Criminology with Law BSc (Hons)
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Criminology with Law BSc (Hons)
Overview
Please note: this course is subject to validation. First year of entry for this course is September 2027. Register your Interest to be informed when applications open.
Criminology with Law BSc (Hons) at Northumbria gives you a dual perspective on crime, justice and the legal system, combining rigorous study of criminological theory with a grounded understanding of English law.
Explore how societies respond to crime, challenge how legal institutions operate, and build the analytical and research skills that employers across the criminal justice, legal, public, and third sectors value most. Engage with real-world problems through case studies, policy analysis, and empirical research, working alongside academics whose expertise spans criminology, socio-legal studies, and legal practice.
This interdisciplinary course equips you to think critically, argue persuasively, and act with confidence in a complex world. An optional placement or study abroad year adds real-world experience, building professional networks and your graduate profile.
Fees and Funding 2027/28 Entry
UK Fee in Year 1:
The University may increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift, as decided by the UK Government, up to the maximum amount for fees permitted by UK law or regulation for that academic year. To give students an indication of the likely scale of any future increase, the UK government has suggested that increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments). If the University intends to exercise this right to increase tuition fees, notification will be communicated with all students affected by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which we intend to exercise that right. Student fee loans have risen in line with the level of uplift decided by the UK Government.
Extended Degrees: Students will pay the applicable Foundation Year fee in Year 0. Tuition fees will follow the Year 1 (Level 4) cap in the first year of Undergraduate study, with tuition fees in subsequent years increasing as per the above information.
International Fee in Year 1: TBC
International fees for the 2027/28 academic year will be confirmed in due course. As an indication, tuition fees in the 2026/27 academic year were £19,850 or £21,500 depending on the course of study. Fees are charged for each year of study and may be subject to an inflationary or other uplift in the second and subsequent years of study as decided by the University. Students will be notified of any changes by the end of June each academic year.
ADDITIONAL COSTS
TBC
*Module Specifics coming soon*
Year One
To begin, the focus is on building a solid grounding in both criminology and law. Explore criminological theories, criminal law, tort law, and the English legal system, and become equipped to analyse legal principles and criminological evidence.
Year Two
As you progress, you explore advanced criminological perspectives alongside criminal procedure, public law, and specialist legal topics. By the end of this year, you’ll be ready to tackle complex, real-world questions, spanning crime, law, and society.
Year Three (Optional Placement/Study Abroad)
Your optional placement or study abroad year gives you the chance to apply your skills in a professional or international setting, building practical experience and wider perspectives that enrich your final year and strengthen your graduate profile.
Year Four (Final Year)
In your final year, everything comes together as you pursue specialist option and complete an independent dissertation in criminology or law. By the end of this year, you'll be equipped to pursue a career in criminal justice, law, or policy.
Why choose Northumbria?
- Two disciplines, one degree. Northumbria combines the study of crime with rigorous legal education, giving you a genuinely interdisciplinary qualification that stands out in a competitive graduate market.
- Research that shapes the field. Learn alongside academics whose work is recognised nationally: Social Policy at Northumbria is ranked 3rd in the UK for research power, out of 76 submissions (REF 2021).
- Legal education with a strong reputation. Law at Northumbria is ranked 7th in the UK for research power out of 69 submissions (REF 2021) and 6th in the UK (Daily Mail University Guide, 2026).
- Skills your future employer needs. Over 92% of students studying Law at Northumbria felt the course enabled them to build the knowledge and skills needed for their future (NSS, 2025).
- Experience that opens doors. Your optional placement or study abroad year gives you professional or international experience before your final year, strengthening your graduate profile and expanding your networks.
Learning Experience
Learn through lectures, seminars, workshops, and guided independent study. Tackle case studies, policy materials, and empirical research. Assessment includes essays, portfolios, presentations, and a dissertation.
Careers and employability
The broad skillset you build, spanning analytical reasoning, legal argumentation, research, and professional communication, is valued by employers across the public, private, and third sectors. An optional placement or study abroad year can further strengthen your professional profile. Graduates of this course can aspire to advance into careers across criminal justice, legal services, and public policy.
Northumbria's Graduate Futures service offers dedicated support, helping you take your next steps with confidence. Postgraduate study at Master's level is also a natural progression.
Student work
The course encourages independent enquiry from the outset, with your final year dissertation sitting at the heart of your academic journey.
Potential student projects could span topics such as the criminalisation of mental illness, comparative approaches to sentencing, the role of media in shaping public perceptions of crime, human rights challenges in criminal procedure, or the legal and criminological dimensions of environmental harm.
Alongside the dissertation, applied tasks and seminar work give you the chance to produce evidence-based reports, advisory writing, and policy-style outputs for defined audiences.
Facilities Overview
Northumbria's library and digital resources enable you to access an extensive range of legal databases, criminological journals, and policy materials - including specialist legal research platforms used by legal professionals.
Online learning tools support flexible access to weekly materials, guided activities, and e-feedback throughout your studies. Seminar and workshop spaces are designed to promote active discussion and collaborative enquiry, reflecting the research-rich approach at the heart of this course.
IT facilities and digital skills support are available to help you work with data, produce professional outputs, and engage with the evolving landscape of legal and criminological research.
Staff Expertise
Learn from academics active in criminological and socio-legal research, with expertise spanning criminal justice policy, victimology, human rights, and legal theory. Staff publish in peer-reviewed journals and bring research-informed perspectives into sessions and aspects of your studies.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
Useful Links
Find out about our distinctive approach at
www.northumbria.ac.uk/exp
Admissions Terms and Conditions
northumbria.ac.uk/terms
Fees and Funding
northumbria.ac.uk/fees
Admissions Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/adpolicy
Admissions Complaints Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/complaints
