Criminology and Sociology with Foundation Year

Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information.

This course is moving into one of our new buildings at City campus. Teaching will mainly be delivered at our Collegiate campus until December 2024 while we get our new facilities ready. From January 2025 you will study in brand new facilities at City campus.

Course summary

• Experience award-winning teaching recognised by the British Society of Criminology.

• Gain experience at the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice.

• Develop expertise in criminology, sociology, social justice and global human rights

• Improve your employability through work placements and international study opportunities.

Gain a comprehensive understanding of criminological and sociological perspectives, on the causes and consequences of crime, the criminal justice system and societal structures. Through this interdisciplinary approach, you'll gain an understanding of human behaviour and societal dynamics. You’ll graduate with a broad foundation for careers in criminal justice, social justice and related sectors.

If you don't meet the entry requirements for this course, or you’d like extra preparation before starting degree-level study, we recommend you join the foundation year.

How you learn
All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

Our dedicated staff bring a wealth of practical experience, having worked in various areas of the criminal justice system, such as prisons, probation, and the police. Many are also actively engaged in cutting-edge criminological research, ensuring that your education is current and delivering real-world impact.

You’ll have the opportunity to engage with external partners and practitioners, gaining the contemporary knowledge, skills and attributes you need for a professional career in the criminal justice or social justice sectors. Our goal is to prepare you for further professional training or equivalent pursuits.

Key Themes
You’ll focus on key foundational areas such as the criminal justice system, human rights and values, and social science research methods. Through these you’ll build specialist knowledge of the causes and consequences of crime and deviance within a social, political and international context. You’ll apply this knowledge to real-world challenges, problems, perspectives and experiences – engaging with local, national and international partners.

You'll maximise your career prospects through curriculum-integrated employment opportunities that connect with real-world contexts. These experiences encompass applied projects, work-integrated learning with relevant partners, and student-led impact research or employer-led projects.

To develop as a globally aware and engaged practitioner, you’ll study an integrated international curriculum throughout your degree – primarily through online learning, along with the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner institutions.

Applied learning
Your course has been designed to embrace real-world challenges and provide you with the practical skills and knowledge to be successful.

Work Placements
You’ll have the opportunity to undertake a year-long work placement between your second and final years. This gives you valuable work experience and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.

Previous students have completed placements for companies and organisations such as the Community Rehabilitation Company, Victim Support and Doncaster Prison.

Live Projects
You’ll engage in a range of live projects – working on behalf of real organisations.

Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

The Exploration Of Law, Crime, Justice And Society

Elective modules

Social Justice In Action
The Practice Of Law And Policing

Year 2

Compulsory modules

Contesting Crime And Deviance
Researching Crime, Deviance And Marginalisation

Year 3

Compulsory modules

Investigating Crime Deviance And Marginalisation

Elective modules

Professional Practice On Placement
Real World Practice

Year 4

Optional modules

Placement Year

Final year

Elective modules

21St Century Security Threats: Crime, Crisis Or Tragedy
Comparative Criminal Justice
Controversies Of Policing
Crime, Harm And Social Justice
Drugs, Crime And Society
Education, Health And Disability
Families, Age, And Relationships
Gender, Power And The State
Gender, Sexuality, And Culture
Pathways To Change
Punishment And Practice In Context
Real World Project
Real World Research
Sex, Gender And Violence

Coursework