2024/25 entry
BA (Hons) Criminal Law and Criminal Justice
Why study Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at Liverpool John Moores University?
- A unique degree which blends criminal law and criminal justice disciplines
- Teaching from supportive, internationally recognised legal professionals and criminal justice writers and practitioners
- Work placements and voluntary work opportunities to enhance your CV
- Opportunities to study in Europe as part of the University's Erasmus / Go Global programme
- International Foundation Year course available offering direct progression onto this degree programme - visit LJMU's International Study Centre to find out more
About your course
The BA (Hons) Criiminal Law and Criminal Justice programme at Liverpool John Moores University is the ideal preparation for a range of fascinating careers in both the legal and the criminal justice sectors.
Many of your tutors have professional frontline experience of working in the criminal justice system or researching law and criminal justice, with international reputations for research and writing, giving you a solid grounding in both areas.
While this course prepares you for a career in the legal profession following completion of professional training programmes for solicitors and barristers, it also develops vital personal skills in teamwork, communication, writing and time management, so that you are more than ready to face the challenges of a range of careers should you decide that law isn't for you.
We encourage you to organise a placement for your final year as it will give you vital experience of how the criminal law and criminal justice system work in practice. For the same reasons, we recommend that you undertake some form of voluntary work during your time at LJMU and/or apply to take part in the University's Study Abroad programme to see how legal systems work in another country.
As the course progresses, the modules become more focused on preparing you to work in the legal or criminal justice systems, and in your final year you will be able to specialise in the areas that interest you most, whether they be vocational or more abstract topics.
"The BA Criminal Law and Criminal Justice programme is unique among English universities. It focuses purely on the criminal law and how that criminal law is enforced in practice, both nationally and internationally – and you’ll get the chance not only to learn about criminal law and criminal justice, but apply your learning on study trips to the Supreme Court in London, and the International Courts of Justice in the Hague, as you move through your programme. The programme also offers direct entry to solicitor training via the SQE, and entry to barrister training via a conversion course followed by the BPTC."
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- Library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to programme-appropriate software
- Library and student IT support
- Free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you'll find all of the information you need on our specialist funding pages.
Employability
Examples of careers our recent graduates have entered are:
- solicitor
- barrister
- local authority legal adviser
- media-related work
- various legal roles in the private business sector
- police officer
- police community support officer
- trainee probation officer
- probation service assistant
- arrest referral and bail support team worker
- drug and alcohol support worker
- Prison Service (including prison warden, education officer, drugs support officer)
- social work, youth work (and working with young offenders)
- and victim/witness support worker
Student Futures - Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service
A wide range of opportunities and support is available to you, within and beyond your course, to ensure our students experience a transformation in their career trajectory. Every undergraduate curriculum includes Future Focus during Level 4, an e-learning resource and workshop designed to help you to develop your talents, passion and purpose.
Every student has access to Careers Zone 24/7, LJMU's suite of online Apps, resources and jobs board via the LJMU Student Futures website. There are opportunities for flexible, paid and part-time work through Unitemps, LJMU's in-house recruitment service, and we also offer fully funded Discovery Internships.
One-to-one careers and employability advice is available via our campus-based Careers Zones and we offer a year-round programme of events, including themed careers and employability workshops, employer events and recruitment fairs. Our Start-Up Hub can help you to grow your enterprise skills and to research, plan and start your own business or become a freelancer.
A suite of learning experiences, services and opportunities is available to final year students to help ensure you leave with a great onward plan. You can access LJMU's Careers, Employability and Start-up Services after you graduate and return for one-to-one support for life.
Go abroad
LJMU aims to make international opportunities available to every student. You may be able to study abroad as part of your degree at one of our 100+ partner universities across the world. You could also complete a work placement or apply for one of our prestigious worldwide internship programmes. If you wanted to go abroad for a shorter amount of time, you could attend one of our 1-4 week long summer schools.
Our Go Citizen Scheme can help with costs towards volunteering, individual projects or unpaid placements anywhere in the world. With all of these opportunities at your feet, why wouldn’t you take up the chance to go abroad?
Find out more about the opportunities we have available via our Instagram @ljmuglobalopps or email us at: goabroad@ljmu.ac.uk.
A life-changing experience
There's so much more to university than just studying for a degree.
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What you will study on this degree
Please see guidance below on core and option modules for further information on what you will study.
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Level 5
Optional Modules
An Introduction to Penology
20 credits
This module allows you to pursue a more in-depth study of two of the main criminal justice institutions, Prison and Probation services. The design and delivery surrounding their administration has remained the subject of intense debate and controversy throughout their history. Therefore, you will be encouraged to critically engage with these debates taking into consideration the theory, policy, and practice which surrounds community and custodial interventions.
Teaching and work-related learning
Excellent facilities and learning resources
We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU. This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies. Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.
Teaching is via a combination of lectures, smaller student-led tutorials, online activities, hands-on practical experience and private study.
Work-related Learning
This highly vocational course is designed to enhance your employability by incorporating hands-on practical experience and work-related modules at every level. We also strongly encourage you to seek out voluntary work at all stages of the programme, as the experience will significantly enhance your CV and put you in a strong position once you start to compete on the open job market. A member of staff will advise you about specific work-related opportunities and act as a link mentor, liaising with local organisations on your behalf.
The course contains a number of modules that focus specifically on the skill sets that employers value, not just in the legal professions but in other careers as well. Communication, writing and organisational skills are all assets that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Support and guidance
Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support
Our staff are committed to ensuring you get the most out of your three years at LJMU and encourage you to come to them for advice and guidance. For example, your personal tutor and module leaders will meet with you one-to-one to discuss personal or course-related issues.
There is plenty of support available throughout the assessment process too. On top of the support offered by academic staff, you will be given written guidelines, hints and tips and there will be revision and recap sessions for all modules as well as study support classes.
Assessment
Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.
We acknowledge that every student is unique and may perform differently depending on how they are assessed, so we allow you to choose assessments tailored to your own individual strengths. Once you have completed an assessment, feedback is given within three working weeks, so you can promptly discuss your marks with your tutor and establish where you are performing well and areas for improvement.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
Dr Noel Cross
Programme leader
Noel has worked at LJMU for 22 years now, having joined as a Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice in September 2002, before becoming Principal Lecturer and Programme Leader in Criminal Justice in April 2011, and then Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in November 2019. Prior to joining LJMU, Noel worked as a research assistant and assistant lecturer at the University of Wales Swansea (now Swansea University) during his doctoral studies in the field of bail support services for young people involved in the youth justice process. Drawing on his previous academic experience of studying criminal law as part of my undergraduate degree, he has taught a module comparing criminal law and criminal justice to students on Criminal Justice programmes for 14 years now, and has also published two textbooks on this subject as an extension of the themes which form part of the teaching on this module. Noel has also taught a variety of other modules while at LJMU, often focusing on what he sees as being particular challenges to the criminal law in terms of how it is applied in criminal justice practice (for example, youth justice and the special treatment which young people accused of crime are and should be entitled to by the law; and crimes of the powerful, which often involve internationally-orientated group criminal activity of various kinds and/or crime which can be hidden by social power, rather than isolated and publicly visible individual wrongdoing). Noel remains very interested, in both teaching and research terms, in how the criminal law is applied in criminal justice practice, and in philosophical debates on the form and functions of criminal law.
Facilities
What you can expect from your School
Based within the John Foster Building, in the Mount Pleasant Campus, the School of Justice Studies is a leading provider of education in Policing Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice. We provide specific training for policing students wishing to enter the service as a graduate recruit. The John Foster Building has many outstanding facilities, including well-equipped IT Suites, a light-filled Student Common Room and dedicated study areas. At the back of the John Foster Building is the Aldham Robarts Library, which gives access to an exceptional range of materials to support your studies.
Entry requirements
Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements
Grades/points required from qualifications: BBB - ABB (120 - 128)
Qualification requirements
GCSEs and equivalents
Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/ Numeracy.
GCSE Equivalences accepted:
• Key Skills Level 2 in English/Maths
• NVQ Level 2 Functional skills in Maths and English Writing and or Reading
• Skills for Life Level 2 in Numeracy/English
• Higher Diploma in Maths/English
• Northern Ireland Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number
• Wales Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number
A levels
BBB - ABB
Minimum Number of A Levels: 2
Maximum AS UCAS Points: 20
BTECs
Extended Diploma: DDM
Access awards
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
Pass overall with a minimum of 120 points
International Baccalaureate
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
OCR Cambridge Technical
Extended Diploma: DDM
Irish awards
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
T levels
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.
You need to obtain the required UCAS points from a related subject area.
International requirements
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IELTS
6.0 overall with no component below 5.5, taken within two years of the course start date.
https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/courses/international-entry-requirements
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Other international requirements
International applications will be considered in line with UK qualifications.
Courses_UG_EntryRequirements_InternationalEntryRequirementsLink
Please Note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check.
Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses. Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate-students/how-to-apply.
We are looking for students who are keen to learn new skills and develop those they already possess.
Your personal statement should be concise and to the point.
We want to see a systematic approach behind your submission with evidence that you have organisational ability.
Explain why you want to study the course, show you've done some research into it and be aware of the career pathways.
Work experience or contact with the legal system would be advantageous along with individual achievements.
The university reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the university. Where this does happen, the university operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.
Further information on the terms and conditions of any offer made, our admissions policy and the complaints and appeals process.