BA Criminology (Placement Year)
About this course
BA Hons in Criminology (Placement Year), a sociology degree centred on theoretical perspectives, criminal justice systems, and the social contexts of crime. Core topics include Statistics, Research Methods, Fieldwork, Policy Analysis, Historical Research, and Critical & Analytical Thinking. Students undertake a professional placement year in their third year to gain industry experience in a graduate-level role. The first year establishes foundational knowledge through compulsory modules such as Explaining Criminology, Exploring the Criminal Justice System, Crime and Popular Culture, A Brief History of Crime and Criminology, and Doing Criminology: How We Know About Crime, alongside options in areas like sociology and history. The second year advances study with core modules including Criminological Thought, Measuring Crime, and Understanding Criminological Fieldwork, while optional modules allow students to explore youth justice, organised crime, cybercrime, and policing. Year three consists of a dedicated work-based learning placement year. The final year focuses on advanced topics through compulsory study in Prisons, Punishment and Society alongside diverse options such as Green Criminology, Drugs, Crime and Society, and Hate Crime, with an optional Criminology Dissertation available for independent research.
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: BBB IB: 30 overall with 15 points from the best 3 HL subjects
Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 84%: 41 offers from 49 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 49 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 92%
- Learning opportunities: 88%
- Assessment and feedback: 79%
- Academic support: 96%
- Organisation and management: 86%
- Learning resources: 92%
- Student voice: 78%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 20 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 85%
- Left higher education: 15%
What graduates do next
Based on about 32 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 73%
- Working and studying: 7%
- Further study: 5%
- Unemployed: 8%
Most common jobs
- Administrative occupations: 20%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 15%
- Protective service occupations: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Welfare and housing associate professionals: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 80%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 80%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 75 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 60%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 14%
- East of England: 5%
- London: 9%
- South East: 5%
- South West: 1%
- Scotland: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 100%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Silver for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Explaining Criminology
- Exploring the Criminal Justice System
- Crime and Popular Culture
- A Brief History of Crime and Criminology
- Doing Criminology: How We Know About Crime
- Thinking Sociologically
- Researching Society: Principles and Practices
- Handling Historical Evidence
- Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
- Origins and Foundations of International Relations
- Global Challenges in World Politics
- Foundations of Language
- English across Space and Time
- Understanding Media and Culture
- Transformations in Digital Media
- Knowledge and Reality in a Complex World
- History of Philosophy: Ideas that Shaped the West
- Parties, Populism and Protest
- Developmental Psychology and Neuropsychology
- Contemporary Social Issues 1: Power, Inequality and Everyday Life
- Criminological Thought
- Measuring Crime
- Understanding Criminological Fieldwork
- Youth Justice
- Organised Crime
- Cybercrime and Cybercriminality
- Financial Crime
- Contemporary Issues in Policing
- Transnational Debates on Gender and Society
- Welfare States: Poverty, Policy and Politics
- Language and Creativity in Advertising
- Global Superpowers
- Politics of the Global South
- Visual Cultures
- Work Based Learning Year
- Prisons, Punishment and Society
- Green Criminology
- Drugs, Crime and Society
- Crimes and Harms of the Powerful
- Gendered Harm and Justice
- Hate Crime
- Crime and Media
- Sex Crimes and Sexual Offending
- Criminology Dissertation
- Advanced Sociological Theories and Applications
- Health, Bodies and Social Reproduction
- The Politics of Crises and the Future of Governance
- The Politics of Borders and Migration
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Criminology (Placement Year) at Lancaster University earn?
The median salary is £26,000 after 15 months, £23,000 after 3 years, £26,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £21,500 and £33,000. The £26,500 median after five years is the same as the UK median for Sociology.
What do graduates of BA Criminology (Placement Year) at Lancaster 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 (Placement Year) at Lancaster University?
92% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Criminology (Placement Year) at Lancaster University?
The typical offer is BBB at A level. The average entrant had 119 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA Criminology (Placement Year) at Lancaster University?
84% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 41 offers from 49 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does BA Criminology (Placement Year) at Lancaster University include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory placement year.
How many students continue on BA Criminology (Placement Year) at Lancaster University?
85% of students continued into their second year, and 15% left higher education.