Year of entry
- 2027
UCAS code
- L614
Duration of study
- 1 year
Criminology and Criminal Justice | Top-up - BSc (Hons)
Course summary
Build on your current qualifications and transform these into an undergraduate degree in one year. Our Criminology and Criminal Justice Top-up BA aims to enhance your knowledge of criminal justice systems, policy and theory, equipping you with the skills and confidence to move into postgraduate study or advance your career.
Why study Criminology and Criminal Justice | Top-up at Keele University?
Transform your current qualifications into a ‘top-up’ undergraduate degree
Keele pioneered the teaching of undergraduate Criminology in the UK
Benefit from established links with criminal justice practitioners
Top 15 in the UK for graduate employability (Uni Compare Rankings 2026)
Course overview
Gain a full honours degree in just one year with our BA (Hons) Criminology and Criminal Justice Top-Up. If you’ve already achieved a relevant UK, international or professionally recognised qualification, and meet our entry requirements, you can top up your existing knowledge and achieve the credits required for a degree.
This programme provides a platform to careers within criminal justice, related public service roles or progression to postgraduate study. Core modules will advance your subject knowledge and professional skills with the option to adapt your studies to specific areas of interest.
You’ll complete an independent research project on a criminology or criminal justice topic of your choice, with supervision and workshops to support your research skills.
Extreme behaviours and beliefs are examined to understand what defines criminality and why some illegal acts are viewed as extreme while others are normalised. Topics include gender-based violence, prejudice, and hate crime.
Emerging challenges and issues in policing are analysed, such as public protection, counter terrorism, digital investigations and response policing, a particularly useful module if you’re considering a career in the police.
You’ll advance your knowledge of how multi-agency partnership working impacts crime prevention and reduction looking at local government, criminal sector, public sector and beyond.
Optional modules further explore key issues in criminology and criminal justice and provide opportunities to build your practical experience and professional skills to support your future career aspirations.
Course structure
Modules for Criminology and Criminal Justice | Top-up
Our courses are designed to develop the skills, experience and expertise you'll need to succeed in your chosen career, informed by the latest research, teaching methods, student feedback, and employer insights. Module details are representative of what we intend to deliver on the course, but may change to reflect best practice and academic development. This information should therefore not be considered a definitive list of available modules.
Compulsory modules
Independent Study Project in Criminal Justice
This module allows students to undertake an independent research project on a criminological or criminal justice topic of their choice, guided by workshops and individual supervision. Projects may involve literature reviews or small-scale empirical studies. Students can also collaborate with an external criminal justice or related partner organisation, individually or in groups, producing reports and presentations for the partner. Group projects involve individual written submissions. Students are encouraged to discuss ideas with the module leader in advance.
Policing the 21st Century
The module will explore changes, challenges and opportunities in 21st century policing relating to topics such as decision making, public protection, response policing, roads policing, vulnerability and risk, domestic abuse, counter terrorism, community policing, policing and the digital and police investigation. The module will include visits from practitioners working in policing or related fields and is particularly useful if you are considering a career in policing through the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP).
Crime: From the Everyday to the Extremes
This module explores how the extreme and the everyday intermingle. It looks on the one hand, at extreme perspectives, groups, and actions, and on the other hand, discusses a range of everyday experiences of citizen involvement in processes of legal and extra-legal crime control and punishment. It explores how extremism connects to everyday experiences of crime and policing. Themes include gender-based violence; religious and political terrorism; immigration and anti-immigration activism; prejudice; hate crime; vigilantism, surveillance and the criminalisation of participation.
Crime prevention, partnerships and community safety
This module explores the issue of crime prevention and reduction through the lens of multi-agency partnership working involving a range of partner agencies from across criminal justice, local government, the public sector and beyond. It explores the shift from the rhetoric of 'crime prevention' to 'community safety' in the aftermath of the Morgan Report (1991) and in the context of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act and subsequent legislation focussing on community safety, anti-social behaviour and localised crime reduction initiatives.
Optional modules
Engaged Social Science
Moving on from the previous skills modules, you will further consider how your degree can link to a range of life skills and careers through engagement with community groups, activists and people working in public and private sectors. You will be supported in your next steps either through transition to the workplace or postgraduate study.
Advanced Professional Placement in Social Sciences
This module gives students opportunities to contribute to the world beyond the University, where the specialist knowledge, research, analytical, and communication skills developed as part of your Social Science degree can be used and can make a difference. The workplace or volunteering opportunity may be, for example, with a local government agency, a charity, a community group, a criminal justice agency, a school or education provider, or another suitable opportunity identified by the student and approved by the module leader.
Double Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework
Keele is one of only 15 broad-based universities in England - out of over 100 - to have been awarded Gold in both the 2017 and 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) exercises, demonstrating our consistent teaching excellence.
Additional opportunities
There are a range of additional opportunities for this course.
Please note that undertaking one may impact the availability of another.
Entry requirements
These are the typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If your qualifications aren't listed, please contact us to check if we can accept them. If you don't think you'll meet the stated requirements, you may be able to access this course via a Foundation Year.
Additional information
Entry requirements
240 credits of prior learning in an area relevant to the programme, e.g. A relevant HND with a grade of Merit or above.
A relevant Foundation degree with a score of 50% or above.
Level 5 of a relevant undergraduate degree with a score of 50% or above. (Or international equivalent).
You will also need: an English Language qualification.
English language requirements
All our courses require an English language qualification or test. Most students meet this through a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please visit our English Language pages for details, including test information for international students. For students who require a test, this course requires a result from Group A.
Alternative and contextual offers
We're committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for applicants with the potential and motivation to succeed, regardless of background. We offer alternative offer schemes with clear eligibility criteria, including contextual offers, offers for those studying in the Keele region, and recognition of a range of additional qualifications.
General information
The entry grades outlined indicate the typical offer, along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary conditions based upon a candidate's application. For international students, find out how we work with approved agents as part of our admissions process.
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Fees and funding
Tuition fees for 2027/28 2026/27 academic year
- The tuition fee for UK Home students starting in 2027/282026/27 is set by the UK Government and will be £10,050£9,790.
- International:
International fees for 2027/28 entry have not yet been confirmed. We review all tuition fees annually and will update this page once they are finalised.
In subsequent years of your course, UK Home fees may change in line with government policy or legislative requirements. For continuing international students, fees will increase each year in line with RPI, capped at a maximum of 5% per year.
For details of our international fee bands visit our Undergraduate tuition fees page.
Financial support
Going to university can be daunting as well as exciting. It's important to understand the costs and financial support available.
Our Student Financial Support team offers confidential advice and guidance to help you manage your money, resolve issues with Student Finance, create a budget, explore your options if you're facing financial hardship, and access any funding you are eligible for, such as bursaries and scholarships.
For more information visit our undergraduate fees and funding pages.
Additional costs
The additional costs listed below apply to the 2026/27 academic year. Costs for 2027/28 entry will be confirmed closer to the time, so the information below should be used as a guide only.
Optional costs
There may be optional costs that students can choose to incur to enhance their learning experience. These are not required to complete the course. Details of these optional costs are outlined below to help you plan accordingly.
Students may also incur general expenses related to university study, such as for printing, textbooks and other materials. Students who undertake a placement may be responsible for additional costs, such as travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs. For further information, please refer to the additional costs information.
Students who take the optional Work Placement module may be expected to pay travel costs (usually one day weekly) to their placement. Students who take the optional Work Placement module may need to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, if they plan to work with e.g. schools and charities. The current costs for a DBS check are detailed on the additional costs webpage.
Your future career
As a Keele graduate, you will attain various professional attributes that will enhance your career prospects, enabling you to apply your practical research skills with an understanding of crime and criminal justice systems. Your expertise as a critical thinker and problem-solver will enable you to hit the ground running, applying your knowledge in your desired role, across diverse social disciplines such youth justice, policing, probation and criminal justice.
The networks you will build on this programme will help to prepare you for the workplace environment through collaboration and insights into sectors including crime reduction, offender rehabilitation and community safety.
Graduates of this programme may wish to pursue a career as a:
- Police Officer
- Youth Work
- Probation Officer
- Prison Officer
- Immigration Officer
- Social Worker
- Solicitor
- Community Development Worker
- Local Government Officer
- Civil Service
- Government
Find out more about our careers and employability services, including career planning, alumni mentoring, jobs, internships, starting your own business and much more.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching
Criminology and Criminal Justice at Keele is taught by research active staff through diverse teaching methods and assessments.
Your teaching sessions will include lectures, seminars and workshops which will enhance your learning experience, engaging with discussions with academics and peers. You will explore criminological issues and social problems, encouraging independent learning with opportunities to demonstrate your ideas and solutions for subject matter. This is further enhanced through your final year dissertation/independent study project and web-based learning.
The teaching team have excellent links with local, national and international practitioners and policy makers who regularly attend lectures and seminars to offer their expertise. This gives students the opportunity to see how the learning is applied in practice and also to ask questions directly of those 'on the ground' whilst gaining an understanding of the work experience requirements for entry into different professions.
Assessment
From essays, class tests to poster presentations, we use a broad range of assessment styles to reflect the knowledge and skills gained throughout the programme. These allow you to demonstrate your learning such problem-solving skills and critical analysis for criminological research.
Other assessment methods include:
Open-book examinations – E.g. Testing your theoretical knowledge in the form of essays, case studies and/or multiple-choice questions.
- Reports/critical reviews – E.g. Evidence of applied and practical learning in written form, similar to that in real-world professions such as policy reports.
- Research design projects – E.g. Devising and answering research questions with evidence and data analysis.
- Portfolios – E.g. Evidence of independent learning to support job applications.
- Reviews – E.g. Analysis of criminological research including a summary and evidence/critical review.
Other assessment methods include:
Open-book examinations – E.g. Testing your theoretical knowledge in the form of essays, case studies and/or multiple-choice questions.
- Reports/critical reviews – E.g. Evidence of applied and practical learning in written form, similar to that in real-world professions such as policy reports.
- Research design projects – E.g. Devising and answering research questions with evidence and data analysis.
- Portfolios – E.g. Evidence of independent learning to support job applications.
- Reviews – E.g. Analysis of criminological research including a summary and evidence/critical review.
Student life at Keele is vibrant, diverse, and packed with opportunities to make the most of your time at university.
We help students manage their money and ensure that they receive any funding for which they may be eligible.
Make yourself more employable after graduation by taking advantage of the whole host of additional opportunities.
