Crime and Criminal Justice Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

The criminal justice system plays a central role in managing offending, supporting victims and protecting the public. On this course you’ll develop a detailed understanding of how the system operates in practice, preparing you for a rewarding career across prisons, probation and related criminal justice organisations.

The course focuses on how the Criminal Justice System responds to crime and offending. You’ll explore how offenders are managed, how victims are supported and how decisions are made across different parts of the system, including the effectiveness of punishment, sentencing and rehabilitation, and the impact of criminal justice policy on individuals and communities.

Throughout the course, you’ll engage with key contemporary challenges facing criminal justice. You’ll examine issues such as prison overcrowding, trends in sentencing, ethical decision-making and the impacts of different punishments. You’ll also explore how the system responds to different types of offending and offenders, including mentally disordered offenders, high-risk and violent offenders and cases involving sexual offences.

Why study Crime and Criminal Justice BSc(Hons) at University of Huddersfield?

Learning is designed to support your future employability. You’ll develop core professional skills used across the criminal justice sector, including group work, data analysis and assessment, critical thinking, report writing, presenting recommendations and effective verbal and written communication, alongside relevant digital skills.

You’ll study as part of a small, supportive course community, where students are known by staff and supported to reach their full potential. You’ll also have a Personal Academic Tutor to guide your academic development and help you prepare for future study or employment.

The quality of the learning experience is reflected in national league tables, with Criminology at Huddersfield ranked top 5 in Yorkshire and the Humber and top third in the UK (Guardian League Tables 2026; The Times Good University Guide 2026).

Graduates of this course are well prepared for careers across the criminal justice system and allied organisations, as well as further study.

Professional Bodies

At Huddersfield, you’ll study the Global Professional Award alongside your degree† so that you can gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is.

†full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.

Why Huddersfield?

Huddersfield’s vibrant and friendly campus is a great place from which to study, while the town itself offers lots to see and do, with good transport links in and around the area.

Not quite ready to start Crime and Criminal Justice BSc(Hons)?

Successful completion of one of our Foundation Pathways will equip you with the foundation knowledge to study Crime and Criminal Justice.