Our Criminology with Policing degree will prepare you for a range of rewarding roles in the criminal justice system. You'll develop an understanding of criminology from different perspectives, in areas such as crime, criminality, victims and vulnerability.
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Overview
By studying Criminology with Policing, you’ll gain a strong understanding of crime and the criminal justice system. You’ll analyse the social-scientific theories on criminal behaviour and social deviance while learning about how these crimes are policed and the structures in place within the criminal justice system in England and Wales.
Our programme has been designed to align with the core principles of the College of Policing to provide you with essential skills like communication, ethics, evidence-based policing, and leadership. These skills will help you think critically and make well-informed decisions. You'll learn to understand different viewpoints and make choices that consider the needs of various groups and communities. Ultimately, you'll be able to better serve people in the criminal justice system and beyond.
We believe it's crucial for you to hear a diverse range of perspectives, so we invite guest speakers from various professions, including the Prison Service, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and Ministry of Justice, to share their insights and experiences. You’ll also hear from those who have perpetrated or experienced crimes in our society. These talks will give you a real-world perspective on the challenges and solutions within the criminal justice system, helping you develop a well-rounded understanding of the field.
Our strong connections within the industry mean you'll have opportunities to visit courts, local prisons, and parliament, giving you a firsthand look at the criminal justice system in action. You'll also benefit from extracurricular workshops and careers-focused activities supported by key organisations like West Mercia Police. These experiences will help you build a network of professional contacts and put you in a great position to pursue a career in the police force or to work alongside members of a police service.
Criminology at Worcester | Students' View
Course content
Each year you will study a mix of mandatory and optional modules. This flexible course lets you explore different subjects and career paths in criminology and policing.
This course has been designed to align with key elements of the College of Policing Core Curriculum – a requirement for all student police officers.
Optional modules will run if they receive enough interest. It is not guaranteed that all modules will run every year.
Optional modules
Careers
By the time you graduate, you will have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of crime and theories of criminality that will prepare you for a wide range of career opportunities both within and outside of the criminal justice system. You’ll possess highly valued skills that employers are looking for, such as gathering and analysing data, critical thinking, problem-solving, and strong communication skills.
A degree in Criminology and Policing can help you pursue a career as a:
- Police officer
- Correctional officer
- Private security
- Rehabilitation worker
- Victim liaison officer
- Crime analyst
- Probation officer
- Social researcher
- Forensic analyst
- Prison counsellor
Course highlights
Teaching and Assessment
You’ll be taught through a blend of lectures, seminars, practical classes, and workshops. Your assessments will equip you for your career by building a comprehensive skill set and providing opportunities for real-world applications. They will include essays, literature reviews, presentations, and group work, designed to enhance critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication skills.
Teaching and assessment contents
You will be taught through a combination of learning and teaching methods. Lectures allow for the presentation and introduction of key topics, including both traditional and contemporary sources, which allow you to begin your learning. This is then supported by seminars that enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures. Subject specific skills are the focus of practical classes and workshops (for example, understanding application of theory).
The course also has a keen focus on experiential learning, as there is good evidence that this can greatly enhance the your learning experience. Therefore, methods will be used such as problem-based learning, whereby you will apply theory and content from criminology to address real world, global issues (e.g., the role of policing in knife crime, tackling crime from different lenses of victimology and offending). The role of research in the learning and teaching methods of this course will be central to all areas. Such research-informed teaching and learning will include group activities, assessments, and problem-based learning. In addition, a specialised module that focuses on work based learning will offer you an opportunity to build confidence through a portfolio of concrete experiences related to employability.
The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip them for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services, and the Personal Academic Tutoring system enables students to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help them to flourish and be successful.
Criminology is an applied subject that is sits in the heart of the community. As such, you will have the opportunity to attend careers focused activities such as a welcome week fair and an online annual careers fair. Support for such events is heavily supported by key stakeholders such as West Mercia Police and the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner/Magistrates/Local Detectives etc. Sitting alongside the course, extracurricular Continued Professional Development (CPD) workshops will be offered to give you the opportunity to engage with professionals/ academics and support services in the field of criminology. Strong connections with the courts and local prisons have offered students unique learning experiences in a different environment.
Meet the team
Michael Allen
Michael is a former police officer who served 27 years in West Mercia Police. He was fortunate enough to serve the community in a broad range of operational front-line policing duties.
After serving 12 years in a wide variety of uniform policing roles, Michael became a Detective and later Detective Sergeant. He developed a keen interest in interviewing, which included the interviewing of suspected offenders, victims of crime, and witnesses involved in serious and major crime investigations.
Amy Johnson
Amy has been a lecturer at the University of Worcester for four years. Amy enjoys bringing real-world challenges and issues into her classroom and draws upon her experience of working with various client groups (homelessness, addictions, offending and domestic abuse) to demonstrate application. Specifically, Amy enjoys listening to her student’s ambitions and supporting them throughout their degree to reach their potential. Amy has been working with organisations across Worcestershire to ensure students have the best volunteer and work placement opportunities.
Philip Edwards
Phil retired as a Detective Inspector for policing after 30 years’ service. During this time, he performed roles in Uniform and CID in the Metropolitan Police, Hertfordshire, and in West Mercia Police. After leaving the police, Phil has lectured in Den Haag and Rwanda with the Public Prosecutors, worked with the UN in Uganda, and trained staff working in the hostile territories of South Sudan.
Phil is current doing a Masters by Research where he is researching police legitimacy, focusing on those working within and alongside the criminal justice system. He is also writing about the plight of those awaiting outcomes of police investigations from the standpoint of a defendant.
Phil is very passionate about the future of policing and is looking forward to working at the University of Worcester to continue his teaching of potential police officers of the future.
Jenna Page
Jenna has worked at the university as a lecturer in criminology, teaching on the undergraduate criminology degrees, since 2018. Prior to moving into academia Jenna was a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives specialising in housing litigation law. Jenna is passionate about both education and criminology and enjoys the privileged role of supporting students throughout their university journey. Jenna enjoys working with students from a diverse range of backgrounds and uses contemporary issues and case studies to encourage student engagement and passion within the discourse of criminology. Jenna undertakes the role of Learning and Teaching Coordinator within the School of Health and Wellbeing with the aim of discussing and disseminating outstanding learning and teaching practice throughout the school.
Michael Allen
Michael is a former police officer who served 27 years in West Mercia Police. He was fortunate enough to serve the community in a broad range of operational front-line policing duties.
After serving 12 years in a wide variety of uniform policing roles, Michael became a Detective and later Detective Sergeant. He developed a keen interest in interviewing, which included the interviewing of suspected offenders, victims of crime, and witnesses involved in serious and major crime investigations.
Amy Johnson
Amy has been a lecturer at the University of Worcester for four years. Amy enjoys bringing real-world challenges and issues into her classroom and draws upon her experience of working with various client groups (homelessness, addictions, offending and domestic abuse) to demonstrate application. Specifically, Amy enjoys listening to her student’s ambitions and supporting them throughout their degree to reach their potential. Amy has been working with organisations across Worcestershire to ensure students have the best volunteer and work placement opportunities.
Entry requirements
UCAS tariff points required: 112
| Qualification | Grade |
|---|---|
| A-level | BBC |
| BTEC National Extended Diploma | DMM |
| T-level | Merit |
Any questions?
If you have any questions about entry requirements, please call our Admissions Office on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk.
Fees
Fees contents
UK and EU students
The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees will be £9,535 per year for new and continuing students.
For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.
International students
The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2025/26 academic year is £16,700 per year.
For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.
Student stories
Elizabeth, Year 1 Single (hons) Criminology
''Before starting this degree, I spent 5 years working as a prison officer within the high security estate. Starting the job at 18, I didn't know what to do as a career. Over those years, my knowledge in the Criminal Justice System grew, as well as my confidence, and I realised I needed to be working with survivors of crime, rather than the perpetrators, to give back to the community.
This degree is allowing me to chase the career I want and although I was nervous at first, I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. Everything we're learning whether that be criminological theories or the effect of social justice on society, is fascinating to me and I’m so looking forward to the Victimology course next year.''
Eloise Jones
Eloise chose Worcester after looking at a number of universities. “I knew for a long time that I wanted to study policing, I have wanted to be a police officer since at least my early teens. We had a talk from the lecturers and honestly, that is what sold it for me, their passion was clear, and I could tell they were here for us as students, to make our degree as successful as possible.”
“I know I want to go into this career as a result of my studies, due to the academic content and how interesting it has been … I feel my degree has set me up well to enter the police and find which area suits me best.”
Elizabeth, Year 1 Single (hons) Criminology
''Before starting this degree, I spent 5 years working as a prison officer within the high security estate. Starting the job at 18, I didn't know what to do as a career. Over those years, my knowledge in the Criminal Justice System grew, as well as my confidence, and I realised I needed to be working with survivors of crime, rather than the perpetrators, to give back to the community.
This degree is allowing me to chase the career I want and although I was nervous at first, I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. Everything we're learning whether that be criminological theories or the effect of social justice on society, is fascinating to me and I’m so looking forward to the Victimology course next year.''
Eloise Jones
Eloise chose Worcester after looking at a number of universities. “I knew for a long time that I wanted to study policing, I have wanted to be a police officer since at least my early teens. We had a talk from the lecturers and honestly, that is what sold it for me, their passion was clear, and I could tell they were here for us as students, to make our degree as successful as possible.”
“I know I want to go into this career as a result of my studies, due to the academic content and how interesting it has been … I feel my degree has set me up well to enter the police and find which area suits me best.”
How to apply
How to apply contents
Applying through UCAS
UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for full-time undergraduate courses in the UK.
Read our how to apply pages for more information on the application process, or if you’d like to apply for part-time study.
Criminology with Policing BA (Hons) - L3L4
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