BA (Hons) Criminology Bachelor's degree at the University of Sheffield
BA (Hons) Criminology at University of Sheffield. Rather than a bolt-on option within a wider law degree, this is a dedicated criminology award, sitting within Sheffield's Law field and benefiting from the university's status as a research-intensive Russell Group institution founded in…
About this course
UCAS code: M902 Apply now Entry requirements Check the eligibility and entry criteria for our courses. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Criminology is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at the University of Sheffield, based in Main Campus. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Sociology graduates from this provider, 91% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 60% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £25,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Law, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 91% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 95% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
A typical UK Law degree builds from foundations to specialist options and a final project. An indicative structure:
| Stage | Module |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | Contract Law Formation, terms, breach and remedies, with the leading cases. |
| Year 1 | Public Law The constitution, judicial review and human rights in the UK. |
| Year 1 | Criminal Law Offences, defences and the principles of criminal liability. |
| Year 2 | Tort Law Negligence and other civil wrongs; duty, causation and damages. |
| Year 2 | Land Law Estates, interests, registration and how land transactions work. |
| Year 2 | EU / International Law How law beyond the UK shapes rights and trade. |
| Year 3 | Equity & Trusts Trusts, fiduciary duties and equitable remedies. |
| Year 3 | Specialist options Typically commercial, family, employment, IP or medical law. |
| Year 3 | Dissertation / clinic Independent legal research, or supervised work in a law clinic. |
Typical structure for this subject (indicative). Modules vary by university. Check the provider's course page for the exact curriculum.
Specialisations & pathways
Tip: click a specialisation → current jobs in that area.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
Studying criminology at Sheffield means engaging with how societies define, respond to and try to prevent crime, and how justice systems operate in practice. Within the wider Law field at Sheffield, students can encounter related legal specialisations such as Criminal Law, Human Rights, Public Law, Family, Corporate, Commercial Law and Intellectual Property, alongside the core criminology content itself, giving a sense of how criminological questions connect to broader legal frameworks. The four-year length allows for a more gradual build-up of knowledge and skills than a compressed three-year course would, with room to explore how criminal justice institutions, policy and law interact. Exact module details, options and any placement or study-abroad elements should be confirmed directly with the university, as they are not set out here.
Who it's for
This course suits someone who is genuinely curious about why people commit crime, how the justice system responds, and whether current approaches to punishment and rehabilitation actually work. It will appeal to students who enjoy reading widely, questioning assumptions, and building an argument from evidence rather than accepting received wisdom about crime and criminals. If you're the kind of person who follows debates about policing, sentencing or social inequality and wants to understand the reasoning behind them rather than just the headlines, you'll likely feel at home here. Because the course runs over four years, it also suits someone happy to commit to a longer period of study, taking the time to develop ideas thoroughly rather than rushing through them. A willingness to engage with statistics and social research methods, alongside more discursive reading, will help, as will comfort with discussing sensitive and sometimes difficult subject matter, victims, offending behaviour, inequality and state power, in a considered, academic way. Students who enjoy seminar discussion and are prepared to challenge their own assumptions, as well as those of others, tend to get the most out of a course like this.
Careers & job market
Nationally, Graduate Outcomes data for Law courses shows that around 85% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with about 55% of those working graduates in highly skilled roles or continuing to further study. These figures describe the national picture for the Law field as a whole, not outcomes specific to this Sheffield course, and they aren't a guarantee of any individual result. Separate national LEO earnings data for the field indicate a starting salary range of roughly £23,000 to £30,000 at 15 months after graduation, £19,550 to £27,600 after three years, and £24,225 to £34,200 after five years. Again, these are national ranges across Law graduates generally, reflecting variation by role, sector and location, rather than figures tied to Sheffield or to criminology specifically. Around 85% of students nationally continue their studies past the first year, either still enrolled or having completed, which gives some sense of typical progression patterns on courses of this kind.
University & format
The University of Sheffield is a public, research-intensive institution and a member of the Russell Group, founded in 1905. This BA (Hons) Criminology is taught full-time over four years at the university's Main Campus, entirely in English. Teaching quality on Sheffield's courses has been assessed as Silver under the Office for Students' TEF 2023 framework. Most recent entrants to Sheffield's courses have arrived with A-levels or equivalent qualifications, around 96% of accepted students, typically achieving UCAS tariff scores in the 128–143 range, though this reflects what students actually held rather than a stated minimum requirement. Additional bursaries and scholarships may be available, and applicants should consult the university's funding pages for current details.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 96% |
| another higher-education qualification | 1% |
| a Baccalaureate | 1% |
| an Access course | 1% |
| Other | 1% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code M902). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at University of Sheffield →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Law graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £25,000 | £23,500 – £30,000 | 35 |
| 3 years after | £23,000 | £20,000 – £27,000 | 85 |
| 5 years after | £29,000 | £24,500 – £36,500 | 90 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Paralegal / TraineeTraining contract or pupillage route · 0–2 yrs
- 2Solicitor / BarristerQualified practitioner · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior AssociateLeading matters and clients · 5–9 yrs
- 4Partner / In-house CounselPartnership or heading legal · 9+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Law nationally
National figures for Law graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Law courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,352 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 20% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Administrative occupationsSOC 2020 41 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,006
- Welfare and housing associate professionalsSOC 2020 322 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,937
- Legal professionalsSOC 2020 241 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £45,000
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 130; response rate: 50%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Law graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- First-pass document review
- Standard contract drafting
- Legal research summaries
- Routine due diligence
More human than ever
- Advocacy and negotiation
- Judgement on ambiguous facts
- Client trust and ethics
- Strategy in disputes and deals
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Law graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Law firms
- Barristers' chambers
- In-house legal teams
- Government Legal Service
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Law graduates.
Law Firm Associates of all Practice Areas: Discuss your Overseas Relocation with Duke and Rawson – Australia/Asia/Middle East/Europe/Offshore/UKDuke and RawsonLaw Enforcement Success SpecialistAurorLaw Firm HR & Operations Lead - 12-Month ContractCharalle GroupLaw Firm Finance & Practice Manager, Leadership & OpsMcKinlay LawLaw Internship: Disputes & IBC – In-OfficeCanon SphereLaw Firm Front Desk & Guest Services (Oxford)Owen ReedIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
91% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £25,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.1 out of 10: NSS 86.3% · in work or study 91% · continued 95%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Sheffield
Law across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Main Campus
2,964 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Law right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Sheffield from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by University of Sheffield; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Sheffield’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Sheffield and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Sheffield
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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