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BA (Honours) Criminology - Learning outcomes

Educational aims

As a student on our BA (Honours) Criminology, you will learn how to: 
  • formulate, investigate and address a range of criminological questions
  • assess the strengths and limitations of research methodologies used to address a broad spectrum of criminological topics
  • apply basic research methods to generate qualitative and quantitative data on crime, social harm and criminal justice
  • understand and explain criminological topics from different theoretical perspectives
  • evaluate policy responses to crime and social harm at national, international and global levels
  • develop transferable employability skills to support career progression

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of this degree, you will:

  • be critically aware of key concepts and theoretical approaches in relation to crime, criminal justice, harm and victimisation
  • have an extensive knowledge of the complex ways in which the institutions, policies and practices relevant to ‘crime’ and ‘justice’ interact
  • understand a range of research methods, including ethical issues, and their appropriate use in criminology
  • have a critical awareness of the ways in which social interests, positions and values may impact on policies and practices in criminal justice and law-making

Cognitive skills

On completion of this degree, you will be able to:

  • identify and select evidence from a variety of sources and interpret, analyse, and critically evaluate evidence on crime, victimisation and criminalisation.
  • demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key criminological theories, concepts and principles.
  • deploy a conceptual understanding of criminology in order to explore a range of complex social problems and to devise and sustain arguments.
  • select and apply appropriate methods and techniques to review, consolidate and extend knowledge and understanding of crime, criminalisation and legal frameworks.

Practical and/or professional skills

On completion of this degree, you will be able to:

  • recognise and critically evaluate personal viewpoints and engage the views of others with respect.
  • demonstrate the skills of independent learning.
  • learn from feedback and reflect on the process of learning to evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses.
  • identify and work toward goals for personal, academic and career development

Key skills

On completion of this degree, you will be able to:

  • accurately and effectively communicate information about crime and criminalisation, in a variety of ways suitable for a range of audiences, both formally and informally.
  • select, access and exploit a wide range of digital literacy practices to find, use, reference and share data and information relevant to crime, victimisation and criminalisation.
  • plan, conduct and present an independent investigation of an issue in crime, criminalisation and/or law-making that involves collating, analysing and interpreting secondary data.
  • work with other learners in group situations to achieve joint outcomes.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

In line with both the Quality Code, published by the QAA, and with the QAA’s criminology subject benchmarking statement, the BA (Honours) Criminology at the OU recognises that:

  • students need to be given the opportunity to acquire capacities of thinking in both abstract and concrete terms and to relate the two
  • students will be required to weigh alternative interpretations embodied in different theoretical perspectives as well as to rehearse and revise their own ideas
  • criminology is an ever-evolving discipline and reflects current social, political and public disputes
  • criminological learning, teaching and assessment approaches should be designed to be as inclusive as possible.