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Criminology and Sociology with Foundation Year

Course details
  • BA (Hons)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-time
  • 09/2026
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Main Site

Course summary

BA (Hons) Criminology and Sociology 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?

Combining insights from criminology and sociology will give you a deep understanding of what shapes people's behaviour, beliefs and attitudes. You'll explore the reasons why people commit crime and the social factors at play, including inequality, prejudice and substance abuse. You'll also look at the impact that crime has on both local communities and wider society.

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.

How you will learn

You'll learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, group work and research projects. You can also take part in regular departmental research seminars delivered by leading professionals and academics from other institutions, as well as hear from guest speakers who are influential within the criminal and social justice sector.

Opportunities and experiences

You’ll work with local and national community organisations on live briefs, offering research and solutions to the key issues they deal with. There is also the chance to go on a bespoke trip that will focus on conflict resolution in your second year, as well as a three-day study trip to The Hague in your third year.

Careers and employability

BA (Hons) Criminology and Sociology provides an excellent basis for developing careers in local or national government, in organisations working towards social justice in a variety of contexts, or in professional settings concerned with conflict resolution or security and risk assessment. Alternatively, students can choose to pursue careers in the criminal justice sector: in policing, prisons, probation as well as private sector companies that operate in the sector.

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
L31F
Institution code:
D39
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

Open days

Entry requirements

UCAS Tariff

72 points
We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the Further Information section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.

A level

DDD

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMP

Access to HE Diploma

D: 0 credits M: 30 credits P: 15 credits

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Maths and English are preferred, however if you don't have these qualifications you will be able to undertake Maths and English at L2 as part of your course of study.

T Level

P

English language requirements

IELTS overall score at a minimum of 6.0; with at least IELTS 5.5 in each band (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) or another Secure English Language Test(SELT)at CEFR level B2 or above

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

We have excluded the Grades on Entry data for this course. We may operate some flexibility with entry grades to support widening participation, though most of the students that enrol on this course achieve the published entry tariff or above. Applicants who achieve grades below the published tariff may be offered an alternative course or a 4-year route if there is one available. For further information please contact askadmissions@derby.ac.uk.

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
EU£16900*Year 1
International£16900*Year 1
England£5760*Year 1
Northern Ireland£5760*Year 1
Scotland£5760*Year 1
Wales£5760*Year 1
Channel Islands£5760*Year 1

* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

The quoted fee is an indicative fee based on last year’s fees, as the fees for the 2026 term not yet been confirmed.

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