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

This course is currently undergoing its scheduled programme review, which may impact the advertised modules. Programme review is a standard part of the University’s approach to quality assurance and enhancement, enabling us to ensure that our courses remain up to date and maintain their high standard and relevancy.

Once the review is completed, this course website page will be updated to reflect any approved changes to the advertised course. These approved changes will also be communicated to those who apply for the course to ensure they wish to proceed with their application.

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

Core modules

Core modules

Optional modules

Core modules

Optional modules

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.

88%of students say teaching staff have supported their learning well.

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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

Fees

The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus Wi-Fi.

Financial Support

The University offers a range of scholarships to support students through their studies. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist funding pages, including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.

Additional Costs

In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:

  • Accommodation
  • Travel costs including those for placements, visas and travel for studying abroad and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
  • Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire

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.

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

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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At LJMU we want you to know you're making the right choice by studying with us. You can see what our students are saying about their experience with us via the following websites:

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.