BA (Hons)

Criminology
UNDERGRADUATE ONLINE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COURSE CONTENT OVERVIEW
COURSE DETAILS AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
ABOUT ONLINE LEARNING
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
MEET OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL
WHY STUDY WITH ARDEN UNIVERSITY?
Arden University has three
4
decades of experience providing
5 higher education, and we’ve
helped more than 50,000
6
students globally gain the
7 qualifications they need to
succeed. We have a 95% student
17
satisfaction rating, and 9 out
18 of 10 Arden students believe
studying with us has helped
them transform their careers.*
*Arden University 2021 graduate survey
 COURSE CONTENT OVERVIEW PG 4

Are you interested in exploring the causes Course at a glance

and consequences of crime in modern
• Learn the different causes, patterns,
society? Our BA (Hons) Criminology
BA (Hons) will teach you the ins and outs of
consequences, and responses to
crime alongside applied skills in
Criminology criminal justice institutions across the
UK and globally, giving you an in-depth
broader social justice issues.

UNDERGRADUATE ONLINE
understanding of policy and practice in • No exams! Your assessments
today’s evolving criminal justice sector. will teach you real skills you can
use in your future career.
And with its modern approach and
digital-first focus, the course will equip • Start building your professional
you with the skills you need to excel in portfolio.
what’s quickly becoming a technology-
• Gain skills applicable to a range of
driven industry. You’ll learn directly
exciting career opportunities across the
from academics with extensive industry
sector.
knowledge, providing you with valuable
transferable skills for your future.

You can visit the Arden

University website page
for this course here.
This course is subject to validation.
COURSE DETAILS AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Key facts
Location: Online
Start dates: Every 3 months
Full time: 3 years
Part time: 3 years+
Contact us
If you’d like to get in touch to find
out more about studying this
course, please use the following:
UK online learning:
Call 0800 268 7737
Email study@arden.ac.uk
International online learning:
Call +44 20 300 56070
Email online@arden.ac.uk
PG 5
Career Progression
Entry requirements
• Criminal justice system (police,
prison, the courts, or probation)
• Two subjects at GCE A-Level or equivalent,
plus passes at grade C or above in three • Criminal investigation
subjects at GCSE level or equivalent; OR
• Criminal justice research
• Completed a recognised Access
Programme or equivalent. • Government, social, or
community services
• We are also happy to consider applications
• Voluntary sector
where candidates can provide evidence of
relevant work experience where they are
• Working with charities
required to demonstrate critical thinking and
analysis skills as well as a passion for the topic. • NGOs (non-governmental
organisations)
• If you don’t currently hold the above qualifications,
we also offer this course with an additional • Work with the home office
foundation year, designed for students who need
extra support when starting their degree course. • Higher education
English proficiency:
• IELTS 6.0 (no less than 5.5 in any element);
or TOEFL iBT 80; or equivalent. If you’d like to get your
application started,
• Alternatively, evidence you have previously
studied in English, such as a letter to
please click here.
show that the Medium of Instruction
was in English can be accepted.
ABOUT ONLINE LEARNING
Online learning
Studying this course online gives you
a lot of flexibility and convenience. You
can enrol with us from anywhere in the
world and study your degree from the
comfort of home, without the requirement
to attend classes in a physical location.
You’ll study the course through ilearn,
our university campus in the cloud. ilearn
provides you with an integrated online
learning experience, including your virtual
classroom, lecture hall, and online library of
more than half a million books and journals
– yours for free while you study with us.
PG 6
Studying online doesn’t mean studying Online learning key benefits
alone. As well as receiving regular feedback
• Study anywhere worldwide
and guidance from your course tutor, you’ll
be studying with likeminded students • Plan your own schedule
and you’ll have access to community
• Benefit from reduced costs
message boards to discuss your course
and the topics being raised within it. • Study around work
and family life
We’ve even set up community boards
embedded into each of the course
modules so you can have discussions
with your tutor and classmates on the
topics you’re currently learning.
You can find out more about online
learning with Arden University here.
Discover why so many
students choose online
learning with Arden here.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
The course has been designed
with a clear applied focus to
reflect the real-world criminal
justice skills you need to succeed.
In alignment with the UK’s
Ministry of Justice Digital
Strategy 2025, your modules take
a digital and globally focused
approach, equipping you with
the digital and critical analytical
tools required for working in
roles across the sector, including
courts, policing, probation,
prison, and victims’ services.
PG 7
This degree shares its Level 4 modules
with our BA (Hons) Criminology with
Cybercrime. After completing your first
year of study, you’ll be able to choose
between continuing with criminology
or opting for the cybercrime pathway.
This means your modules will start by
taking you through both criminology
and cybercrime, helping you discover
which area interests you the most.
Please see the following pages for a
detailed overview of each course module.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
Level 4
Becoming a Criminologist (20 credits)
To assist your transition to higher education, this module
will develop key academic skills to provide the foundations
for effective interdisciplinary, independent, and self-directed
learning. These include time management, planning, reading,
writing, problem-solving, evaluation, communication,
critical thinking, and subject-specific research. You will also
gain key career development skills, including building an
effective online presence and job searching and application
techniques. At the end of the module you will be able to:
• Demonstrate academic skills appropriate for studying in a higher
education setting.
• Identify personal qualities and transferable skills necessary for
employability and lifelong learning.
• Demonstrate an understanding of personal development and planning.
• Identify, retrieve, process, and evaluate information from a variety of
sources.
PG 8
A History of Crime and Punishment (20 credits)
By tracing the emergence of crime and punishment from the
early 1500s until the early 2000s, this module will provide you
with a historical overview of the evolution of criminology both in
Europe and beyond. It will explore the regulatory nature of the
European penal system, the socio-cultural context of the nature
of crime and punishment, and the transitional way in which
morality and offending have been defined and policed. You will
be introduced to key issues and thinkers, such as Durkheim,
Marx, Beccaria, and Butterfield. The module will help you to:
• Understand the nature of crime and the history of punishment across
Britain, Europe, and beyond.
• Demonstrate awareness of the origin and changes to criminal justice
policy and institutions
• Discuss key concepts and theories used to analyse historical accounts
of crime and punishment.
• Demonstrate how the experience of crime and punishment can be
historically reconstructed through a diverse range of sources.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
Crime, Media, and Culture (20 credits)
This module introduces theories and debates about the ways
in which crime might be affected by a rapidly changing media
and cultural landscape. Drawing on case studies and empirical
examples from the increasingly blurred worlds of reality and
entertainment, the module covers a broad range of topics,
including the history and evolution of crime in the media,
moral panics and trial by media, crime and citizen journalism,
media and prisons, media and the courts, true crime and
popular criminology, and more. During the module you will:
• Demonstrate an understanding of key theories and concepts relating to
crime, media, and culture.
• Appreciate the extent of the media’s role in socially constructing ‘media
realities’ and its broader role in shaping perceptions of crime
and deviance.
• Explore the growing importance of text, images, and ‘ascendant
power of the spectacle’ in media representations of crime.
• Reflect critically on a range of crime, media, and culture
issues through an analysis of real-world case studies.
PG 9
Cybercrime: The Essentials (20 credits)
The aim of this module is to equip you with an overview
of the pivotal criminological issues related to the use of
computer technology for criminal activity, also known as
cybercrime. It will explore modern themes in the field today,
including the Dark Web, cyberstalking, hacking, trolling,
and cryptocurrency. Over the course of the module, you
will gain practical insight into the challenges faced by
criminal justice agencies, businesses, and governments in
the face of these issues. You will develop the ability to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of key theories and concepts relating to
cybercrime and online victimisation.
• Identify various forms of cybercrime and the risk factors for victimisation
and perpetration.
• Reflect critically on a range of cybercrime issues through the evaluation
and application of real-world case studies.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the security issues relating to
cybercrime as well as challenges faced by law enforcement during
cybercrime investigations.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
Policing Priorities (20 credits)
To increase your subject-specific knowledge and employability
in career routes within wider criminal justice, this module will
introduce you to ethical and consensual policing in the UK. It will
explore a wide range of topics, such as homicide, serious violence,
arrest and detention, safeguarding, intelligence, policing the
public, and cybercrime, as well as areas such as riots and protests,
undercover policing, domestic violence, and child abuse. You will
also review contemporary debates drawing upon social, political,
and economic perspectives. The module will also help you:
• Demonstrate an understanding of the main ways in which policing is
governed and held accountable.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of contemporary
policing issues.
• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ideas, concepts, and issues relating
to policing, drawing on a range of sources to support arguments.
• Outline, explain, and discuss technical and specialist materials to an
audience of non-specialists.
PG 10
Working within the Criminal Justice System (20 credits)
Introducing you to the theoretical and practical elements of
criminology and criminal justice, this module will provide you with
the groundwork for becoming a better criminologist or criminal
justice worker. It will take you on a reflective journey through the
criminal justice system, and the many rewards and challenges
faced when working within the police, prisons, courts, probation,
and voluntary sector on a day-to-day basis. Through this, you will
gain practical insight into your future role. You will also learn to:
• Demonstrate a sound understanding of the roles and responsibilities of
criminal justice workers.
• Reflect on current issues in the criminal justice system and how these
are tackled in the workplace.
• Recognise the importance of human rights in the criminal justice
system.
• Analyse contemporary resources and apply these to your assignment.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
Level 5
The Prison (20 credits)
This module is your opportunity to delve into the prison
industrial complex and understand the ways in which it
works (or doesn’t). It will examine the ins and outs of prison
design, the roles of the staff and prison officers, as well as
complex issues such as punishment, riots, murder, hope, and
rehabilitation. The written works of Sykes, Goffman, and more
will be examined, as well as contemporary texts in relation
to elements of prison life. You will acquire the ability to:
• Analyse the role of the prison in the criminal justice system.
• Critique how the prison works and the impact this may have on staff
and/or prisoners.
• Evaluate and exemplify the experience of prisoners, including elements
such as the pains of imprisonment, impact on families, safer custody,
and healthy prison tests.
• Analyse contemporary reports and make recommendations with regards
to either the future of prisons or the development of existing practices.
PG 11
Youth Crime and Justice (20 credits)
Drawing upon theoretical literature and research, this module
will examine the ways in which young people engage in
criminal behaviour. This will include an understanding of
how youth crime is developed and constructed, the historical
development of youth justice, and a critical consideration
of the contemporary youth justice system. The module will
close by allowing an exploration of the ways in which policy
and practice reflect shifting notions and ideas of justice for
young people. By the end of the module you will be able to:
• Critically analyse relevant theory and research relating to young people
and crime.
• Critically analyse responses to address crimes committed by young
people.
• Critically analyse the competing and sometimes contradictory aims and
purposes of the main principles that inform studies of youth justice.
• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ideas, concepts, and issues relating
to young people and crime, drawing on a range of sources to
support arguments.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
Defending the Realm (20 credits)
Intelligence is central to the management of threats and global
security stability. This module aims to explore what intelligence
is, how it can guide decision-making, and the legal, ethical, and
practical challenges practitioners face when utilising it. As this
is an applied module, you will gain insight into how agencies
such as the police, NCA, GCHQ, and MI5 come together to work
on national and international operations, as well as information
regarding careers in the field. The module will help you to:
• Analyse the difference between information and intelligence,
recognising the need for intelligence evaluation and sanitisation.
• Examine the tools and methods used within intelligence,
and their ability to inform decision makers.
• Outline the internal and external agencies that work together
within intelligence and security, whilst also recognising the business
drivers of each agency (drawing upon the PESTELO framework).
• Analyse challenges faced by organisations when utilising intelligence.
PG 12
Green Criminology (20 credits)
By taking you through the delicately balanced issues of protecting
the environment versus economic growth, this module will
enable an appreciation of the way in which people, resources,
and animals are exploited in the name of capitalism, politics,
war, and attrition. It will also examine the role of the criminal
justice sector and other agencies such as charities that strive
for environmental justice and raise awareness of green crime
on both local and global levels. You will gain the skills to:
• Analyse the impact of green crime on a local, national, or global level.
• Critically examine what environmental justice means, and how it is
governed.
• Make recommendations about how to tackle green crime or
environmental harm in a chosen area.
• Research and access the most relevant information about environmental
harm and/or justice and apply this to green criminological theory.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
Researching the Field (20 credits)
This module will introduce you to the range of research tools
available to social scientists in order to prepare you for future
study or work in the field, as well as elucidate the value of
empirical research in understanding social issues. You will
learn a range of skills, including interview techniques, utilising
questionnaires and focus groups, as well as qualitative and
quantitative data analysis. By the end of the module, you will
have the confidence to carry out your own research, preparing
you for your level 6 dissertation. You will also learn to:
• Demonstrate and present logical competence and knowledge of the
relationship between data collection, interpretation, and theory.
• Outline why a chosen topic should be undertaken and addressed
through ethical guidelines to develop a suitable research proposal.
• Recognise, justify, and utilise appropriate methodologies in data
collection and analysis.
• Carry out and present a detailed literature search and review.
PG 13
Crimes of the Powerful (20 credits)
‘Crimes of the Powerful’ refers to the often overlooked crimes
committed by state institutions and private businesses or
corporations which cause harmful and injurious behaviour.
The module will examine the definition and nature of these
crimes, the scale and types of crimes committed, and the
reasoning behind them. A range of crimes will be explored in
both the domestic and international spheres, including state-
corporate crimes, white collar crimes, war crimes, torture, and
genocide. The module will provide you with the skills to:
• Examine key theories and concepts relating to ‘Crimes of the
Powerful’ - including the nexus between state and corporate crime.
• Appreciate the relationship between motivation, opportunity, and
social control while examining state and corporate crimes.
• Cultivate an awareness of the main categories of state and corporate
crimes in the domestic and international spheres.
• Reflect critically on a range of ‘Crimes of the Powerful’ issues through
an analysis and application of real-world case studies.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
Level 6
Serial Killers (20 credits)
This module will help you develop a critical understanding
of the motivations and behaviours of serial killers. You will
examine a range of real-life case studies and serial killers,
their criminal investigation, and their portrayal in the media.
Criminological theories will be applied to allow you to critically
examine what we perceive as ‘good’ versus ‘evil’ and the
social construction of serial killers, as well as the broader
landscape which has created them. You will learn to:
• Examine the phenomenon of serial murder using relevant case studies
and theories acquired from independent research and assess its
usefulness for understanding the nature and response to serial killers,
and the social construction of serial killing.
• Critically evaluate different theories of serial killing and their limitations
and usefulness using relevant examples acquired from independent
research.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of serial killers, their backgrounds,
and the justifications used to support their behaviour from
criminological perspectives.
PG 14
Victimology (20 credits)
Victimisation is the process of being victimised from a
physical, psychological, sexual, or moral perspective. This
module will critically explore the nature and extent of criminal
victimisation in society and how this has been impacted and
accelerated by changes in technology. You will be introduced
to the demographic, social, and individual factors that can
contribute to experiencing crime, and how people have become
socially and culturally constructed as more vulnerable in both
physical and digital spaces. The module will help you to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of victimology and assess different ways
of understanding the term victim.
• Analyse data on crime and victimisation to assess its usefulness for
understanding the nature and response to victimisation, and the
social construction of victims.
• Compare the implications of framing crime as risk versus framing
crime as harm when examining spaces for victimisation.
• Critically evaluate contemporary policies and practices for responding
to victims of crime and wider harms.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS
Miscarriages of Justice (20 credits)
This module will introduce you to historical and contemporary
examples of miscarriages of justice across the UK and
internationally from socio-legal, sociological, and psychological
perspectives. It will explore a range of live case studies,
including police malpractice, abuse of forensics, wrongful
convictions, and the impact of inequality and prejudice, as
well as the consequences and responses of miscarriages of
justice for individuals and society, including legal reforms
and protest movements. You will develop the skills to:
• Appraise the administrative and judicial processes that occur between
the decision to prosecute and the eventual conviction or acquittal
of a case.
• Outline how differing tensions and factors can impact and undermine a
successful balance of justice, evaluating the significance of the stages
of due process.
• Analyse key components of miscarriages of justice and formulate
techniques for their future avoidance.
• Critically analyse a miscarriage of justice case and identify what
could have been done to prevent it.
PG 15
Professional Practice: A Case Study (20 credits)
This module has been designed to develop your knowledge of
some of the potential roles for criminology graduates and the
expectations that come along with them, all while developing
key skills and attributes such as problem-solving, demonstrating
initiative, working under pressure, and resilience. It will explore
the unique challenges of working within criminal justice,
equipping you with the tools needed to become employable
graduates. It will also help you identify your career goals by
allowing you to apply theory to current issues in the field. You will:
• Explore a range of graduate careers suitable for criminology graduates
and identify areas of interest.
• Examine key graduate skills and attributes that will enhance career
prospects.
• Demonstrate key competencies in relation to criminology graduate
careers by engaging in workplace simulations.
• Critically analyse case studies of issues within criminological careers by
applying criminological theory and/or research.
COURSE MODULE DETAILS PG 16

Dissertation (40 credits)

Building on the taught element of the programme, the

course culminates in the undertaking of an independent
research project on a criminology-related topic of your choice.
This module will allow you to develop and critically apply the
subject-specific knowledge you have gained throughout
the course in a project that adds value and new insights to
the field and your area of interest. This will provide you with
the opportunity to put your learning to practice, supporting
you on your journey to becoming an effective and reflective
criminology practitioner. You will be expected to:

• Evaluate and apply critical thinking to a contemporary criminological

issue.

• Critically evaluate research design and practice.

• Present and evaluate research findings, including theoretical,

methodological, and ethical issues, and critically discuss these in
relation to theory and research.

• Analyse relevant ethical considerations involved in research.

MEET OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL PG 17

Dr. Emma Winlow

Head of School – Criminal Justice

Dr. Emma Winlow obtained her undergraduate and

postgraduate degrees in Criminology and Crime &
Justice from the University of Chester and completed
her PhD at the University of Gloucestershire.

A public criminologist, Emma has extensive

leadership and management experience in higher
education and is passionate about accessibility,
inclusion, and employability in teaching and
learning. She established the School of Criminal
Justice with these practices in mind.
ABOUT ARDEN UNIVERSITY
Why study with Arden University?
At Arden University we believe
everyone, everywhere has the right
to gain the life and career benefits
that higher education can bring.
We are dedicated to making the
university experience convenient
and accessible to ambitious and
motivated individuals worldwide.
PG 18
Our mission is to connect adult learners
like you with higher education study
opportunities that give you the tools
you need to fulfil your career and life
goals. We challenge conventional
perceptions of degree study by
providing flexible, vocational courses
with timetables and learning options
that fit around your life commitments.
As an education provider that is not
constrained by bricks and mortar or
traditions, we are able to offer courses
that are innovative, affordable, and
which help students and employers
reap the benefits of contemporary
training and skills development.
Arden is the university that comes to you,
on your terms, helping you achieve the
life and professional success you want.
 Visit arden.ac.uk

APPLY TO STUDY ONLINE

Recommend a friend to Arden University

and earn £500. Find out more here.

arden_university arden_uni ArdenUniversity

ATEC191022