Start dates: September 2026
Full time: 12 months
Part time: 24 months
Location: Headington
School(s): School of Law and Social Sciences
Overview
Probe public perceptions, unpack theories and prepare to fight injustice with a degree designed to go beyond what you might expect from a criminology course.
Challenging current systems and viewing the world through a critical lens are at the heart of this course. You’ll learn from researchers looking at policing, youth justice, radicalisation, and more. This expertise fuels our teaching and means we can offer a diverse range of optional modules.
You might have already studied criminology and want to take your knowledge up a notch. Perhaps you work in criminal justice and want to extend your skills. Even if you’ve never studied the subject before, this course is perfect for people curious about crime and uncovering creative solutions to making the world safer.
With employability at the heart of the course, it draws on well-established links with organisations including Thames Valley Police, the Probation Service, victim support and young offenders charities. Thanks to our connections, you’ll be able to forge links for future opportunities with these organisations.
Why Oxford Brookes University?
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Community of changemakers
We place a strong emphasis on issues around social injustice and encourage you to be actively engaged in tackling issues you see in the world and your communities.
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Insights into wider issues
The unique social angle of the department means the research is diverse and covers everything from immigration to sexuality.
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Much more than a grounding
This course has been designed to challenge the way you think about the world and embrace different perspectives on problems.
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Links with top organisations
Thanks to our partnerships with organisations like Thames Valley Police and the Tap Social Movement, you'll have opportunities to build relationships that could help further your career.
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Make the degree yours
Our optional modules give you the freedom to explore topics that interest you while the dissertation is your chance to focus on an area you care about.
Course details
Course structure
We kick off the course by looking at theory and the criminal justice system from a global perspective. Decolonisation, environment, gender and sexuality. and online spaces are just a few of the important issues you’ll explore.
Understanding research methods used by criminologists will be key. Different members of the teaching team will talk to you about how they carry out research and develop creative solutions to current challenges. This will help you prepare for your dissertation.
Our optional modules will give you the chance to explore different areas. All of these are designed by our experts to give you the latest insights into their research. Perhaps you’ll look at decolonialism in criminology in more depth. Or you might enjoy exploring different types of online crime with support from the Institute for Ethical AI.
Your dissertation gives you the opportunity to put all your skills into practice. Past students have looked at everything from legislation around factory farming and whether it protects animals from cruelty to public perceptions of homelessness and criminality.
Study modules
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Research
We have a lively and supportive research culture with a number of specialist research groups led by internationally recognised academics, promoted through the Criminology Research Group, which all the teaching staff are members of. Our Criminology staff are also members of a range of university-wide interdisciplinary research groups, due to their wide-ranging interests and areas of expertise, so there are opportunities for you to form connections across the university too.
You can attend the Criminology Research Group seminars and other research events in the School of Law and Social Sciences and beyond. You will have the opportunity to become involved in research through specialist modules in which teaching staff have expertise. They also supervise dissertations in their specialist subjects.
Careers
Studying criminology at postgraduate level will give you a high level of critical thinking skills. Your transferable skills give you control over your career path and will open doors to opportunities across sectors.
Our graduates often gravitate towards roles in law enforcement or the criminal justice system, but those aren’t your only options. Your skills make it possible for you to engage with a wide range of careers including:
- NGOs
- charities
- local authorities and government organisations
- crime consultation
- community support
- security firms
- research.
Helping boost your employability is a priority for us. As well as relating your assignments to jobs you might do in the future, we support students to find placements with organisations such as:
- Hope After Harm
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Charities such as ‘SAFE’, Support for Young People Affected by Crime and Children Heard and Seen.
- Tap Social, a local brewery, who sell beer to support social justice movements.
Related courses
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
Students will normally be required to have (or to be expecting) a good honours degree, or an equivalent degree awarded by a university outside the United Kingdom. The degree should be a relevant social sciences or humanities undergraduate, but other degrees will be considered so long as they relate to Criminology in the personal statement. We welcome applications from both non-Criminology graduates and work experience-based candidates.
Students new to the academic study of criminology will be advised to read a number of recommended texts by way of induction before they begin the course. Students are also encouraged to attend the induction sessions provided in the week prior to the beginning of the course.
Applicants with career-based experience in criminal justice or related fields will also be considered, without an undergraduate degree.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
An IELTS minimum score of 6.5 (with 6.0 in reading and writing) is required.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
International qualifications and equivalences
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £10 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.