Criminal Justice and Social Policy (with a year in industry) BA
BBB at A level; graduates earn a median £24,000 three years on.
Typical A level offer
BBB
100% of entrants came with A levels · 92% stay on after year 1 · York course page, Discover Uni
Year 13 · applying
What do you need to get in?
BBBtypical A level offer
Typical offer — the grades most applicants are asked for. Contextual offer: BBC, for applicants from under-represented backgrounds.
York course page, read 19 September 2026 · Discover Uni entry profile
Who actually got in: 100% with A levels. 1% arrived with 208 or more UCAS tariff points — roughly A*A*A or better. Based on 90 entrants.
UCAS tariff points — a points scale for grades: A* = 56, A = 48, so A*A*A = 160. Entrants’ totals include extra subjects.
Other qualifications5
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 21 credits at Distinction and 24 credits at Merit or higher | — |
| BTEC | DDMDDM We consider a range of BTEC qualifications equivalent to 3 A Levels, or in combination with A Levels or other qualifications. For example: Distinction, Merit in BTEC Level 3 National Diploma plus | — |
| IB | 31 points31 points overall | — |
| T Level | Merit overall including grade B in the Core T Level subjects in Accounting; DesiMerit overall including grade B in the Core T Level subjects in Accounting; Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing; Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction; Digital Business | B in the Core T Level subjects in Accounting |
| Scottish Highers | BBBBB | — |
Years 1–4
What do you study?
6compulsory modules in year 1
Compulsory modules this year: social & cultural skills 56% · law & public administration 36% · transversal skills 8%.
Module — one course unit, usually a term or a year long; “core” means everyone takes it. One UK credit is about ten hours of study; a full year is 120 credits.
York course page · optional modules vary by year
Year 1 · 6 core · 120 credits ≈ 1,200 hours
- Social Harm and Injustice
What you learn (9)
- explain the concept of social justice
- describe real-world implications arising from social justice issues
- describe the historical development of social harm theory
- explain the relationship between social harm theory and criminology
- outline the key arguments underpinning social harm theory
- reflect on policy implications of social harm and justice theories
- apply social harm and justice theories across diverse sectors and policy areas
- compare local and global applications of social harm and justice theories
- evaluate how social harms and injustices affect different groups differently
- Power, Policy and Social Progress
What you learn (4)
- explain concepts relevant to analysing policy problems
- explain conceptions of power and their relation to policy decisions
- discuss how unequal power relations underpin social divisions
- propose policy reforms addressing unequal power relations
- Social Science in the Chocolate City
What you learn (3)
- present data and evidence relating to a social issue
- evaluate differing perspectives on defining and solving social problems
- locate and use appropriate academic sources
- The Criminal Justice System
What you learn (6)
- identify the key agencies within the criminal justice system of England and Wales
- explain the functions and powers of criminal justice agencies
- describe how the criminal justice system operates in practice
- describe how the criminal justice system processes offenders
- evaluate the effectiveness of offender treatment within the system
- apply criminal justice system knowledge to a specific case study
- Criminal Justice and Inequality
What you learn (1)
- describe key theories explaining the causes of inequality in crime and disorder governance
- Contemporary Issues in Social and Public Policy
What you learn (7)
- identify key dimensions of current social and public policy debates
- describe how key policy actors operate within policy processes
- explain how ideas and interests influence social and public policy issues
- critique social and public policy issues using interdisciplinary perspectives
- select relevant evidence sources to support policy analysis
- apply social science theory to address real-world policy challenges
- apply analytical thinking to critically evaluate contemporary policy issues
Year 2 · 6 core · 120 credits ≈ 1,200 hours
- Victimology and Victimisation
What you learn (11)
- explain Christie's Ideal Victim Theory and its purpose
- evaluate the usefulness of Ideal Victim Theory for understanding victimisation
- apply Ideal Victim Theory to analyse varied victim scenarios
- evaluate criminal justice system responses to different victim groups
- evaluate government and NGO responses to different victim groups
- describe how intersecting identities shape experiences of victimisation
- explain how situational and social context constructs victim status
- analyse how dominant values and beliefs shape institutional responses to victims
- assess policy responses to victims of crime
- assess practice responses to victims of crime
- describe features of a victim-centred response for diverse forms of victimisation
- Crime and the Life Course
What you learn (7)
- explain the purpose and value of life course and developmental criminology
- apply life course criminology concepts to varied case scenarios
- evaluate criminal justice system responses to offending across the life course
- evaluate government and ngo interventions addressing criminality
- describe how intersecting social identities shape offending and desistance
- explain how crime and societal responses are socially constructed
- describe how perceptions of crime change over the life course
- Researching Policy and Society
What you learn (6)
- explain how social research informs public policy decisions
- evaluate the quality and validity of published research studies
- identify ethical issues arising in social research practice
- describe political influences affecting the conduct of social research
- apply quantitative methods to analyse social data
- apply qualitative methods to collect and interpret social data
- Social Inequalities
What you learn (10)
- apply key concepts and theories to analyse social inequalities
- evaluate social inequalities and their policy implications
- identify different theoretical approaches to social inequalities
- critically assess how theoretical approaches shape policy development
- investigate inequalities across different policy areas
- assess empirical evidence relating to social inequalities
- evaluate different conceptualisations and measures of inequality
- apply measures of inequality in UK and comparative contexts
- communicate ideas clearly through written reports
- present data effectively to convey findings
- Policy Think Tank
What you learn (8)
- describe a structured framework for analysing public policy options
- evaluate alternative policy responses to a given problem using scientific evidence
- analyse a specific policy problem in depth
- appraise the evidence base relevant to a chosen policy problem
- explain the importance of evidence-based approaches in policy making
- describe different ways evidence can inform policy decisions
- explain the benefits of diverse teamwork for tackling complex policy challenges
- identify practical and ethical challenges in communicating policy recommendations clearly
- Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
What you learn (3)
- analyse current challenges facing the criminal justice system in England and Wales
- relate criminal justice problems to historical, social, cultural and economic change
- explain the harmful effects of crime on victims, communities and society
Year 4 · 1 core, 15 optional · 40 credits ≈ 400 hours
- Independent Study Module
What you learn (11)
- apply advanced theoretical concepts to a chosen research topic
- identify suitable research approaches for a social science enquiry
- formulate a focused research question for independent study
- conduct independent research using primary or secondary data
- recognise ethical and political considerations in social research
- evaluate research data and literature with balanced judgement
- present research findings clearly in written form
- present research findings using visual materials
- manage an independent research project to meet deadlines
- respond constructively to critical feedback on own work
- solve problems encountered during extended independent study
15 optional modules
- Housing and Homelessness: Overcoming Inequality
What you learn (5)
- explain how the UK housing system functions
- analyse the historical foundations of UK housing policy
- evaluate the social and cultural influences shaping UK housing policy
- relate housing policy issues to broader social policy agendas across different markets
- evaluate different sources of evidence used to contest housing policy
- Policing and the Police
What you learn (6)
- explain how historical developments have shaped modern policing
- analyse theoretical approaches relevant to policing
- analyse policies relevant to the police and policing
- evaluate current trends in policing practice
- critique established police practices
- examine policing responses to a specific crime type in depth
- Drugs: Prevalence, Policy and Practice
What you learn (9)
- compare UK and international drug policy approaches
- evaluate the effectiveness of different drug policy approaches using evidence
- analyse structural and individual explanations for drug use
- propose flexible and creative policy or practice responses to drug use
- critique conflicting qualitative and quantitative evidence on drug theory and policy
- construct a well-supported argument on the strength of drug-related evidence
- critique competing perspectives on harm reduction and recovery approaches
- explain political, social and clinical influences shaping drug policy and practice
- challenge oversimplified models of drug policy and practice
- Wellbeing of Children and Young People
What you learn (8)
- explain different approaches to conceptualising wellbeing
- describe methods used to measure wellbeing
- explain why measuring child wellbeing matters for policy
- identify key international data sources on wellbeing
- explain evidence relating to several domains of wellbeing
- present evidence on specific wellbeing domains
- interpret graphs and charts representing data
- apply graphical data to discussions and assessments
- Vulnerability, Deviance and Social Control
What you learn (6)
- explain how behaviourist policy agendas impact vulnerable individuals and groups
- situate contemporary behaviourist trends within their historical development
- analyse theories relating to social control
- analyse policies and practices relating to social control
- identify links between care and control within welfare and disciplinary systems
- critique the blending of care and control in contemporary welfare practice
- Prisons and Penal Policy
What you learn (9)
- describe the historical development of imprisonment in England and Wales
- debate the conflict between punitive and rehabilitative approaches to imprisonment
- evaluate the effectiveness of combining punishment and rehabilitation in prisons
- identify the current legislation governing prisons in England and Wales
- discuss contemporary debates on imprisonment in England and Wales
- formulate a critical perspective on current imprisonment practices
- explain the historical evolution of imprisonment practices in England and Wales
- describe current legislation and enforcement systems governing prisons
- analyse the political and moral influences shaping imprisonment policy
- Education Policy: Divisions & Inequalities
What you learn (7)
- explain theories linking education, society and social justice
- describe major reforms of UK education since 1944
- apply theoretical frameworks to analyse contemporary education policy development
- explain how historical and cultural factors shape education
- assess the organisation and purposes of education systems
- evaluate current debates in education policy
- assess how gender, class, disability and ethnicity relate to educational inequality
- Migration, Immigration and Social Policy
What you learn (3)
- evaluate how migration and immigration policy responses have evolved historically
- describe current debates and controversies in immigration policy
- apply key concepts from migration and social policy studies to analyse issues
- Environmental Justice, Harm, and Policy
What you learn (7)
- explain the causes of environmental harm
- describe the human impacts resulting from environmental harm
- identify unequal distributions of environmental benefits and burdens
- critically investigate the drivers behind environmental inequality
- apply theories of environmental justice to analyse unequal harm distribution
- explain unequal distributions of environmental harm using theoretical frameworks
- evaluate policy responses addressing unequal environmental harm
- Gender, Violence and Justice
What you learn (10)
- critique explanatory frameworks for violence
- analyse gendered dimensions of violence frameworks
- identify contexts in which violence occurs
- analyse contexts in which violence occurs
- describe the role of activism in addressing gendered violence
- evaluate limitations of activism, policy and practice approaches
- conduct independent research on a chosen gendered violence topic
- analyse limitations of existing policy frameworks
- identify options for policy change
- produce a policy briefing document
- Welfare States in Crisis
What you learn (10)
- apply theoretical frameworks to analyse crises affecting welfare states
- evaluate the significance of crises for welfare state development
- summarise major theories explaining economic, political and social crises
- critically evaluate how these crises shape social policy outcomes
- assess the influence of various actors and institutions on crisis emergence
- evaluate how actors and organisations drive welfare state reform
- identify cross-national and global patterns in crisis experiences
- explain divergences in social policy responses to crises across countries
- identify relevant statistical and qualitative evidence on crises
- assess evidence informing policy debates on crisis responses
- Global Social Problems
What you learn (8)
- explain the global dimensions of contemporary social problems
- evaluate the social, political and economic drivers of globalisation of social problems
- analyse policy debates at national, international and global levels on social problems
- describe the historical evolution of policy responses to global social problems
- identify institutions and actors involved in addressing global social problems
- explain relationships between institutions tackling global social problems
- analyse global social problems in relation to geo-political and economic divisions
- apply module concepts to critically assess a global social policy issue
- Crime and Justice in the Online Space
What you learn (7)
- identify key technological challenges facing criminal justice agencies
- analyse how technological change affects criminal justice practice internationally
- assess how everyday technology use shapes victimisation risk
- analyse individual experiences of technology to explain vulnerability to cybercrime
- critically evaluate mainstream criminological theories against current cybercrime trends
- identify regulatory and legislative responses to cybercrime
- analyse the effectiveness of policy responses to cybercrime
- Stigma, Power and Resistance
What you learn (5)
- relate stigma and power theories to dimensions of social difference
- analyse how dimensions of social difference intersect
- apply theoretical frameworks to examine stigma's impact on social groups
- explain the relationship between stigma, power and policymaking
- evaluate research strategies used to study stigma's reach and impact
- Left Behind Places
What you learn (9)
- explain factors contributing to the current state of left behind places
- describe social and cultural challenges facing left behind places
- describe economic and political challenges facing left behind places
- compare problems in UK and international left behind places
- identify the geographical spread of left behind localities
- compare similarities and differences among types of left behind places
- describe policies aimed at addressing left behind places
- evaluate limitations of policies targeting left behind places
- apply interdisciplinary social science knowledge to regional policy problems
“What you learn” restates each module’s published learning outcomes in our own words, as short skill statements in the same form as the GCSE and A level curriculum, with the help of an AI model; fields of knowledge follow the twelve fields of the knowledge sphere. The university’s module page, linked from each title, is the authoritative description.
After graduating
Where does it lead?
£24,000median pay three years after graduating
Lower quarter£19k
Median£24k
Upper quarter£29k
Median — the middle earner: half earned more, half less. Pay is for graduates of this subject at this university who finished in 2016-18, not adjusted for inflation; based on 250 graduates.
Discover Uni dataset (HESA and Office for Students, CC BY 4.0, contains HESA data); earnings from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes data (Department for Education) · aggregation level 12, 13, 22
Half of graduates earned between £19,000 and £29,000. Five years on, the median is £29,000. 91% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing; 59% of those in work were in professional or managerial jobs.
All outcome figures7
| Measure | Value | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Continue after year 16% left | 92% | 70 |
| In work or study, 15 months on13% studying | 91% | 105 |
| Professional or managerial job | 59% | 75 |
| Pay 15 months on, median | £26,000 | 45 |
| Pay 3 years on, median | £24,000 | 250 |
| Pay 5 years on, median | £29,000 | 255 |
Money
What does it cost?
£10,050a year for UK students, 2027/28 entry
Tuition fee loan — paid straight to the university; repayments start the April after you leave, at 9% of income above the threshold. UK fees are capped by government and rise with inflation; placement and study-abroad years are usually charged at a lower rate.
York fees page · source
About £40,200 in fees over 4 years, covered by a tuition fee loan you repay only when earning above the threshold. International students: £27,800 a year (2027/28).
National Student Survey 2025-26
What do students say?
91%agreed the course was good overall (question 26)
NSS — a yearly survey of final-year students at every UK university; 74% of this course’s final year answered. Small groups can swing a lot year to year.
National Student Survey, via Discover Uni · 90 students answered
Highest: 94% agreed on question 1; lowest: 57% on question 14.
All questions26
| Question | Agree |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 94% |
| Question 2 | 86% |
| Question 3 | 84% |
| Question 4 | 77% |
| Question 5 | 81% |
| Question 6 | 82% |
| Question 7 | 86% |
| Question 8 | 72% |
| Question 9 | 75% |
| Question 10 | 69% |
| Question 11 | 77% |
| Question 12 | 68% |
| Question 13 | 81% |
| Question 14 | 57% |
| Question 15 | 88% |
| Question 16 | 86% |
| Question 17 | 76% |
| Question 18 | 79% |
| Question 19 | 74% |
| Question 20 | 94% |
| Question 21 | 89% |
| Question 22 | 85% |
| Question 23 | 83% |
| Question 24 | 59% |
| Question 25 | 70% |
| Question 26 | 91% |
Question texts are published by the Office for Students; the dataset carries only the question numbers.
Modules, entry requirements and fees are facts read from University of York’s course page on 2026-09-19 and may change; the university’s page is authoritative. Descriptions are not reproduced. Outcome figures are from the Discover Uni dataset. University of York is a trade mark of the university; sch.today is independent of it.