Criminology and Social Policy

Course Structure

Additional Information	Modules often draw on international comparisons with a strong Irish (North and South) emphasis.
Exit Route	Students who wish to benefit from specialist training in quantitative research can undertake a series of dedicated social science research modules over the course of their degree studies. Successful completion of 80 CATS credits of advanced quantitative research training (four modules) in level 2 and level 3 will receive the enhancement of BSc “with Quantitative Methods” added to the name of the degree awarded.
Stage 1	Introducing Criminology Introducing Social Policy Exploring Criminology Themes and Issues in Social Policy
Stage 1 Optional Courses	Rethinking Society The Sociological Imagination Digital Society Visualising the Social World
Stage 2	Criminological Theory Welfare in Theory and Practice Qualitative Research Skills Questions for an Ageing World Quantitative Research Skills Policing and Society Theory Counts
Stage 3	Disability and Society Youth, Crime and Criminal Justice Punishment, Penal Policy and Prison Policy Briefing Paper
Stage 3 Optional Courses	Psychological Perspectives on Crime Gender, Family and Social Policy: Comparative Perspective Criminology Beyond Borders Reintegration After Prison Modelling the Social World Social Identity: Difference and Inequalities Welfare States on the Move: Social Policy Reform in Comparative Perspective
What else will you do?	Students will receive detailed instructions on assignments in tutorials or in one-to-one meetings with tutors and lecturers.

Contact Teaching Times

Large Group Teaching	6 (hours maximum) in lectures
Personal Study	24 (hours maximum) 22–24 hours studying and revising in your own time each week, including some guided study using handouts, online activities, etc
Small Group Teaching/Personal Tutorial	2 (hours maximum) hours of tutorials (or later, project supervision) each week

• E-Learning technologies
  Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree programme through the use of, for example, online discussion forums, research methods modules involving statistics, additional learning resources, online readings, and opportunities to use IT programmes in project- based work.
• Guest speakers
  We work with service users and criminal justice agencies, and people from external organisations regularly provide guest lectures on the course. As well as studying the academic and theoretical aspects of social policy and criminology, students have opportunities to hear from people who have run campaigning groups that have altered policy and from senior practitioners within the Police, Courts Custodial and Community Services.
• Lectures
  These introduce foundation information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. As the module progresses this information becomes more complex. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in large groups to all year group peers).
• Peer Mentoring
  We offer a peer mentoring scheme for our BA students, which sees specially- trained second and third year students, under the guidance of staff and the Centre for Educational Development, help first year students settle into life at Queen’s through social events, small group or one-to-one informal support and learning skills workshops.
• Personal Tutor
  Undergraduates are allocated a Personal Tutor from their first day at the university. The Personal Tutor is available to meet with them and to give advice throughout their time at Queen’s, in support of their academic development and to act as an important point of contact with the School.
• Self-directed study
  This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.
• Seminars/tutorials
  A significant amount of teaching is carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students). These provide an opportunity for students to engage with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of peers. You should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups.
• Study abroad opportunities
  Students have the opportunity to spend some time studying in one of our linked universities. For example, this can take the form of a semester’s study in Sweden (Lünd) (for which credits are transferred back to your degree here in Queen’s) or an intensive two week international study school in Spain (Barcelona).
• Supervised research
  In final year, you will be expected to carry out a significant piece of research for a voluntary organisation on a topic selected through liaison with the Northern Ireland Science Shop. You will receive support to guide you in terms of how to carry out your research and will be provided with feedback in person and via email.
• Work-Related learning/Field Trips/Study Tours
  Study visits and field trips are integrated into several of our option modules. The purpose of these tours are to help students apply their learning to the real-work context and to exercise critical thinking and interpretation. Back in the classroom, students undertake a number of group-based tasks in workshops focused on the field trip and present their findings to classmates.

• The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the learning objectives of each module. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combination of coursework and end of semester examinations. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction. Following each element of assessed coursework, students are provided with detailed feedback on the quality of their written work and how they can improve future assignments.

• Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that you, as an individual or as part of a group, have submitted.
• Face-to-face comment. This may include occasions when you make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help you to address a specific query.
• Placement employer comments or references.
• Online or emailed comment.
• General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
• Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which you can review in your own time.
• Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
• Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.
• Once you have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work.

Facilities

The School is located within a recently renovated building, with state of the art teaching and learning facilities, together with dedicated student space including a large student common room. The teaching facilities enable an interactive learning environment.

Entrance requirements

A level requirements ABB

Irish leaving certificate requirements H3H3H3H3H3H3/H2H3H3H3H3

Access/Foundation Course Successful completion of Access Course with an average of 70%.

BTEC Extended diploma Successful completion of BTEC Extended Diploma with 120 credits at Distinction and 60 credits at Merit.

All applicants There are no specific subject requirements to study Criminology and Social Policy.

Career Prospects

Introduction
Criminology and Social Policy graduates are ideally placed for work in a range of occupations, including the civil service, public services, policy analysis, media, research, teaching, business, the voluntary sector, commerce, marketing and management. Some graduates build on the degree by undertaking postgraduate training in fields such as social work, law, social science research and teaching. Tailored careers advice and study guidance is available to all students throughout their time at Queen’s.

Studying for a Social Policy/Criminology degree at Queen’s will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from this degree at Queen’s are well regarded by many employers (local, national and international) and over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline.

The diversity of interests and topics covered in the discipline, plus the wide range of skills it equips you with, means that our students enter a wide range of careers on graduation. These include the public sector (e.g. social services, education, criminal justice, social work), private sector (e.g. market research, policy analysis, human resources), and third sector (e.g. policy analyst, researcher, youth support worker, charity fundraiser). A number of our students also go on to postgraduate study, on a full or part-time basis.
http://www.prospects.ac.uk

Employment after the Course
Typical career destinations of graduates include:

Researcher
Civil Servant
Policy Analyst
Charity Fundraiser
Market Researcher
Youth and Community Worker

Social policy students have gone on to work for Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, the civil service, charities such as the Peter McVerry Trust and Age NI. Many go on to further study in social policy at masters and PhD level.

Employment Links
Graduate employers include:

Northern Ireland Civil Service
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
National Health Service
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
PWC
Ulster Bank
Santander
Belfast City Council
Ipos Mori
Commission for Victims and Survivors NI

Degree plus award for extra-curricular skills

In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Degree Plus. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.

Tuition Fees

Northern Ireland (NI)	£4,275
England, Scotland or Wales (GB)	£9,250
Other (non-UK) EU *	£4,275
International	£16,400

Tuition fees for 2020-21 have not been set. Those quoted above are for students commencing study in 2019-20. These will be subject to an increase for students commencing study in 2020-21.

Tuition fee rates are calculated based on a student’s tuition fee status and generally increase annually by inflation. How tuition fees are determined is set out in the Student Finance Framework.

* The tuition fees that EU students starting courses at UK universities following the agreed transition period are required to pay will depend on what is agreed as part of the UK's exit negotiations. Please refer to www.qub.ac.uk/brexit

Additional course costs

Criminology and Social Policy costs

Students undertaking project SPY3002 (Policy Briefing) in year 3 will incur travel costs visiting partner organisations, the cost of which will vary depending on location.

How do I fund my study?

There are different tuition fee and student financial support arrangements for students from Northern Ireland, those from England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain), and those from the rest of the European Union.

Information on funding options and financial assistance for undergraduate students is available at http://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/Undergraduate/Fees-and-scholarships/.

Scholarships

Each year, we offer a range of scholarships and prizes for new students. Information on scholarships available.

International Scholarships

Information on scholarships for international students, is available at http://www.qub.ac.uk/International/International-students/International-scholarships/.

How and when to Apply

How to Apply
Application for admission to full-time undergraduate and sandwich courses at the University should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).  Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/apply.

When to Apply
UCAS will start processing applications for entry in autumn 2020 from 1 September 2019.

Advisory closing date: 15 January 2020 (18:00).

Late applications are, in practice, accepted by UCAS throughout the remainder of the application cycle, but you should understand that they are considered by institutions at their discretion, and there can be no guarantee that they will be given the same full level of consideration as applications received by the advisory closing date.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as is consistent with having made a careful and considered choice of institutions and courses.

The Institution code name for Queen's is QBELF and the institution code is Q75.

Further information on applying to study at Queen's is available at: http://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/Undergraduate/How-to-apply/

Apply via UCAS

After an offer is made this will be notified to applicants through UCAS. Confirmation will be emailed by the Admissions and Access Service and this communication will also include Terms and Conditions (www.qub.ac.uk/Study/TermsandConditions) which applicants should read carefully in advance of replying to their offer(s) on UCAS Track.

Additional Information for International (non-EU) Students

1. Applying through UCAS
   Most students make their applications through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) for full-time undergraduate degree programmes at Queen's. The UCAS application deadline for international students is 30 June 2019.
2. Applying direct
   The Direct Entry Application form is to be used by international applicants who wish to apply directly, and only, to Queen's or who have been asked to provide information in advance of submitting a formal UCAS application. Find out more.
3. Applying through agents and partners
   The University’s in-country representatives can assist you to submit a UCAS application or a direct application. Please consult the Agent List to find an agent in your country who will help you with your application to Queen’s University.

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