BA Criminology
About this course
BA in Criminology, a criminology degree examining crime, deviance, social control, and criminal justice systems. Core topics include Data Analysis, Statistics, Research Methods, Policy Analysis, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Social & Cultural Analysis, and Global & Perspectives. The programme is delivered over three years of full-time undergraduate study. The first year introduces foundational sociological and criminological concepts through compulsory modules such as Rethinking Society, Introducing Criminology, Crime and Society, and optional choices like Comparative Politics and Digital Society. The second year develops methodological and theoretical competencies through compulsory study in Qualitative Research Skills, Criminological Theory, Quantitative Research Skills, and Policing and Society, alongside options including Crime and the Media and Justice and Conflict. The final year focuses on advanced criminological issues and independent research, featuring compulsory modules in Punishment, Penal Policy and Prison and a Research Project and Dissertation, while optional modules allow students to explore subjects such as Youth, Crime and Criminal Justice, Psychological Perspectives on Crime, and Trauma Informed Justice.
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: ABB IB: 33 points overall, including 6,5,5 at Higher Level.
What students say
Based on about 24 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 94%
- Learning opportunities: 91%
- Assessment and feedback: 93%
- Academic support: 100%
- Organisation and management: 100%
- Learning resources: 89%
- Student voice: 87%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 40 students who started
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 214 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 73%
- Working and studying: 11%
- Further study: 8%
- Unemployed: 2%
Most common jobs
- Welfare Professionals: 20%
- Administrative occupations: 13%
- Finance Professionals: 9%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 7%
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 6%
- Find their work meaningful: 82%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 69%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 57%
Who gets in
Based on about 45 students who started
- A levels: 100%
Modules
- Rethinking Society
- Introducing Criminology
- Crime and Society
- The Sociological Imagination
- Comparative Politics
- Introducing Social Policy
- Themes and Issues in Social Policy
- Visualising the Social World
- Digital Society
- The Long Road to Black Lives Matter
- Qualitative Research Skills
- Criminological Theory
- Quantitative Research Skills
- Policing and Society
- Crime and the Media
- Theory Counts
- Justice and Conflict
- Exploring Harm & Victimisation
- State Violence, Resistance and Justice
- Punishment, Penal Policy and Prison
- Research Project and Dissertation
- Youth, Crime and Criminal Justice
- Psychological Perspectives on Crime
- Criminology Across Borders
- Reintegration After Prison
- Social Identity: Differences and Inequalities
- Modelling the Social World
- The cultural politics of memory in a global perspective
- The sociology of protest and revolution
- Trauma Informed Justice
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Criminology at Queen's University Belfast earn?
The median salary is £27,000 after 15 months. After fifteen months the middle half of graduates earn between £25,000 and £31,000. The £27,000 median after fifteen months is £1,000 more than the UK median for Sociology.
What do graduates of BA Criminology at Queen's University Belfast do next?
92% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Criminology at Queen's University Belfast?
94% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Criminology at Queen's University Belfast?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 33 points in the IB. The average entrant had 129 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Criminology at Queen's University Belfast?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.