BA Criminology and History
About this course
BA (Hons) in Criminology and History is a joint undergraduate degree combining the study of crime, criminal justice systems, and historical developments across societies. Core topics include Programming, Data Analysis, Research Methods, Fieldwork, Policy Analysis, Historical Research, and Critical & Analytical Thinking. Students can choose to undertake an optional placement year or spend a year studying abroad. The first year introduces foundational concepts through compulsory modules such as Understanding Crime, Understanding Criminal Justice and Defining Moments in World History, 1000-2000, alongside optional modules covering topics like policing and modern history. In the second year, students build methodological skills with compulsory modules including Social Science Methods, Data Analysis in Social Sciences, and Themes, Debates and Sources in History. The final year offers opportunities for specialised study through options such as Prisons and Imprisonment, Hatred, Justice and the State, and Gender and Sexuality in Victorian Britain, as well as independent study options including Dissertation for Criminology - ISP and Dissertation for History - ISP. Optional modules across the course allow students to tailor their focus toward areas like social order, global crime, and specific historical eras.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: BBC in three A Levels. IB: 554 in three Higher Levels or 29 points.
See the highest paying Social Sciences degrees in the UK →
See the highest paying History, Philosophy & Religion degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 19 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 90%
- Learning opportunities: 87%
- Assessment and feedback: 85%
- Academic support: 89%
- Organisation and management: 74%
- Learning resources: 94%
- Student voice: 78%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 55 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 87%
- Left higher education: 13%
What graduates do next
Based on about 5 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 15%
- Further study: 10%
- Unemployed: 5%
Most common jobs
- Welfare Professionals: 12%
- Administrative occupations: 9%
- Welfare and housing associate professionals: 9%
- Elementary occupations: 7%
- Sales occupations: 6%
- Find their work meaningful: 90%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 65%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 75%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 125 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 14%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 4%
- East Midlands: 8%
- West Midlands: 47%
- East of England: 5%
- London: 10%
- South East: 7%
- South West: 4%
- Wales: 2%
Who gets in
Based on about 40 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 90%
- Other HE qualification: 5%
- Other qualifications: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Gold for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Understanding Crime, Understanding Criminal Justice
- Defining Moments in World History, 1000-2000
- Modern History: From the Industrial Revolution to the Global Pandemic
- Policing, Prevention and Punishment
- Murder, Death and Destruction
- Becoming a Social Scientist
- Applied History: What’s Past is Present
- Imagining Social Order & Deviance
- Themes, Debates and Sources in History
- Social Science Methods
- Data Analysis in Social Sciences
- Crime Across Borders
- Crime and Justice in Practice: Voices from the Margins
- Professional Experience with History (Year 2)
- Social Sciences Placement
- Challenges and Issues in Criminal Justice
- History in the Headlines
- Applied History 2: Working with the Past
- The American South: US Summer School (Level 5)
- World Wars and the Age of Extremes
- Social Sciences at Work
- Prisons and Imprisonment
- Rethinking 'Participation' in Crime control, Punishment and Criminology
- Hatred, Justice and the State
- Gender and Sexuality in Victorian Britain
- The contested city: a spatial history of Rome, 1870-1978
- 'Eyes on the Prize': The Struggle for Civil Rights in America
- Engaged Social Science
- Dissertation for Criminology - ISP
- Dissertation for History - ISP
- Work Placement for Social Sciences Final Year Students
- State crimes and crimes against humanity
- Migration, Crime and (In)Security
- Environmental Harm, Justice and Global Inequalities
- The Making of Contemporary Africa since c.1945
- Violence and Power in American History: Revolution to Civil War
- Sites of Sexual Conflict in South Asia
- The American South: US Summer School (Level 6)
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Criminology and History at Keele University earn?
The median salary is £25,000 after 15 months, £22,500 after 3 years, £26,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £22,500 and £32,500. The £26,500 median after five years is the same as the UK median for Sociology.
What do graduates of BA Criminology and History at Keele University do next?
85% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Criminology and History at Keele University?
90% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Criminology and History at Keele University?
The typical offer is BBC at A level, or 29 points in the IB. The average entrant had 103 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Criminology and History at Keele University?
87% of students continued into their second year, and 13% left higher education.