BA in Sociology and Criminology
Birmingham City University
Key Information
Campus location
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 5 years
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request Info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* UK students: £9,250 per year | international students: £13,980 per year
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Our BA(Hons) Sociology and Criminology degree is a radical and practical course; theoretically driven and empirically informed, as well as locally situated and globally focused.
Studying Sociology at Birmingham City University is about not reading sociology but doing sociology, allowing you to explore and question social norms and discover the complex issues behind your everyday routines and social practices in a range of spatial contexts, applying what you learn to your own lived experiences.
The inclusion of Criminology into the degree affords you the opportunity to understand how society makes sense of crime, criminality and its control as well as the relationship between crime and wider society. You will examine patterns and processes of inequality, crime, the structure and dynamics of social hierarchies and power relations and ask why and how people shape their identities and the tensions and conflicts that these processes create.
Through the School of Social Sciences Birmingham 2029 project, you will have the chance to explore such themes of sociology and criminology within the city of Birmingham, an urban context that hosts diverse communities perfect for sociological and criminological examination. The School of Social Sciences has links with local public and third-sector organisations that will help you make professional contacts and be able to apply your studies to future career prospects whether taking part in voluntary work or on placement.
Employability is at the heart of our BA (Hons) Sociology and Criminology programme, with placement opportunities embedded throughout the course of the degree. Coming to study Sociology and Criminology at Birmingham City University affords you with a wealth of academic and employability opportunities, locally and globally aligned, to develop the skills needed to not only achieve successful graduate employment but also to contribute, as an agent of change, to thinking through and tackling some of the pressing social issues of contemporary society.
Professional placement year
This course offers a professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, between the second and third years of your degree and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies.
The University will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. If you do not find a suitable placement, you will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year (£1,850 for UK students).
Why choose us?
- In all of our courses, you will gain a professional focus and real-world experience in sociology, ensuring you are equipped to make an immediate impact in your career. You have the opportunity to embark on a year-long professional placement as part of your degree course. During your second year, you also have the option to undertake a semester-long placement, allowing you to draw upon our many links with local voluntary, statutory and commercial organisations.
- The School has launched a new internship programme with Birmingham City Council, which provides you with the chance to undertake an internship with the Council's Community Resilience, Housing Management or Organisational Development departments, working with senior staff on critical projects.
- The course’s professional relevance is supported by our close links with local criminal justice agencies, including Birmingham Community Safety Partnership and West Midlands Police Force. We have also worked with local schools youth work, family support, housing and advice agencies.
- We have links with local voluntary, statutory and commercial organisations such as SIFA Fireside and NACRO, Women’s Aid and Citizen’s Advice Bureau among others giving you the chance to undertake a placement and develop your practical skills.
- All our courses have an international focus. This is embedded throughout the curriculum, giving you the opportunity to transform your experience with us into a global one. There are a variety of exciting possibilities open to you, including our many overseas study exchange programmes.
- As a student on one of our undergraduate degrees, you will be able to benefit from our Graduate+ initiative. This three-year award course enables you to gain award levels for all the extra-curricular activities you undertake so that you can stand out from the crowd at graduation.
Curriculum
Year One
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 120 credits).
- Sociological Perspectives
- City, Community and Culture
- Crime, Punishment and Society
- Sociological Imagination
- States and Societies
- Becoming a Social Researcher
Year Two
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 80 credits).
- Crime in the City
- Applied Sociological Research
- Contemporary Social Theory
- Race and Crime
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of optional modules.
- Issues in Criminal Investigation
- Experiencing Harm
- Youth Crime and Justice
- Media and Popular Culture
All core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Professional Placement Year (Optional)
In order to qualify for the award of BA (Hons) Sociology And Criminology with Professional Placement Year a student must successfully complete the following module.
- Professional Placement Year
Final Year
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 80 credits).
- Globalisation, Migration and Borders
- Gender and Crime
- Integrated Research Project
In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of optional modules.
- Hate Crime
- Emotions in Crime and Criminal Justice
- Cybercrime
- Deviant Leisure
- Harms of the Powerful
- Local to Global Organised Crime
- Music and Society
- Activism, Social Movements and Social Change
- Black Arts Movement
- Global Cities
- Postcolionality
- Visual Cultures
All core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Career Opportunities
Enhancing employability skills
We recommend you get involved in the research seminars held by our research centres (such as the Centre for Critical Social Research and the Centre for Applied Criminology and the Centre for Critical Social Research), as well as encourage you to participate in the research these centres carry out.
Our new Graduate+ scheme will not only develop your broader employability skills but will also enhance your work opportunities, your lifelong learning skills and a sense of belonging.
Placements
Between your second and third years of study, you can elect to work for a placement organisation for up to 12 months. Assistance will be given.