Welcome to your Criminology course

Your Foundation Year provides a wonderful opportunity to develop the skills needed for the successful completion of your degree. The topic areas covered include an introduction to the principles of English Law and core legal skills as well as theories of Criminology and the Sociology of Crime enabling you to contextualise crime through the application of the law to a range of case studies developing practical skills in Criminal Justice.

Criminology, the organised crime / counter terrorism, and offender management pathways provide an exciting and dynamic experience. The course provides a vocational as well as an academic understanding of the criminal justice sector and provides an excellent foundation for your studies at level 5 and 6. You can continue with your criminology studies or specialise via named pathways with more of an emphasis on employability in the justice or security sectors. Offender Management students will make full use of our immersive courts, custody reception and prison cell.

Our cohort usually does not exceed 35 students per academic year, and all of your sessions are delivered on campus, with some shared learning on option modules with policing students in levels 5 and 6. Your teaching is delivered by a combination of lectures and workshops.

Please read a criminology textbook such as Criminology: The Essentials, by James Treadwell, and visit the Crown Prosecution Service website to look at the current trends in crime and the challenges facing the criminal justice system. You can listen to some podcasts that explore some key themes operating in criminological studies https://crimetapes.buzzsprout.com/512593. Please visit a criminal court local to you and watch what happens.

You will develop some basic knowledge about crime, the criminal justice system and study skills. You will start working with the Microsoft 365 suite of apps and build your confidence with the university’s online systems. You need to attend a criminal court and write about your experiences.

We want to ensure you feel part of the School of Health, Education, Policing and Sciences from the very start of your degree, so we will be providing you with your very own Hoodie when you arrive – it won’t cost you anything and we hope you will wear it with pride #ProudToBeStaffs

After opening up our new immersive learning spaces, we asked our Criminology students how they feel it has benefitted them. These new facilities let you engage with real life scenarios, in places such as an office, shop, custody suite and prison cell. The rooms are also set up to record the sessions taking place, meaning you can rewatch your own footage and learn how to improve. 

Take a Look

Students on the Offender Management pathway will have the opportunity to visit local prisons and all students on the course will visit local criminal courts. You can look forward to organised trips to museums and venues linked to criminal justice over the three or four years of your study. 

Being a member of a Student Society or Sports Team is a great way to meet other students and our Students' Union have a wide range of societies you can join. Students in the School of Health, Education, Policing, and Sciences often join the following societies:

The Forensic and Crime Science Society

The Law Society

The Debating Society

You can also read stories and watch videos about our current students and graduates on the YouTube playlist.

Students' Union

hear from past students about their time studying Criminology with us. 

There are a multitude of resources available online for students at Staffordshire University, such as Microsoft Office 365. 

Software for students