Criminology requires you to achieve at least the minimum entry requirements for your chosen pathway. The minimum entry requirements will be discussed at open events and at your college interview.
Criminology is the study of psychological explanations of criminal behaviour, how laws are developed and integrated into the Criminal Justice System and the sociological impact of crime on our society.
You will study a wide range of criminality, the roles of personnel involved in criminal investigations, discuss the effectiveness of prison system as well as a deep dive into the world of real life crime.
Are you interested in a career in the police force, legal profession or forensic sciences? Perhaps you are interested to know more about the exciting subject of Criminology? Either way this is the perfect course for you.
This course provides an opportunity to broaden your field of study in the social sciences, with a particular focus on crime. You will explore the causes of criminal behaviour, attitudes to crime, criminal investigations and the wider social and psychological aspects of crime. The course combines the subjects of Psychology, Law, Sociology and Forensic Science to form a new discipline of its own.
This unit focuses on crimes that go underreported and the impact this has on society. At the end of this unit, you will have gained skills to differentiate between myth and reality when it comes to crime and to recognise that common representations may be misleading and inaccurate. You will gain the skills to understand the importance of the changing public perceptions of crime. You will be able to apply and assess a variety of methods used by agencies to raise awareness of crime so that it can be tackled effectively. You will gain the skills to plan a campaign for change in relation to crime; for example to raise awareness, change attitudes or change reporting behaviour.
What makes a criminal tick? This is the study of why people become criminal through investigating a wide range of criminological theories. At the end of this unit you will gain the skills to evaluate some criminological theories and know there are debates within the different theories. You will understand how changes in criminological theory have influenced policy. You will also gain the skills to apply the theories to a specific crime or criminal in order to understand both the behaviour and the theory.
From investigating a crime scene, to police powers and legal processes you will understand each step of the criminal process. At the end of this unit you will gain the skills to review the effectiveness of personnel and investigation techniques used in criminal cases. This unit focuses on true crime and miscarriages of justice by evaluating the evidence in the cases to determine whether the verdict is safe and just.
Through this unit, you will learn about the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales and how it operates to achieve social control. You will gain an understanding of the organisations which are part of our system of social control and their effectiveness in achieving their objectives. We question whether the formal punishment system (prisons) works and alternative forms of punishment.
Units 1 and 3 are assessed through an internally moderated 8 hour assessment in February.
Units 2 and 4 are assessed through one external examinations in May.
Each unit is worth 25% of the overall grade.
As you will have probably never studied Criminology at school before, we do recommend that you carry out some research online to find out more about the different approaches you will study. It would also be wise to select a few popular Criminology books in order to better prepare for yourself for under-taking this course.
Wyke Sixth Form College hold train to teach information events which offer you a great insight into this course. If you are interested in attending one of these events, please complete this form and we will be in contact with the key information.
Please note that the applications for this course can be submitted by following the ‘Apply Now’ button on this page. Applications are made through the University of Huddersfield rather than Wyke Sixth Form College. We look forward to meeting with you.
Wyke Sixth Form College hold train to teach information events which offer you a great insight into this course. If you are interested in attending one of these events, please complete this form and we will be in contact with the key information.
This course is ideal for anyone that wishes to pursue a career in Criminology. This course can provide a route into Higher Education to study at degree level in a variety of areas such as Criminology, Criminal Justice, Psychology and Forensic Science. The course would provide an excellent basis to anyone wishing to pursue careers within the police, as a social worker, youth workers and community development workers. The qualification allows students to gain the required understanding and skills to be able to consider employment within some aspects of the Criminal Justice System, Law or Police Force e.g. the National Probation Service, the Courts and Tribunals Service or the National Offender Management Service to include police/prison officers, probation officers, social workers, youth workers and community development workers.
At Wyke Start, our 2-day taster event in July, each of your subjects will set you some work to complete to help prepare you for the course. The work is available to download on https://www.wyke.ac.uk/wyke-start-summer-work
As part of your course, you will have the opportunity to go on a wide range of trips including our popular London residential where you can visit the houses of parliament, central criminal court, view a case at The Old Bailey and see a west end show. Not forgetting our end of year trip to Alton Towers to celebrate all of your hard work.
As a Criminology student, you will also have the chance to listen to a series of guest speakers from a variety of fields including the police, magistrates, probation service and law firms. This aims to give you a great insight into these exciting careers. You can also take part in book swaps, student of the week awards, contribute to the criminology and law magazine or podcast.