Criminology and Forensic Investigation
University of Cumbria
UCAS Code: L617 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
University of Cumbria
UCAS Code: L617 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits, 45 graded at level 3
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
T Level
Pass (C and above)-M
UCAS Tariff
About this course
Do you have a passion for understanding the intricacies of the criminal mind? Do you want to understand what causes criminals to offend, and how to bring offenders to justice through the practice of forensic investigation?
This programme was designed by experts with a wealth of real-world experience within the field of criminology and forensic investigation. You will benefit from their unwavering personal support throughout your course.
You will immerse yourself in core aspects of criminology to understand how and why crime occurs and how forensic investigation uncovers hidden details of crimes already committed. Using our cutting-edge laboratory facilities, you will learn the latest evidence enhancement techniques, gaining a toolkit of skills that will prepare you for a fascinating and fulfilling career.
Our strong links with criminal justice and community-based organisations and groups in Cumbria will provide you with excellent volunteering opportunities and job prospects.
**COURSE OVERVIEW**
With hands-on experience and access to industry-standard equipment, you'll be primed to lead and innovate in the criminal justice field. From immersive simulations to expert-led research, every step prepares you for a dynamic career.
You will discover the foundational principles of criminology and forensic investigation in your first year (Level 4), covering crime scene investigation, criminal justice institutions, and core theories. Your second year will see you explore advanced analysis techniques (Level 5), delving into crime causation, punishment, and rehabilitation. You will refine forensic skills and learn to use digital tools for evidence evaluation and presentation.
By your final year, you will have evolved into a multi-skilled practitioner (Level 6), conducting independent research, leading complex investigations, and presenting expert witness evidence. Throughout your journey, we will support you to develop digital research capabilities and ethical awareness, preparing you for diverse professional careers.
The diverse skills you’ll acquire will equip you with the skills needed to navigate the various aspects of Criminal Justice practice, helping you to stand out from other candidates in the job market.
**ON THIS COURSE YOU WILL**
- Gain the knowledge and confidence to operate as a multi-skilled and ethical criminal justice practitioner.
- Learn to critically apply key elements of criminological theory, forensic principles, and research to a range of practical and professional contexts in a digitally developing world.
- Be able to develop creative, innovative, and critical approaches to provide solutions, generate ideas, and communicate issues aligned with criminological and forensic practice.
- Be able to perform techniques involved in crime scene investigation whilst operating within a quality management system.
- Engage critically with contemporary social problems, recognising systemic and cultural discrimination, social inequalities and how these issues interact with crime, deviance, and harm locally, nationally and globally.
Modules
This course will equip you with a broad range of skills which can be deployed in a range of Criminal Justice careers, as well as in private sector and non-governmental organisations. It can also lead to postgraduate-level study options.
You will progress through the stages of Discovery and Exploration, to Evolve into a well-rounded expert, gaining skills in Crime Scene investigation and management, Criminological theories and research, and solid grounding in matters relating to the Criminal Justice System.
Year One
- Crime Scene Investigation
- Crime and Deviance
- Criminal Justice System
- Professional Skills for Criminal Justice
Year Two
- Forensic Examination
- Expert Witness
- Crime, Punishment and Rehabilitation
- Exploring Research
Year Three
- Leading Complex and Major Crime Scene Investigation
- Victimology
- Death Investigation - Optional
- The Outsiders - Optional
- Dissertation
Assessment methods
Our approach to assessment is centred on authenticity. Forms of assessment reflect what criminal justice practitioners might typically do in their professional roles, creating opportunities for you to develop contemporary knowledge and skills needed in a range of careers. The mix of assessment methods includes:
- Crime scene reports
- Witness statements
- Practical skills assessments
- Reflective oral presentations
- Reflexive debriefs
- Podcasts
- Portfolios
- Real World Case Study Scenarios
- Reports
- Oral presentations
- Poster presentations
- Dissertation
Within this authentic approach, formative and summative assessment is used. Formative assessment helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses to improve your learning. Summative assessment is designed to enable you to engage deeply with the subject and is used to evaluate your achievement of module learning outcomes. Where individuals may be disadvantaged by an assessment method, reasonable adjustments are considered, while ensuring fairness across the full cohort and adherence to professional standards.
Informal and formal feedback mechanisms are included within the learning design to support your progression and professional development. The feedback will demonstrate how the grade was derived in relation to performance against grading criteria and identify ways for you to improve in future.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Carlisle - Fusehill Street
Business, Law, Policing and Social Sciences
What students say
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Sociology
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Forensic and archaeological sciences
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Sociology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
We have quite a lot of sociology graduates, although numbers fell last year. But graduates still do pretty well. Most sociology graduates go straight into work when they complete their degrees, and a lot of graduates go into jobs in social professions such as recruitment, education, community and youth work, and housing. An important option for a sociology graduate is social work - and we're short of people willing to take this challenging but rewarding career. Sociology is a flexible degree and you can find graduates from the subject in pretty much every reasonable job — obviously, you don't find many doctors or engineers, but you do find them in finance, the media, healthcare, marketing and even IT. Sociology graduates taking further study often branch out into other qualifications, like teaching, law, psychology, HR and even maths, so don’t think a sociology degree restricts you to just one set of options.
Forensic and archaeological sciences
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Sociology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£21k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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