
- UCAS course code
- VL53
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course description
The BA in Philosophy and Criminology is one of the pathways within the BA Social Sciences degree.
It is ideal if you want to keep your options open or study specific topics, such as race, class, crime or religion, from a variety of different perspective.
This flexible degree lets you study at least three subjects in Year 1, and then in Year 2 and 3, you deepen your understanding of the subjects you feel passionate about.
The six subject areas are:
- Criminology - The study of the causes and consequences of crime.
- Philosophy - The study of the nature of knowledge, truth and values. It also encourages greater consideration of our reasoning, judgement and ethics.
- Politics - The study of human organisation, government and power, political systems and institutions.
- Quantitative Methods - The study of data and analysis to understand the social world.
- Social Anthropology - The study of societies and cultures across the globe in comparative perspective.
- Sociology - The study of society and issues of social inequalities and forms of everyday life.
You are not tied to the course code you apply to through UCAS, and can change after Year 1.
Special features
Professional experience opportunity
You have the option of boosting your employability and extending your degree through a paid professional placement year.
Apply in Year 1 or 2, complete your placement in Year 3, then return to University to finish Year 4.
Your degree title will include 'with Professional Experience', giving you the added advantage of relevant work experience when entering the competitive graduate jobs market.
Study abroad
You can apply in Year 2. If you are successful, you will put together a package of course units at your host university in consultation with your academic exchange advisor in Manchester.
Teaching and learning
Course units feature formal lectures supported by smaller tutorials or seminars where you explore the contents of lectures and recommended reading in depth.
Tutorials and seminars are key to improving your written and oral communication skills through group discussions, essay-writing, and presentations.
You are assigned an Academic Advisor who can advise you on selecting course units and career opportunities.
Coursework and assessment
Methods are designed to promote learning and understanding, including:
- essays, coursework and other mid-term evaluations;
- dissertations;
- presentations and group projects; and
- exams.
Course content for year 1
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Critical Thinking | PHIL10042 | 20 | Mandatory |
Engaging With Social Research | SOAN10081 | 20 | Mandatory |
Crime and Society | CRIM10001 | 20 | Optional |
Criminological Research Methods | CRIM10072 | 20 | Optional |
Foundations of Criminal Justice | CRIM10421 | 20 | Optional |
Psychology, Crime and Criminal Justice | CRIM10432 | 20 | Optional |
Foundations of Criminological Scholarship | CRIM10441 | 20 | Optional |
An Introduction to Development Studies | ECON10002 | 10 | Optional |
Microeconomics 1 | ECON10221 | 10 | Optional |
Macroeconomics 1 | ECON10252 | 10 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
In Year 2, you begin to specialise.
If you specialise in one subject, you take 60 to 80 credits in it. If you specialise in two subjects, you take at least 40 credits in each.
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Making Sense of Criminological Data | CRIM20441 | 20 | Mandatory |
Modelling Criminological Data | CRIM20452 | 20 | Mandatory |
20th Century Analytical Philosophy | PHIL20242 | 20 | Mandatory |
Policing and the Police | CRIM20051 | 20 | Optional |
Explaining Crime and Deviance | CRIM20412 | 20 | Optional |
Making Sense of Criminological Data | CRIM20441 | 20 | Optional |
Modelling Criminological Data | CRIM20452 | 20 | Optional |
Understanding Punishment | CRIM20692 | 20 | Optional |
Criminology and Criminal Justice in Action | CRIM20701 | 20 | Optional |
Youth, Crime and Justice | CRIM31101 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
In Year 3, you pick your final areas of specialisation.
If you specialise in one subject, you take 60 to 80 credits in it. If you specialise in two subjects, you take at least 40 credits in each.
Course units for year 3
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Long Dissertation | CRIM30610 | 40 | Mandatory |
Short Dissertation | CRIM30620 | 20 | Mandatory |
Dissertation Semester 1 | PHIL30001 | 20 | Mandatory |
Dissertation Semester 2 | PHIL30002 | 20 | Mandatory |
Dissertation (40 credit) | PHIL30030 | 40 | Mandatory |
Drugs and Society | CRIM30601 | 20 | Optional |
Serious and Organised Crime | CRIM30811 | 20 | Optional |
Criminology and Mass Violence | CRIM31052 | 20 | Optional |
Youth, Crime and Justice | CRIM31101 | 20 | Optional |
Criminal Evidence | LAWS30082 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 4
Facilities
- one of the UK's largest academic libraries;
- 24/7 access to computer facilities; and
- A variety of extra-curricular facilities, all in the heart of the UK's most popular student city.