LLB (Hons) Criminal Justice
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The LLB (Hons) Criminal Justice degree is a stimulating and challenging course that focuses on criminal justice, technology and employability.
This LLB Criminal Justice will combine the foundations of legal knowledge with a criminal law and criminal justice focus. It will appeal to students who have a particular interest in the criminal justice system. The course will provide an insight into the relationship between criminal law, crime and social justice; it will help students to better understand the causes, consequences, and prevention of crime from social, legal and political perspectives.
Employability is at the heart of everything we do. At USW, you will benefit from our award-wining Legal Advice Clinic, which provides opportunities for every law student to gain vital skills that you can take with you into the workplace. In addition to this, we have strong connections with industry and host a range of guest speakers who are experts in their field, to provide context and real-life examples relating to the topics you study.
Outside of the classroom, you can become part of our thriving USW Student Law Society and get involved in a range of sporting, social and networking activities. Students benefit from our expertise in mooting from Year 1 and can also get involved in mooting competitions.
This course can be studied part-time or full-time.
*The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.
Year 1
You will study:
- Academic and Professional Legal Skills
- Criminal Law
- Law and the State
- Legal Systems and Methods
- The Law of Contract
- The Law of Torts
Year 2
You will study:
- Crime, Justice and Society
- Criminal Evidence
- Land Law
- Law on Trial
- Learning through the Workplace
Plus one optional module* from a range of specially designed units which develop your foundational studies:
- Access to Justice, Advocacy and Ethics
- Family Law
- Law and Technology in Practice
- Public Legal Education
Year 3
You will study:
- Contemporary Legal Research
- Equity and the Law of Trusts
- Advanced Criminal Law
Plus three optional modules* from:
- Banking and Finance Regulation
- Clinical Legal Education
- Corporate Criminal Liability
- Dissertation
- Family Law
- Gender and the Law
- Medical Law
- Miscarriages of Justice
- Public Legal Education
- The Law Relating to Children
We encourage personal development through practical options and employability initiatives. The Legal Advice Clinic is an integral part of the Law School. You can work in the Clinic as part of a module and on an extra-curricular basis. As part of the work-based learning module, Learning through the Workplace, you will gain experience in a number of career settings.
Teaching
The course uses a blended approach to teaching.
Teaching on the LLB (Hons) Criminal Justice degree is informed by actual practice and our modules reflect real-life trends. Teaching methods vary from traditional lectures to clinical legal education and online simulations.
In the third year, you can complete a dissertation in a legal issue of your choice.
This course is offered on a part-time basis, providing an attractive alternative for anyone who cannot commit to full time education. If your circumstances change, you will have the opportunity to transfer to the full-time Law degree course at various stages. Study for the part-time degree is over a maximum six-year period.
Law lecturers engage in a variety of research activities which result in the presentation of papers at conferences, the publication of journal articles and textbooks. All our areas of research feed directly into your studies, so you will benefit from a cutting-edge curriculum that is taught by staff who are at the forefront of their subject area.
We have a programme of high-profile guest speakers, whose talks will give you an insight into the practice of law and help you understand the many career paths available when you graduate. You will have the opportunity to join our active Student Law Society, with events ranging from professional networking and visits to the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court, to mooting classes and social activities.
Assessment
Assessment includes self, peer and tutor assessment, written coursework, portfolio, written exercises, in-class work, individual and group presentations and examinations.
Accreditations
The course maintains a focus on the law foundation subjects, as recommended by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board, as satisfying the academic stage of training.
Placements
We work with the legal services sector to offer valuable work placements, where you can practise your new legal skills and understand the realities of the workplace. This placement will also contribute towards your legal degree.
Firms involved in the scheme include Hugh James, Eversheds, Capital Law and many more.
Volunteering
You can volunteer at our Legal Advice Clinic, in addition to studying a Clinical module. Under supervision, you can provide free legal advice to members of the public and small businesses. This will give you an opportunity to put your theoretical studies into practice and provide vital work experience.
Students are provided with many opportunities to volunteer in projects including virtual volunteering opportunities with a Regional Employment Judge, ELIPS (Employment Tribunal Litigant in Person Scheme), Shelter Cymru Volunteer Pathways Programme, Age Cymru Independent Volunteer Advocates and Cardiff Lawyers Care Homelessness Clinic.
Facilities
The University of South Wales has impressive study facilities for law. The award-winning Legal Advice Clinic sits in the main Law building. We also have a courtroom with digital video facilities, a legal practice library, and dedicated teaching and practice rooms. You can take part in a range of activities, including moots and mock trials in our Moot Courtroom, which is modelled on those you will experience as a qualified practitioner. We run simulations in our Hydra Suite to provide real world experiences in a supportive environment.
Lecturers
- Clare Lewis / Hannah Coburn - Course Leaders
- Alex Dobson
- Andrew Baker
- Benjamin Jones
- Brian Dowrick
- Fiona MacDonald
- Gemma Sweetman
- Hannah Menard
- Hayley Brain
- Holly Evans
- Karen Counsell
- Rachel Lewis
- Rob Wilks
- Tayiba Hussain
Support
Induction
You will receive a full induction to the LLB in your first week, enabling you to adjust to university life, get to know the teaching team, meet your Personal Academic Tutor and peers, plan your studies, and understand how the University works.
Staff support
The course leader and year tutor are available in regular weekly office hours. Each member of the course teaching team will have at least one scheduled office hour per teaching week. These office hours will be drop-in sessions for which students will not need to book.
Peer support
We have Peer Assisted Study Support (PASS) sessions to support Year 1 students. These PASS sessions are run by students in the second and third year. These sessions enhance the law community and allows students to be partners in the course.
We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
The entry criteria below reflect our standard entry requirements for the course for September 2023. However, all applications received by the University are reviewed holistically and individually. Entry criteria for September 2024 is changing and will be published on ucas.com from 8th May 2023. Entry criteria for September 2024 will be updated on our website from the end of October 2023.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions. USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Here is a link to our Contextual Admissions Policy.
Other qualifications and experience
We can also consider combinations of qualifications and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable. We can sometimes consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or advanced entry to year two or three of a course where this is possible.
To find out which qualifications have tariff points, please refer to the UCAS tariff calculator.
If you need more help or information or would like to speak to our friendly admissions team, please contact us here
Please note that whilst this course does not require a DBS Check for entry, some professions will not consider candidates who have certain types of criminal convictions. Therefore, if you have a criminal conviction and you are considering a particular career path we would recommend that you check with the relevant professional body or refer to their recruitment policy to make sure that your conviction will not disadvantage you.
Typical A-Level Offer
BCC - CDD (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Welsh BACC Offer
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C/D in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CD at A Level (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical BTEC Offer
BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit - Merit Merit Pass (this is equivalent to 112-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Access to HE Offer
Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 80-104 UCAS tariff points
Additional Requirements
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
International Entry Requirements
We also welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications. Please visit the country specific pages on our international website for exact details.
English Requirements
In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an overall IELTS grade of 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.
However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details. If your country is not featured please contact us.
Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course.
August 2023 - July 2024 Fees
Full-time UK: £9000
Full-time International: £14100
Part-time UK: £740 per 20 credits
August 2024 - July 2025 Fees
Full-time UK: TBC
Full-time International: £14950
Part-time UK: TBC
Student Perks
At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.
Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.
Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.
Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Funding
Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs
Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.
UK students
Apply via UCAS if you are a UK residing applicant, applying for year one of a full-time undergraduate degree, Foundation Year, Foundation Degree or HND and you have not applied through UCAS before. If you are applying to study part-time, to top up your Foundation Degree or HND, or to transfer to USW from another institution, please apply directly.
International and EU students
Apply directly to the University if you live outside the UK.
Graduates of the LLB programme will typically progress on to graduate careers or postgraduate study.
There are clearly defined postgraduate study routes for Law; having completed the traditional ‘academic stage of training,’ students who wish to qualify as solicitors typically progress to the LLM Professional Practice which prepares students for the Solicitors Qualification Exams (SQE).
On completion of appropriate modules, you may complete the CILEX Level 6 Diploma in Legal Practice, also referred to as the CILEX Graduate Fast-track Diploma.
Graduates who wish to join the Bar will be able to progress to a Bar Training Course.
Graduates also progress into a variety of careers which range from Legal Technologists, Social Work, Police, Third Sector organisations, Business, Finance and HR to name a few possibilities.
What kind of student would this suit?
This course is the perfect first step to becoming a solicitor or barrister.
Our Law courses will be a good choice if you enjoy analysing issues and problem-solving. These transferrable skills will give you an excellent position in the graduate market.
If you are interested in law, not just the theory but from a practical perspective too, the design of the course will suit you.
Our Careers and Employability Service
As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.
This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.
Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.
The Pontypridd Campus is made up of two sites: Treforest and Glyntaff. Our students love the community atmosphere, as well as living and studying in the same place. It’s quieter than the cities, with green open spaces and views across the valley.
It’s the community and friendships you’ll build that make this place special. Outside your studies you can experience our amazing sport facilities and Students’ Union.
Living in Halls is a great way to meet new people and make friends. We have high quality accommodation in Treforest, Cardiff and Newport.