BA (Hons) Criminal Justice with Foundation Year

Entry year:
2025/26
Start date:
September
Study mode:
Full-time
Course duration:
4 years
Campus:
Mount Pleasant
UCAS Code:
L437
Grades/points required:
72-80

Why study this course with LJMU?

  • 95% of students surveyed said academic support on this course was good or very good (National Student Survey 2024)
  • Taught by lecturers with frontline experience and international reputations for research and writing
  • Your studies will critically consider key contemporary criminal justice issues within modern British society.
  • Strong links to local courts, prisons and third sector agencies to see the criminal justice system in action
  • Wide range of career paths, from police to prison officer to drug support worker to probation officer
  • Highly vocational course with opportunities for volunteering and establishing networks for professional development
  • Dedicated careers advisor and graduate development centre to help you search for employment
  • Variety of field trips, events and special guest lectures

About your course

The BA (Hons) Criminal Justice with Foundation Year programme at Liverpool John Moores University is informed by extensive links with criminal justice system practitioners and delivered by expert academics with frontline experience.

If you are interested in the causes and consequences of crime and want to pursue a career in the criminal justice system, this course offers a practical and vocational route to working in spheres such as policing, probation, prisons, youth justice or drugs and alcohol. The fascinating field of deviance, delinquency and criminality is ideal for anyone who wants to get to the root of why people commit crime and how society deals with them.

Your studies will critically consider key contemporary criminal justice issues within modern British society. There will be opportunity to develop your knowledge of the criminal justice system with our strong links with courts, prisons and a variety of criminal justice agencies - such as Prison Service, Probation Service, Court System, Substance Abuses, Homelessness and other vulnerable populations by taking part in networking and events, and being encouraged to do voluntary work.

Foundation Year

The Foundation Year is ideal if you have the interest and ability to study for a degree, but do not have the qualifications to enter directly onto the Criminal Justice honours degree programme yet.

Once you pass the Foundation Year (level 3) you will progress directly onto the first year of the honours degree. If you are a full-time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to eligibility criteria).

Course modules

What you will study on this degree

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.

Core modules

Preparing for Success: Academic Skills
20 credits

This module provides you with the integrated skills required for academic success. You will develop your skills of creating posters, constructing bibliographies, and sourcing relevant materials. Alongside this you will learn to identify and understand academic writing and referencing techniques. The multi-disciplinary syllabus and assessment tasks will enable you to acquire the academic skills needed for successful transition into Level 4 and the completion of the degree.

Investigating Liverpool
20 credits

This module provides you with the necessary skills to develop a research project on the Liverpool City region from your particular subject perspective. You will explain academic research methods, write a coherent piece of academic work based on an understanding of Liverpool, and locate relevant research to support your project. The module will help you to develop an independent approach to learning.

Contemporary Issues in Security and Policing
20 credits

This module provides you with the opportunity to understand contemporary issues in security and policing. You will learn to identify contemporary themes in security and policing and how theory can help explain crime. Through your study you will understand the challenges to mainstream security and policing and develop the ability to express key ideas about security and policing in written form.

Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
20 credits

This module provides you with the opportunity to understand contemporary issues in Criminal Justice. It gives you a foundation-level knowledge of how Criminal Justice works in 21st-century England and Wales.

Crime, Justice and Diversity
20 credits

This module aims to raise your awareness of the different social factors which can impact on how crime is committed and against whom. The module also builds knowledge of the impact of social factors on crime, victimisation and criminal justice.

Society, Status and Social Policy
20 credits

This module provides a sociological context for students to understand the key contemporary social issues affecting the UK.

Core modules

Crime, Law and Criminalisation I
20 credits

This module aims to provide a critical discussion of the basic substantive criminal law (in terms of relevant case and statute law), but also aims to relate the substantive criminal law to its application in the criminal justice process in practice, as well as to its socio-legal context in wider society. You will be able to provide an understanding of the basic principles by which responsibility in the criminal law is assessed, and the socio-legal context underpinning these principle through lectures, workshops and online activity.

History of Crime and Criminal Justice
20 credits

This module introduces you to the history of crime and crime control. It aims to provide you with the historical background essential for an understanding of contemporary criminal justice, and examines the historical context for current criminological debates. The module encourages you to begin to think critically about the history of crime and criminal justice and provides an introduction to historical sources and methodology, as well as an analysis of the background to contemporary debates.

Criminal Justice System
20 credits

The module aims to explore the criminal justice process in England and Wales. Students will learn about: police powers, including the power to stop and search; crime control and due process models of policing; sentencing and punishment.

Criminological Theory
20 credits

This module will provide students with an understanding of historical and contemporary criminological theories, and highlight how these have shaped and influenced the modern day criminal justice system and responses to crime and deviance.

Media, Public and Criminal Justice
20 credits

This module introduces students to the relationship between the media, the public and issues of criminal justice. It will demonstrate how the media influences 'common sense' assumptions and political decision making around crime and justice. It will also highlight the importance of 'the public' in the contemporary criminal justice sphere. Students will develop a fundamental understanding of the interactions and relationships that exist between the media, the public and issues of crime and justice.

Personal and Academic Development in Criminal Justice
20 credits

In this module you will develop your academic skills in writing and critical analysis. The module will develop your awareness of sources of information that are presented using a variety of media. Through the development of team working skills you will also have an improved understanding of the court system in England and Wales.

Core modules

Professional Development in Criminal Justice
20 credits

The aim of this module is to provide students with the ability to develop self-awareness and identify skills to improve their employability in criminal justice and allied areas. Students will also gain an understanding of the relationship between theory, policy and the experience of practice in various criminal justice agencies.

Injustices in a 'Just' System
20 credits

This module will encourage students to critically reflect on the concepts of injustice and justice, inequality, poverty, power and powerlessness. Students will be encouraged to think about how these concepts impact on the experience of people processed through and experiencing the system of justice.

Knowledge Production and Transfer in Criminal Justice
20 credits

This module aims to develop students' skills in methods of producing reliable and effective knowledge relating to criminal justice, this includes:

  • applying ethical principles to criminal justice research
  • issues relating to the influence of research on criminal justice policy and practice
  • barriers to effective knowledge production and transfer in relation to criminal justice

It provide students with an overview of the development of research and evaluation within criminal justice in the last 50 years, and why it is so important to understand the contexts and processes behind how knowledge transfers from one criminal justice community to another.

New Directions in Criminological Theory
20 credits

This module requires students to critically consider the innovative ways in which criminology theory is used today in the policy and practice of criminal justice. Students must demonstrate an ability to build upon existing knowledge of criminological theory developed through the core Criminological Theory module at level 4 and apply those understandings to contemporary criminal justice.

The syllabus includes:

  • theories and theorising - agency and structure
  • criminological theories, policies and practices - from classicism and positivism through to labelling and strain theory, and their relative influences on policy and practice
  • expanding the criminological imagination
  • critical criminology and critical criminologies - the influence of Marxism
  • new directions in criminological theory - green criminology, ultra realism, zemiology, peace-making and convict criminologies

 

Optional Modules

Study Year Abroad - Criminal Justice
120 credits

This is an additional year of full-time study at an approved higher education institution. The modules to be studied must be agreed in advance, and must be appropriate for the student's programme of study

Victimology
20 credits

The overall aim of this module is to develop a more meaningful understanding of victims of crime and to critically explore their role and experiences within the criminal justice system. Students will develop a critical appreciation of the conceptual development of victims and victimology as an academic discipline and also evaluate the notions of victimhood and explore challenges for victim service provision.

Rehabilitation and Desistance in Criminal Justice
20 credits

This module introduces students to the concepts of rehabilitation and desistance within the criminal justice system. It will consider the theory behind the concepts and their impact on policy and practice, regarding the Probation Service and Prison Service specifically and the criminal justice system more broadly.

Students will explore the relationship between rehabilitation. desistance, and risk assessment and management processes and practices. This includes: 

  • making sense of rehabilitation and desistance - terminology and definitions
  • history and the context of rehabilitation and desistance in the criminal justice system
  • theories of rehabilitation 
  • theories of desistance
  • rehabilitation and desistance in the community
  • rehabilitation and desistance in custody
  • risk assessment and management - implications and impact
  • barriers to effective rehabilitation and desistance 

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.

Core modules

Criminal Justice Futures: Employability Skills for the Workplace
20 credits

This module implements LJMU's employability strategy by delivering work-based learning to students which relates to their academic studies and their onward employability plan, thereby allowing them to develop examples of skills development and learning with a live employer-driven brief.

Optional Modules

Contemporary Issues in Prisons and Probation
20 credits

The aim of this module is to enable you to develop your learning and understanding of penology building on the Penology module at level 5. You will be given the opportunity to critically evaluate and consider contemporary issues in penology with a clear focus on the theory, policy and practice which surrounds community and custodial interventions.  Specific consideration will be given to the tensions, dilemmas and critiques which surround the delivery of interventions with those individuals who present complex needs.

Policing
20 credits

The module gives students an understanding of contemporary policing methods, evaluating how the police service has attempted to respond to changes in society. In doing so the module examines the concept of a 'police service' borne out of the rejection of notions of a 'police force'. On completing the course students will have a broad knowledge of the general role of policing, and how the organisation links in with other agencies of the criminal justice system. The module provides students with a global understanding of contemporary policing in the 21st century, critically exploring the concepts of 'partnership', privatization, pluralisation, diversity and positions them all within the challenges presented by contemporary (global) socio-political contexts.

Youth Justice
20 credits

This module will provide students with a critical understanding of the position of youth in society today, the relationship between youth and crime, and the range of ways in which criminal justice responds to youth crime in England and Wales. It will provide students with knowledge of the past and current policy and legislation relating to young people. Students will have the opportunity to develop practice skills of assessing seriousness, suitability and risk assessment in relation to offences and sentences for young people, as well as oral presentation skills by preparing and completing the module's assessed presentation.

Substance Use, Society and Criminal Justice
20 credits

This module aims to provide students with a broad understanding of the sociocultural place of substance use. It will investigate different paradigms and perspectives on substance (mis)use and explore relevant drug policy. The module will also seek to provide a comprehension of how we practically respond to substance use via treatment interventions.This module attempts to critically deconstruct the role and place of substance use in contemporary society. Furthermore it will provide an analysis of the legitimacy of drug policy and the efficacy of interventions with substance (mis)users.

Dissertation
40 credits

The dissertation module requires students to select a problem or issue within criminal justice, to locate this within existing literature, and to conduct independent research generating data which forms the basis of a written thesis. Students will be allocated an individual supervisor and support will be available throughout the process.

Regulation, Harm and Victimisation
20 credits

Within this module, students will be introduced to the area of governance, regulation and regulatory bodies in the context of non-conventional harm and victimisation. Students will also be able to critically investigate non-conventional harm and victimisation and explore and apply concepts such as regulation, accountability and justice.

Comparative Criminal Justice
20 credits

The overall aim of this module is to examine the practices, policies, and philosophies of criminal justice in different cultural and geographical contexts and provide an overview of different types of criminal justice systems around the globe. This module will therefore provide a critical understanding of the development of alternative justice processes across the globe.

Green Criminology and Environmental Crime
20 credits

This module aims to raise student awareness of issues relating to the nature, extent and typology of environmental crime. The module also aims to stimulate critical evaluation of the current responses to environmental crime, and of green criminology's contributions to the debate about the most effective responses.

Violence and Society
20 credits

This module aims to develop advanced and theoretically-informed knowledge of the range of typologies of violence that exist in society, the nature and extent of different forms of violence, and the challenges of regulating violence

The Criminal Courts - The Search for Equity and Justice
20 credits

This module will enable students to think critically about the criminal courts in England and Wales - where they came from, how they operate, why they operate in the ways in which they do, and how they could be enabled to operate more fairly and justly in the future.

Terror and Terrorism: A Critical Exploration
20 credits

This module will allow students to develop a critical understanding of terror and terrorism, both in terms of its history, contemporary manifestations, and likely forward trajectory.  As a level 6 module it will allow students to build on their critical engagement with key concepts, legislation, regulation  and operational realities within the wider criminal justice system, both from UK specific and global perspectives.

This includes:

  • the contested terrain of defining terror
  • the intellectual traditions of terror and terrorism
  • religiously and politically inspired terror  
  • organisational models of terrorism
  • state terror and terror by proxy
  • psychology of terror (the terrorist)
  • psychology of terror (the victims of terror)
  • geo-politics of terror
  • the economics of terror
  • emerging technologies and terror
  • responses to terror: attacking the causes, or liquidating terrorists and terrorist organisations?
  • does the concept and laws regarding Human Rights have any purchase in the world of terror and counter terror?

Your Learning Experience

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.

You will spend around 12 hours per week in the classroom, and around 25 hours working independently, including three hours preparing for each lecture and tutorial, two hours for each of your module assignments, and volunteering time. As the course progresses, the modules become more focused on preparing you for work in the criminal justice system 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.

Work-related Learning

The second year Professional Development in Criminal Justice module, for instance, includes mock job interviews and CV writing assessments, and in your final year you get the chance to perform real-life fieldwork or secure work placements in your own area of interest.

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.

Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support

Our staff are committed to making sure 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 you on a one-to-one basis if you wish to discuss course-related issues or an assessment, and your link mentor will help you to secure a work placement or volunteering position.

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 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 being assessed, and so a variety of assessment methods are used. They include: group presentations (some pre-recorded and edited by students); assessed teaching sessions led by groups of students; exams (seen/unseen and online multiple choice); written work (essays, literature reviews, reports); and practical assessments (e.g. court reports, mock interviews and CVs).

Once you have completed an assessment, feedback is given within three working weeks of submission, so that you can promptly discuss your marks with your tutor and establish where you are performing well and areas for improvement.

Where you will study

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, where you can access an exceptional range of materials to support your studies.

Course tutors

I completed a placement at the Crime Reduction Unit in Wallasey. It made me more confident and opened my eyes to other jobs in the criminal justice system. I am currently a Police Community Support Officer and without the knowledge and confidence I gained from my degree I would not have been as successful.

Career paths

This BA (Hons) degree will open the door to a wide range of career paths linked to criminal justice

Career opportunities in the criminal justice field are wide and varied and recent graduates are working as:

  • police officers
  • community support officers
  • trainee probation officers
  • probation service assistants
  • arrest referral and bail support team workers
  • drug and alcohol support workers
  • prison officers
  • social workers
  • youth workers
  • victim/witness support workers

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.

Tuition fees and funding

Foundation first year:
£5,760
Second and subsequent years:
£9,535

The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees in accordance with any changes to the maximum allowable fees set by the UK Parliament. In the event of such a change, any fee increase will be subject to a maximum cap of 10% of the total course cost as originally stated at the time of your offer.

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.

International full-time per year:
£17,750

International Scholarships and payment plans

Liverpool John Moores University is committed to supporting international students by providing a range of scholarships and flexible payment plans to help students manage their tuition fees.

Scholarships

LJMU provides a variety of scholarships to support international students. Scholarships are available to self-funded students who have accepted their offer and met all the conditions outlined in their offer letter. Students must also demonstrate that they can cover living costs, travel, and other expenses associated to studying at the university. Postgraduate scholarships include tuition fee reductions and are often offered in partnership with external funding organisations.

All self-funded international students are eligible for an automatic scholarship worth up to £4,000. For more details and to view our full list of scholarships, visit the international scholarship webpages.

Deposit

All students must pay a £5,000 deposit before they can receive their CAS letter.

For more information view our deposit page.

Tuition Fee Payment Plan

After paying their £5,000 deposit, students have the option to pay their fees in full or in three equal instalments minus any internal scholarships and discounts. There are two payment options available for international students. You can either pay your tuition fees in full before enrolment or opt for a payment plan. With the payment plan, you can pay your fees in three instalments after making your £5,000 deposit. The first instalment is due before enrolment.

All payments should be made through Flywire. Full details can be found in the How to Pay Guide.

Early Bird Tuition Fee discount

We are excited to introduce a £500 Early Payment Discount to all self-funded international students. Eligible self-funded students who pay their fees by the required deadlines will get a discount which will be automatically deducted from the 1st year of tuition fees.

To see the required deadlines please visit the webpage

Entry requirements

Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements

Grades/points required from qualifications: 72-80

Work out how many UCAS points your qualifications are worth by visiting the UCAS Tariff Calculator.

Qualification requirements

A levels

72 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels. Maximum of 20 AS points accepted.

BTECs

Extended Diploma: MMP

Access awards

Required UCAS points from a relevant subject

International Baccalaureate

The required UCAS points can be obtained from the IB Diploma or in combination with other Level 3 qualifications

OCR Cambridge Technical

Extended Diploma: MMP

Irish awards

You need to obtain the required UCAS points to include Irish Highers

Alternative qualifications considered

Prior to starting the programme applicants must have obtained grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics GCSE or an approved alternative qualification: • 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 • Functional skills Level 2 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

Further information

  • DBS, Occupational Health requirements
  • Reduced offer scheme

    As part of LJMU’s commitment to widening access we offer eligible students entry to their chosen course at a reduced threshold between 8 and 16 UCAS points. This applies if you are a student who has experience of living in local authority care or if you have participated in one of LJMU’s sustained outreach programmes such as a summer university. Please contact course enquiries for further details. 

International requirements

Other international requirements

International applications will be considered in line with UK qualifications. Any Applicant whose first language is not English will be required to have IELTS 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each component)

Find your country

Please Note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check.

How to apply

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 issues of crime, criminality, criminology and criminal justice. This course is designed to relate relevant theory to practical knowledge and experience in order to provide the skills for future employment in a criminal justice related field.

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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.