Criminology with Foundation BA (Hons)

Our degree courses with Foundation year offer the opportunity to prepare you for advanced study before you progress onto a full honours degree at the University of Westminster. Whether you do not feel ready for degree-level study, don’t have the right qualifications, want to change your subject specialism or return to study after an absence from education, we aim to encourage a broad range of students to undertake our Foundation year in order to progress onto their full honours degree with us.

The Foundation year is designed to give you the opportunity to explore new ideas, opening up new perspectives on the key debates within your chosen field. Core modules accelerate your academic and professional development and you will also take modules from areas closely related to your chosen field, giving you the chance to develop a cross-disciplinary perspective on your course.

On successful completion of the Foundation year, you will be able to move on to study for the Criminology BA Honours degree.

With crime frequently in the news and always an important issue, criminology has never been more relevant. The Criminology BA Honours aims to enthuse, inspire and equip you with the skills for a successful career in todays competitive job market.

Criminology draws on a wide range of human and social science disciplines, and the course has been designed to develop your knowledge and understanding of criminology as an interdisciplinary subject area. It will also equip you with the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Westminsters criminologists are concerned with who commits crimes and how offenders should be punished, but at the heart of criminology are fundamental questions about how crime is defined, how criminal law is made, and how definitions of crime and justice vary historically and cross-culturally.

Where better to study this fascinating discipline than in the heart of the UKs policing and criminal justice systems? Contemporary concerns are reflected as the subject engages with globalisation and culture across theoretical, qualitative and empirical domains.

Our graduates go on to develop careers in a wide range of sectors including the police and policing-support organisations, the National Probation Service, local government and crime prevention.

The course investigates the impact of power, societal structures and inequalities on processes and patterns of criminalisation, crime, harm, victimisation and criminal justice, as well as on knowledge production within criminology. Core and optional subjects cover an extensive range of topics, including processes of criminalisation and victimisation; the social, legal and cultural meanings of crime; the causes and organisation of crime and deviance at all levels; understanding crime in relation to class, gender, race and ethnicity, religious faith, and sexuality; and the practical and political processes of preventing and managing crime.

We make use of Westminster’s central London location to facilitate off-site learning, with visits to the High Court of Justice, theatres and a prison. In Year 3, youll have the opportunity to take part in a field trip, which, for example, in 2023 took students to the Baltic states, visiting criminal justice institutions.

Westminster is a global university in London with a supportive and welcoming community of over 19,000 students from over 160 countries. With over 190 career‑focused courses taught using industry‑standard facilities, Westminster helps you feel ready for the world of work. Build your confidence and develop skills in specialist workshops, labs, galleries, studios and other collaborative spaces, including Zone29, a new building dedicated to career and enterprise success.

Zone29 is your gateway to practical support, designed for networking, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you want to ace your job hunt, gain new experiences, or turn your idea into a thriving business, Zone29 will help you step into your future with confidence. This is where you can explore work opportunities, find out more about studying, volunteering or working abroad, and so much more. You can attend advice sessions, build your digital capabilities or tackle live projects with industry partners. Whatever your ambitions, Westminster helps you build the skills you need to get ahead.