Leeds Trinity University

Year of study

2027

Start date(s): September 2027
Location: Leeds City Campus
School: Social Sciences
UCAS tariff points: 104
Study mode: Full-time (3 years)
Study abroad: Yes

Why do people offend, and how can social policy help create safer, fairer communities? Our Criminology with Offending Behaviour and Social Policy explores the causes of crime and offending. It examines how criminal justice systems, rehabilitation services, and social policies respond to some of society’s most pressing challenges. You’ll develop a strong foundation in criminological theory before investigating issues such as violence, victimisation, imprisonment, rehabilitation, social inequality, and the wider social factors that shape criminal behaviour.

This course is subject to validation. You can still apply for this course while it is being approved.

The Student Contract

About this course

Crime does not occur in isolation. It is shaped by social, economic, political, and personal factors, and understanding offending requires looking beyond individual actions to the wider influences that affect behaviour and life opportunities. This degree explores how crime develops, how individuals can be supported to desist from offending, and how social policy can contribute to safer and more inclusive communities.

Throughout the course, you will critically examine the relationship between crime, justice, and social change, considering how policy decisions influence offending, victimisation, and community safety. You will also explore how race, poverty, inequality, discrimination, and social disadvantage shape experiences of crime and justice, developing a deeper understanding of contemporary criminal justice challenges and the role of policy in creating fairer outcomes.

You’ll analyse how power, inequality, and disadvantage affect opportunities and outcomes within society. Through work-related learning and an independent research project, you’ll apply criminological knowledge to real-world issues while preparing for careers in probation, rehabilitation services, community justice, policy development, victim support, and the wider criminal justice sector.

A key feature of the programme is its focus on real-world application and employability. Through the second-year Professional Placement module and third-year Professional Learning Through Work module, you’ll gain practical experience, apply your knowledge in professional settings, and develop workplace-ready skills valued across the criminal justice sector.

You’ll learn from experienced academics with expertise across criminology, policing, investigations, safeguarding, victim support, and criminal justice practice.

Why study with us?

Explore crime and social justice - Understand how inequality, poverty, and social issues shape crime and justice responses.
Understand offending behaviour - Gain insight and engage with criminological and psychosocial perspectives into why people offend, with a focus on rehabilitation and real-world outcomes.
Link policy and practice - Examine how criminal justice systems, social policy, and community safety work together.
Build career-ready skills - Develop knowledge and prepare for roles in probation, offender rehabilitation, policy development, community justice, social intervention, and third-sector organisations.

Student studying on a tablet in a seminar.

Our achievements

Ranked 7th in the UK for Student Satisfaction

Sociology discipline (which includes Criminology) Subject League table, The Complete University Guide 2027, released June 2026

3^rd in Yorkshire for Teaching among universities in the UK included for Sociology

National Student Survey 2025

2^nd in Yorkshire for Learning Opportunities among universities in the UK included for Sociology

National Student Survey 2025

2^nd in Yorkshire for Academic Support among universities in the UK included for Sociology

National Student Survey 2025

Course modules

You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Year 1

During your first year, you'll study five core modules.

Offending Behaviour and Social Policy – Core

Introduction to Criminology – Core

Explore and examine the origins of criminology, some of its historical debates, concepts, literature and research.

You'll look at the core perspectives and theories related to crime and criminality.

Find out about the history and development of criminology as an academic discipline.

Violence in Society – Core

Explore criminological understandings and situations of violence in society.

We'll cover the types, characteristics, and forms of violence and violent acts within society.

You'll distinguish between individual acts to organised actions of groups and states, all whilst unpacking the ambiguous content and perception of violence.

You'll give due consideration to the frequently neglected victims of violence.

The module framework includes criminology, sociology, psychology, law, cultural studies, political science and sociobiology.

Academic and Research Skills – Core

Career Development in Criminology – Core

Year 2

During your second year, you'll study five core modules.

Imprisonment to Rehabilitation – Core

Explore the theory of desistance and the concept of rehabilitation within the practice of the criminal justice system, particularly in relation to the prison system and probation delivery.

You’ll be given an overview of offender management in prisons and the community in England and Wales, as well as the opportunities to critically examine the management, treatment and control of individuals processed through the system and the pressures it faces.

You’ll draw up on a range of lived experience perspectives to support your learning, alongside a recognition of wider policy and political climates through case study examples.

Victims, Harm and Justice – Core

Crime, Media and Digital Justice – Core

Research Methods in Criminology – Core

Criminology in Practice: Careers and Competencies – Core

Year 3

During your final year, you'll study three core modules and will be required to choose two option modules, one worth 30 credits and one worth 15 credits.

Professional Learning Through Work – Core

You'll have a flexible range of opportunities to enhance your professional skills and graduate opportunities as this module will be tailored to each student's development.

You'll apply the theoretical understanding you've been developing throughout your degree to a chosen professional context. This could include a work-based project or skills development approach where you will identify and address specific gaps in your portfolio of graduate-level skills.

Criminology with Offending Behaviour and Social Policy Research Project – Core

Tackling Crime Through Social Policy – Core

Global Challenges and Social Futures (30 credits) – Optional

Organised Crime (30 credits) – Optional

Crimes of the 21st Century (30 credits) – Optional

Youth Offending and Victim Support (15 credits) – Optional

Criminalised Women (15 credits) – Optional

Criminal Deaths and Society's Grief (15 credits) – Optional

Intelligence, Security and the British State – Optional

You'll develop an understanding of the role of intelligence agencies in combating insecurity in Britain since 1900. You'll gain an understanding of the role of the British Security Services, Police and Military since the the beginning of the 20th Century, examining critically the changing nature of the threat posed to the British state. You will focus on the way institutions have adapted to varying security concerns from German or Soviet spies, the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the more recent emergence of Terrorism and State Interference. You will also examine the complexity of securitisation within a democratic political framework.  

This module focuses on the evolution of security studies as a discipline and its implications for practice. You'll examine a variety of theoretical and empirical materials in order to analyse pressing questions related to issues of war, security and peace in the world today. 

Learning and teaching

Assessment

A variety of assessment methods are used, matched to the learning outcomes for your programme, allowing you to apply and demonstrate the full range of knowledge and skills that you have developed.

For more details on specific assessment methods for this course contact hello@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Programme delivery

Your time on campus, learning through in-person teaching, is at the heart of your academic experience and the way we deliver our programmes. This is supported and further enhanced by additional engagement activities and opportunities provided online and through digital teaching materials. This blended approach seeks to ensure a positive learning and teaching student experience.

Your programme of study has been carefully designed around a three-phase model of delivery:

Preparation: You will be given clear tasks to support you in preparing for live teaching. This could include watching a short-pre-recorded lecture, reading a paper or text chapter or preparing other material for use in class.
Live: All your live teaching will be designed around active learning, providing you with valuable opportunities to build on preparation tasks, interact with staff and peers, and surface any misunderstandings.
Post: Follow-up activities will include opportunities for you to check understanding, for staff to receive feedback from you and your peers to inform subsequent sessions, and for you to apply learning to new situations or context.

Preparation, Live and Post teaching and learning and the digital materials used will vary by course, but will be designed to help you structure your learning, take a full and active part in your course, and apply and test your developing knowledge and skills.

Learning and teaching

At Leeds Trinity we aim to provide an excellent student experience and provide you with the tools and support to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional potential.

Our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy delivers excellence by providing the framework for:

high quality teaching
an engaging and inclusive approach to learning, assessment and achievement
a clear structure through which you progress in your academic studies, your personal development and towards professional-level employment or further study.

We have a strong reputation for developing student employability, supporting your development towards graduate employment, with relevant skills embedded throughout your programme of study.

We endeavour to develop curiosity, confidence, courage, ambition and aspiration in all students through the key themes in our Learning and Teaching Strategy:

Student Involvement and Engagement
Inclusion
Integrated Programme and Assessment Experience
Digital Literacy and Skills
Employability and Enterprise

To help you achieve your potential we emphasise learning as a collaborative process, with a range of student-led and real-world activities. This approach ensures that you fully engage in shaping your own learning, developing your critical thinking and reflective skills so that you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the extensive learning support system we offer to shape your own development.

We believe the secret to great learning and teaching is simple: it is about creating an inclusive learning experience that allows all students to thrive through:

Personalised support
Expert lecturers
Strong connections with employers
An international outlook
Understanding how to use tools and technology to support learning and development

Entry requirements

Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.

Information about the large range of qualifications we accept, including A-Levels, BTECs and T Levels, can be found on our entry requirements page. If you need additional advice or are taking qualifications that are not covered in the information supplied, please contact our Admissions Office.

The following information is designed to give you a general overview of the qualifications we accept. If you are taking qualifications that are not included below, please contact our Admissions Office who will be happy to advise you.

Entry requirements for this course:
UCAS tariff	104
GCSE requirements	GCSE in English Language or English Literature at grade C or 4 (or higher) will be required.

Fees and finance

UK Home fees

£9,790

Full-time

International fees

More information on international tuition fees

Funding

UK Home Students:

Tuition fees cost £9,790 a year for this course in 2026/2027.

Tuition fees for part-time study are charged a pro-rata amount of the full-time equivalent.

Depending on government policy, tuition fees may change in future years.

Tuition fees for 2027/2028 entry will be set in summer 2026.

Living costs, e.g. accommodation, travel, food, will also need to be taken into consideration.

Leeds Trinity offers a range of bursaries and scholarships to help support students while you study.

International Students, including EU Students:

Visit our webpage for international students.

Part-time study is not available for international students on a Student Route Visa.

Additional costs

We advise students that there may be additional course costs in addition to annual tuition fees:

Recommended and required reading lists will be provided at the start of your course. All the books and e-books are available from our Library to borrow but you may choose to purchase your own.
On some courses there may be additional costs, such as field trips, equipment, accreditations, that may be part-funded by the University. More details will be provided at the start of the course.
You'll need to include placement/s travel and associated costs too, however the University will contribute a standard amount towards your total expenditure.
The University provides students with a £6 printing credit each academic year which can be topped up either on campus or online.

How to apply

Get in touch

For full-time undergraduate courses, you apply through UCAS. That's the University and Colleges Admissions Service.

On your application form, you'll need to know our institution code - it's L24 - and the course code. If you click through to the UCAS website using the button below, it'll take you to the right place with all the information you need.

As part of your application, you'll need to write a personal statement - we've prepared a guide to help you.

Undergraduate applications for September 2027 entry will open on Tuesday, 12 May 2026. You’ll be able to submit your application from Tuesday, 1 September 2026.

There's lots more information about the application process on the UCAS website, or you can get in touch with our Admissions team who will be happy to help:

call 0113 283 7123 (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am to 5.00pm, or Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm)
email admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Graduate opportunities

Providing you with the opportunity to develop the professional skills and experience you need to launch your career is at the heart of everything we do at Leeds Trinity University.

Graduates will be well prepared for careers across probation, offender rehabilitation services, community justice organisations, victim support services, local and national government, charitable organisations, policy development, and the wider criminal justice sector. The course also provides an excellent foundation for postgraduate study and research in criminology, criminal justice, social policy, and related disciplines.

Career routes include:

Probation service officer
Rehabilitation worker
Community safety practitioner
Prison and resettlement roles
Substance misuse support worker
Housing and social inclusion officer
Policy and research assistant
Criminal justice practitioner
Social policy officer
Behaviour intervention practitioner
Case management and offender support roles
Local government and public sector roles
Charity and NGO support roles.

Potential employers include probation services, prisons, local authorities, charities, community rehabilitation organisations, and policy-focused agencies.

After you graduate, Careers and Placements will help you as you pursue your chosen career through our mentoring scheme, support with CV and interview preparation and access to graduate employability events.

To find out how we can help you make your career ambitions a reality, visit:

Careers

Meet the team

Amelia Bell

Andi Brierley

Rob Hornsby

Joanna Adhikari

Natalie Rutter

Shaun McDaid

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