Criminology with Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

BSc (Hons) Criminology with Foundation Year

This degree offers you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence before you advance to stage one of your honours degree.

Why choose this course?

You’ll examine the causes and consequences of crime, how crime is measured and defined, and how criminals are managed and controlled. We give you an in-depth view of the challenges and dilemmas facing criminal justice professionals today, which will ensure that you are work place ready on graduating.

Is this course for you?

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.
Our degrees with a foundation year are continuous, meaning that you won’t need to apply again once you have successfully completed the first year.

Tailor 100% of your final year options to match your career aims and passions. Bringing together disciplines such as sociology, law, psychology and philosophy, our Criminology course encourages you to think creatively, challenge established beliefs and develop your own research interests.

How you will learn

You’re encouraged to challenge established beliefs and develop your own research interests. You can even construct a bespoke final year, selecting from pathways in working with offenders; criminal investigations; international criminology; or criminology theory and practice.

Opportunities and experiences

Our strong links with practice means your studies are enriched by visits to courts, prisons and youth offender training centres.

Careers and employability

Criminology graduates progress to wide-ranging roles in the police, Crown Prosecution Service, courts, probation and prison services, youth offending teams and various law enforcement agencies. Some pursue rewarding careers in the voluntary sector, working with offenders or victims.

We're a Top 10 UK University* in the heart of England, with great transport links to London and the rest of the UK.

Ranked 2nd in the UK for employability and course quality*, the University of Derby offers expert, industry-relevant teaching, state-of-the-art study spaces, award-winning accommodation, and a welcoming, inclusive community.

(*Uni Compare 2026)