Bath Spa University

BA/BSc (Hons) in Business and Management and Criminology

What you'll learn

Overview

As a student of a Business and Management and Criminology degree at Bath Spa you’ll develop practical and professional skills that you can apply in a variety of careers.

In your Criminology studies, you’ll look at crime from a variety of angles and perspectives. Core modules focus on the main theories, debates, issues, and research problems in criminology and criminal justice.
Your Business and Management modules will give you a broad understanding of the world of business, and throughout your studies, you’ll have the flexibility to choose optional modules in both Criminology and Business, enabling you to develop your particular areas of interest.

Course structure

Year one

Gain a broad understanding of today’s business environments – trends in commercial thinking, audience, and consumer research, the importance of data in business, and issues such as gender, diversity, and identity.

Discover the key concepts, theories, and issues of criminology, criminal law, and criminal justice agencies and institutions.

You’ll learn to look at the world through a different lens – one which lays the foundation for you to innovate in your second and final years.

Year two

In your second year, you’ll focus on the inner workings of businesses, and use business techniques to solve problems.
You’ll study contemporary debates in criminology and criminal justice, including a specific focus on policing.

You’ll have the opportunity to choose modules based on your particular areas of interest and start developing the abilities that employers look for, such as strong presentational skills, effective group work, self-reflection, and self-improvement.

At the end of the year, you can choose to embark on a ten-week summer placement, and/or a ten-month business placement – applying what you’ve learned so far in the real world.

Year three

In your final year, you’ll have further opportunities to tailor your studies, with more in-depth research and project work in the areas that interest you.

During this year, you’ll focus more and more on practical ways to apply your skills, and you’ll be able to confidently demonstrate the abilities you’ve gained during all three years of the course.

How will I be assessed?

We use a mix of traditional and contemporary assessments, including essays, book reviews, exams, portfolios, creative work, projects, group work, computer-based simulations, podcasts, and videos.

Business and Management

Level 4

• The Business Environment
• Organizational Behaviour and Management
• Economics and Globalisation
• Managing Data
• Design Thinking for Enterprise
• Professional Practice

Level 5

• Creativity for Business
• Innovation Management
• The Marketing Business
• Human Resource Management
• Financial Accounting
• Operations and Project Management
• Destination Management
• International Business
• Entrepreneurship
• Applying Economics
• Festival and Events Management
• Law for Business Enterprise
• Fashion Marketing and Management
• Work Placement
• Professional Placement Year 1
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Level 6

• Business and Management Project
• Economics Project
• Fashion Project
• International Marketing
• Management Accounting
• Strategic Human Resource Management
• Enterprise: Creating Your Business
• Organisational Strategy
• Managing Sustainability
• New Trends in Management
• Cross Cultural Management in International Business
• Summer Placement
• Tourism: Contemporary Issues
• Creating and Hosting Festivals and Events
• Advanced Economics Issues
• Exploring Law in Business
• Business and Academic Skills
• Fashion Marketing Visualisation
• Successful Freelancing
• Leadership and Management

Criminology

Level 4

• Crime and Disorder in Everyday Life
• Crime, Violence, and Harm
• Crime: Representation and Reality
• Sociology of Deviance and Social Control
• Introduction to Social Science Research
• Questioning Society

Level 5

• Policing, Crime Control and Prevention
• Criminal Justice: Theory, Policy and Practice
• Social Science Research Methods
• Crime, Law and Society
• The Criminological Imagination
• Exploring Violence
• Forensic and Investigative Psychology
• Geotechnologies for Society and Environment
• Migration: Identity, Belonging, Citizenship and Security
• Youth in Society: Power, Politics, and Participation
• Crime Fiction
• The Life Course: Ageing and Generation
• Social Problems, Social Divisions, Social Justice
• Law for Business Enterprise
• Work Placement
• The Psychology of Criminal Investigations
• Professional Placement Year

Level 6

• Dissertation in Criminology
• Media, Sociality, and Everyday Life
• Victims and Victimisation
• Terrorism Studies
• Punishment and Penology in Contemporary Society
• Young People, Identities, and Subcultures
• Gender in Society: Critical Perspectives
• Community Engagement
• Narratives of Crime
• Unlocking Criminology
• Exploring Law in Business
• Culture, Risk, and Environmental Justice
• Ethnicity and Society
• Cyber Security

Joint students must take a minimum of 20 credits of appropriate R* modules at level 6 and must take 40 credits in total at level 6.

Our Business and Management and Criminology degree is designed for students with an inquisitive nature, who are keen to gain a deeper understanding of the world around them, and who want to find creative ways to approach the issues affecting society.

Our course will equip you to think critically, solve problems, and work with others - essential skills for a wide variety of careers, and for the flexible approach to the future that we all need to develop.

Our graduates have been employed in a wide range of careers, including:

• Crime prevention
• Security
• Criminal justice system
• Police service
• Prison and probation service
• Charities
• Counter-terrorism
• Civil service
• Marketing
• Management
• Retail (management/merchandising/buying)
• Finance
• Consultancy
• HR

How will I be taught?

You’ll be taught by a team of experienced industry professionals, researchers, and experts in their fields. You’ll participate in a wide variety of activities including lectures, seminars, workshops, and one-to-one tutorials. There's also a good blend of online activities using our Virtual Learning Environment. The majority of your lectures will be recorded, for your future reference. We also invite visiting speakers to talk about their experiences.

You’ll be given personalized support in your studies – we have a dedicated and approachable team of academics, committed to helping you achieve your goals, and we take pride in our innovative and engaging modules that inspire and challenge.

Course length

Three years full time, or four years full time with a professional placement year. Part-time available.