Student working in classroom

What You Will Study

  • Changing awareness of crime: types of crime, perceptions of crime and unreported crime.
  • Media representations of crime and of official data on crime.
  • Crime campaigns and their effectiveness.
  • Criminological theories: Why do people commit crime? Theories of criminality from biology, psychology and sociology.
  • Crime scene to Courtroom: the criminal justice system from investigation to verdict – personnel and techniques involved in criminal investigations and courtroom procedures.
  • Crime and Punishment: law making, criminal justice, forms and functions of punishment.
  • How You Will Be Assessed

    This course contains 50% external assessment and 50% controlled assessment.

    During the course you will complete two units.

    Unit one will be assessed with an hour and a half examination (external assessment).

    Unit two will be assessed via an internal controlled assessment.

    The internal assessment will be 8 hours long and will require students to produce a written report that is linked to a scenario of crime.

  • Entry Requirements

    5 GCSEs at Grade 9-4, including English Language and Maths.

  • Further Study

    On successful completion of the Certificate in Criminology, it is possible to undertake a further year and complete a Diploma in Criminology. 

    This would include the study of the following:

    • Crime scene to Courtroom: the criminal justice system from investigation to verdict – personnel and techniques involved in criminal investigations and courtroom procedures.
    • Crime and Punishment: law making, criminal justice, forms and functions of punishment.