-time study
For more information about the Q-Step Centre, please contact us:
T: +44(0)1227 823401
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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