BSc (Hons) in Applied Sociology and Criminology
Bedford, United Kingdom
BSc
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
GBP 16,800 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
Embark on a journey to understand the world through the lenses of sociology and criminology while gaining the skills to make a meaningful impact on society. With its strong focus on employability, this interdisciplinary course equips you with the analytical tools to critically assess the most pressing issues in society and develop practical solutions to real-world problems in areas such as crime and crime prevention; forensic mental health; social justice; cultural diversity and social inequalities. In your second and third years, you can choose from a range of optional units, allowing you to specialise in specific areas of interest such as education, emerging digital technologies or crime and the media.
Student experience
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of sociology and criminology through exploring how societal structures and behaviours intersect with crime, justice and social inequalities.
- Connect academic learning with practical application, tackling contemporary, real-world issues such as education inequality, digital transformation and systemic biases in institutions.
- Put theory into practice with opportunities for work-related learning, voluntary work, hands-on simulations of crime scenarios, and a data analysis unit using tools like SPSS and Excel.
- Learn from expert staff with diverse social science backgrounds, including forensic psychiatry, policing, offender management, social work, further education teaching and youth justice.
- Benefit from staff actively involved in research across key areas such as human rights, safeguarding, social equity/justice, public policy, youth crime and violence, and offender management.
- Personalise your degree by choosing from a range of optional units and tailor your final-year dissertation to focus on either research or a community-based project.
- Become workplace-ready by developing transferable skills in critical thinking; problem-solving; oral and written communication; IT literacy; and teamwork.
- Enhance your learning through subject-relevant field trips to key institutions, including visits to The Old Bailey, Royal Courts of Justice and Luton Magistrates’ Court.
- Engage with local charities, policymakers, and community leaders through the #SASS Change Maker initiative, which empowers you to address and raise awareness of critical societal challenges.
Why choose the School of Applied Social Sciences
| Our criminology courses rank 12th overall in the UK in their subject field (Times, 2025); they are in the UK top three for teaching quality and top five for student experience. | 95% of our sociology students were satisfied with their course's learning opportunities and how well it developed knowledge and skills for the future (NSS, 2024). | Our sociology courses rank in the UK top three in their subject field for teaching quality; they rank top five for student experience (Times, 2025). |
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Undergraduate Scholarships
You can find all our Undergraduate scholarships listed below.
- International Undergraduate Subject-specific Scholarships
- A level and IB Scholarship for International Students
- Advanced Placement (AP) Merit Scholarship
- Hong Kong Diploma (HKDSE) Merit Scholarship
- Undergraduate EU, EEA and Switzerland Qualifications Scholarship
- International Foundation Year Scholarship
- High Achievers Undergraduate Scholarship for Bangladesh
- High Achievers Undergraduate Scholarship for India
- High Achievers Undergraduate Scholarship for Nepal
- High Achievers Undergraduate Scholarship for Pakistan
Prompt Payment Discount
A discount of £500 is available for prompt payment of each year’s fees in full, before or at the point of registration, for both undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes.
Postgraduate research students who pay their full tuition fee before or at registration will receive a £1,000 discount on that year’s fees.
The tuition fee pre-payment of 65% will be calculated on the full, published tuition fees and will not take into account any scholarships, bursaries or awards. These will be applied to the remaining balance of your fees.
Sport Scholarships
Our sports scholarships are designed to develop and support talented students at the University of Bedfordshire.
Our sports scholarships on offer provide financial and performance support services that utilise the University’s outstanding facilities.
Please contact us for more information.
What will you study?
The BSc (Hons) Applied Sociology and Criminology course offers a rich, interdisciplinary foundation in sociology and criminology, blending theoretical knowledge with practical application to explore key societal issues and criminal justice challenges.
From a criminological perspective, you will begin your studies with core units such as Introduction to Crime, Society and Criminal Justice System, where you will examine theoretical approaches to crime, deviance and offending behaviour alongside the institutions that respond to them. In Theorising Crime, Punishment, and Justice, you will analyse crime and explore diverse frameworks for understanding punishment and justice. Urban Crime focuses on contemporary developments in cities across the globe and the criminal justice responses to urban challenges.
From a sociological perspective, Applied Sociology introduces you to sociological theories and their practical implications for understanding contemporary society, while Policy in Action enhances your understanding of political structures, governance and key societal issues. In Sociology of Education, you will critically evaluate the role of education in shaping societal structures, addressing inequalities, and fostering social mobility. In Real World Issues in Services and Institutions, you will examine systemic inequalities and institutional dynamics across sectors like healthcare, education and social services.
The course integrates optional units to allow specialisation. For example, in Year 2, you will have the option of studying The Sociology of Education; Digital World, where you will explore the impact of digital technologies on society including online identities, misinformation, and the role of AI in shaping behaviours and structures; or Prosecution, Criminal Courts and Justice, a unit that provides an in-depth look at how criminal cases are processed through the legal system, exploring the balance between justice and fairness.
In Year 3, you will have the opportunity to engage with advanced optional units such as Real World Issues in Services and Institutions; Forensic Mental Health, where you will study the needs of mentally disordered offenders under mental health legislation; or Crime and the Media which examines the complex relationship between media, crime and culture through crime journalism, films and TV dramas. Further to this, in the optional unit Unlocking Insights: The Power of Data, you will learn to analyse and interpret complex datasets using tools like Excel and SPSS, applying these skills to societal and criminological issues.
To develop your employability, research and professional skills, you will explore research methodologies throughout the course in Introduction to Research and Social Enquiry; Research Methods 1: Collecting Data; and Research Methods 2: Exploring Data. Career Planning for Social Scientists will help you articulate your transferable skills and prepare for the workplace. You will also gain hands-on experience in Work-Related Experience in Sociology and Criminology, where you will work with an organisation to apply your knowledge and develop practical insights.
At the culmination of your studies, you will undertake a SASS Change Maker Project Dissertation or a Research Dissertation. The project-based dissertation involves collaborating with a community organisation to deliver a meaningful initiative, while the research dissertation allows you to conduct an in-depth study into an area of professional interest, exploring ethical implications and developing a robust research proposal.
How will you be assessed?
The diversity of assignments will enable students to practice and demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, transferable skills and abilities. Assessment methods are varied to suit different learning styles and include:
- Written assignments (for example essays, reports, photo-voice, infographic/poster, reflective accounts and portfolios)
- Media content creation (podcasts, YouTube and so on)
- Case study analyses and policy critiques
- Group presentations, vivas and collaborative projects
- Data-analysis projects using SPSS or Excel
- A final dissertation or research project
By combining core sociological and criminological knowledge with specialised optional units, practical work-based experience, transferable skills and research-focused learning, this course prepares you for a range of careers in criminal justice professions; community development and advocacy; public policy and administration; social research and analysis; education; and data analysis and evidence-based decision making.
Possible roles (some requiring further training or qualifications) include police officer; crime-scene investigator; prison or probation officer; professionals in community development, social work, youth work or family support; housing manager/officer; international aid or development worker; roles in the charity sector or civil service; teacher at secondary level or within further education; higher education lecturer; special educational needs coordinator (SENCO); social researcher and analyst; human resources professional; public relations officer; marketing executive; and life coach.
You can also progress within higher education, taking a Master’s or professional qualification in an area relevant to your degree or specialism.