LLB (Hons) in Law and Criminal Justice
Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
LLB
DURATION
6 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2027
TUITION FEES
GBP 19,200 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international first year full-time study |£9,790: home full-time study. Additional fees may apply
Key Summary
About: The LLB (Hons) in Law and Criminal Justice explores law and criminal justice through case studies, court visits, lectures and internships. You’ll cover foundations for Bar training, evidence analysis, dispute resolution, communication. Teaching mixes practitioners and academics and includes fieldwork.
Career Outcomes: You’ll be prepared for roles in the legal profession, criminal justice and advocacy. Career opportunities include solicitor or barrister (meet the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)), police or detective entry, Probation and Prison Services, civil service fast stream, research, NGOs and charities. The programme includes Future Skills, assessment‑centre and employer networking to build employability, digital skills and problem-solving.
Explore the intersection between the legal and criminal justice systems
Kickstart your career in Law and Criminal Justice.
If you want to pursue a career as a lawyer, solicitor or barrister, this course provides the foundational legal knowledge as defined by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to pursue training in the legal profession. Meaning, you will graduate with the understanding you need to choose a career path and the qualification, skills and experience to enable you to do so.
You will have a wealth of opportunities outside the classroom to further your learning and gain hands-on experience in your chosen field. There are a range of extracurricular activities available, from court visits in central London to national and international law competitions. We also invite guest speakers from industry, our alumni and academic experts to share their experiences. This often leads to internships with prestigious organisations such as SecurityWomen and the Minority Rights Group International.
Why choose this course
If you want to pursue a career in law but remain open to other opportunities within the criminal justice system, this could be the right course for you. You will learn about the criminal justice system and debate the application of justice, using a case study approach to ground your studies in real world situations.
Our Law and Criminal Justice LLB (Hons) degree will enable you to study the foundations of legal knowledge required as part of the training for the Bar. In addition to this, you will critically engage with the legal system itself and develop an understanding of the principles underpinning crime control.
You will gain skills in analysis and evidence evaluation, dispute resolution, project management and communication, which are vital for working in the criminal justice system. To embed your studies in lived understanding, you will learn from practitioners who work in the criminal justice system. In addition, you will have opportunities to conduct field work in the areas of law and criminal justice that most interest you, in order to help you develop your practical skills.
Prepare for global impact
Kingston School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences offers courses in economics, law, psychology and criminology. Our degrees are underpinned by a vibrant research culture and delivered by a blend of practitioners and academics who are dedicated to equipping you with the employability skills to thrive in your career.
Please note: optional modules only run if there is enough demand. If we have an insufficient number of students interested in an optional module, that module will not be offered for this course.
Foundation year - Social Sciences
If you would like to study this degree at Kingston University but are not yet ready to join the first year of an LLB (Hons) course, you may want to consider studying this course with a foundation year.
Year 1
Year 1 introduces the English Legal System, Skills and Ethics, including how to access and use legal materials. Constitutional and Administrative Law covers the UK's constitution and relationships between individuals and state. Law of Tort considers civil wrongs such as negligence, nuisance and occupier's liability. Law of Contract explores binding agreements and breaches.
Core modules
- English Legal System, Skills and Ethics
- Law of Contract
- Constitutional and Administrative Law
- Law of Tort
Year 2
In Year 2 you will build on what you have learned in Year 1. Your Land Law module will cover property ownership, use and rights. In the Criminal Law module you will study murder, theft and sexual crimes. Exploring EU Law considers the single market (informed by recent politics). You'll also develop critical insight into key issues and controversies in the delivery of justice by our principal criminal justice institutions: the police, prison and probation services. You will explore the range of different penalties available and the changing ways in which 'justice' is conceptualised and delivered.
Core modules
- Land Law
- Criminal Law
- Exploring EU Law
- Criminal Justice: Policing, Prison and Probation
Optional year
You will also have the opportunity to spend a year abroad on work placement or studying at one of our partner institutions in North America, Europe, Australia or Asia.
Professional placement year
This course has a professional placement year option which takes place between Year 2 and your Final year. During this professional placement year you will take a placement within a relevant setting, ensuring you gain essential experience to add to your CV and help you secure a graduate job.
Final year
In your final year, you’ll study Equity and Trusts, Risk, Crime and Justice, and complete a career-focused Future Skills module. You’ll also choose two optional modules based on your interests, which may include an independent dissertation.
Core modules
- Equity and Trusts
- Risk, Crime and Justice
- Future Skills Apply
Optional modules (choose two)
- International Criminal and Human Rights Law
- Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
- Law Dissertation
- Transnational Crime
The university achieved strong results in the latest rankings published in August and September 2026, with some notable improvements and subject-level achievements:
- The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027: Ranked 78th out of 130 institutions, climbing 16 places from 94th last year.
- Top 10 nationally for Land and Property Management (4th) and Art and Design (10th).
- Top three in London across five subjects: Land and Property Management (1st), Social Work (2nd), Architecture (3rd), Art and Design (3rd) and Nursing (3rd).
- Post-1992 universities: Ranked 4th highest.
- The Guardian University Guide 2027: Ranked 62nd out of 123 nationally.
- The Complete University Guide 2027: Ranked 88th out of 130 nationally.
- The Daily Mail University Guide 2027: Ranked 85th out of 128 nationally.
Being awarded a scholarship is a great achievement
A scholarship not only provides financial support. It also offers a rich student experience unlike any other.
At Kingston, you'll become part of our international scholars community, giving you the opportunity to:
- attend our annual scholars' event alongside senior staff and academics
- boost your career prospects through valuable networking opportunities
- meet other scholars from around the world
- enhance your CV and impress future employees with your award
- work as a TAP ambassador for Kingston University, with opportunities to contribute to marketing material and in-country activities.
You will graduate well-placed for a career in the legal profession, criminal justice system or advocacy. You will be able to pursue opportunities in law, as a solicitor or barrister, in the usual way as in a non-criminal justice field as you will qualify with an LLB.
There are new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) requirements emerging, which an LLB Law graduate will need to satisfy to practise law in any field. However, there is also a wide range of career opportunities outside of law in criminal justice.
Careers where a legal qualification is not required, but law and criminal justice knowledge would be useful, include the police or detective degree entry pathway, the Probation Service, the Prison Service, the civil service fast stream, the Health and Safety Executive, research organisations, Liberty, Amnesty International and a variety of charity and campaigning groups.
Embedded within the Law and Criminal Justice LLB (Hons) course and throughout the whole Kingston experience is our Future Skills programme. The Future Skills programme was developed to respond to the ever evolving demands from modern day employment.
It will help you gain the skills most valued by employers, such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability, and learn how to apply these skills in different scenarios. You’ll also learn how to articulate to employers how being able to do so gives you the edge.
Specialist careers support
You will take part in an Assessment Centre Experience, providing the opportunity to experience the pathway to employment with tailored feedback:
- develop your understanding of the jobs market, including current trends and opportunities, different recruitment processes and how to identify relevant roles
- receive personalised feedback reports to help you to improve and progress
- access additional webinars on top tips, employer expectations and best practice
Social Sciences Café
Social Sciences Café (SSC) is a series of events within the Department of Criminology and Social Sciences, which aims to help prepare students for life after graduation. Students can take part in seminars on employability skills and postgraduate studies, speaker and panel events on topical issues that engage the broader Kingston University (KU) community, and social events linked to key moments in the academic calendar.
SSC is often visited by KU graduates working in the public, private and third sector in the UK and around the world, who are keen to share their career journeys and advice for students at an early stage of their career planning. These events can also be visited by professionals for ‘meet the employer' advice and networking sessions.
Teaching and assessment
Scheduled learning and teaching on this course includes timetabled activities including lectures, seminars and small group tutorials.
Guided independent study (self-managed time)
Outside the scheduled learning and teaching hours, you will learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, preparing for and completing your work for assessments. Some independent study work may need to be completed on-campus, as you may need to access campus-based facilities such as studios and labs.
Academic support
Our academic support team here at Kingston University provides help in a range of areas.
Dedicated personal tutor
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of academic staff who will provide academic guidance, support you throughout your time at Kingston and show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer at Kingston University.
Your workload
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 120 credits across a year (typical for an undergraduate course) would equate to 1,200 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below for each year of study. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- Year 1: 22% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 2: 22% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 3: 20% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
How you will be assessed
Types of assessment
- Year 1: Coursework 63%; practical 10%; exam 27%
- Year 2: Coursework 41%; practical 16%; exam 43%
- Year 3: Coursework 70%; exams 30%
Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. If your course includes optional modules, this breakdown may change to reflect the modules chosen.
Feedback summary
We aim to provide feedback to you on your assessments within 20 working days.
Your timetable
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student friendly as possible, scheduled learning and teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9am and 6pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.