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Criminal Justice (top-up) - NTU in Mansfield BA (Hons)

UCAS code: L312

Start year

Information for 2025

About this course

The Criminal Justice (Top-up) course is designed for you if you are an FdA Criminal Justice graduate and want to top up your qualification to BA honours degree level.

The BA (Hons) Criminal Justice degree will open up a diverse range of career options in the Criminal Justice sector, allowing you to make a real difference to the lives of others in the community.

Taught at NTU in Mansfield, you’ll cover a range of sociological, political, legal and cultural approaches to the study of criminal justice. With a focus on real-world learning, you’ll explore current issues at a local, national and international level.

Whether you're planning a future in policing, victim advocacy, prison and probation services, rehabilitation or investigative work, with this qualification you’ll gain the knowledge and transferable skills you need to progress.

  • Small class sizes mean that you’ll be part of a close-knit community. There’ll be plenty of opportunity for discussion, collaboration and support.
  • Benefit from employability events and guest speakers preparing you for further study or employment within the Criminal Justice System.
  • On completing this foundation degree you’ll be well-placed to take up a variety of careers within the Criminal Justice industry and can go straight into work.
  • NTU in Mansfield is your alternative route into higher education. We've built this qualification with the local job market in mind. Each of our higher education courses is relevant, hands-on and work-focused.

What you’ll study

This course provides a multi-disciplinary approach – drawing on a range of approaches to the study of Criminal Justice – while incorporating a focus on contemporary issues with local, national and international perspectives.

Victimology (30 Credit Points)

Critically analyse the theoretical perspectives of Victimology and assess the procedural efforts made to engage victims with the Criminal Justice process.

Probation, Offending Behaviour and Rehabilitation (30 Credit Points)

Explore the differential impact of crime and consider the structural and cultural factors that impact on life chances and the experiences of individuals

Miscarriages of Justice (20 Credit Points)

Critically analyse the effectiveness of the relevant law and procedures regarding criminal investigation and prosecution

Research Project (40 Credit Points)

Bring together the various skills you have developed during the FdA Criminal Justice course, along with elements of the level 6 top up as well as your research method skills.

  • Identify a Criminal Justice related topic of focus and then design, research and present a substantive independent research project on this issue.
  • Draw selectively and critically upon a body of knowledge and information and develop new insights, ideas and perspectives on contemporary Criminal Justice practice.
  • Offer a critical insight into a range of appropriate literature in order to present new insights and conclusions on a chosen Criminal Justice issue
  • Critically evaluate ethical principles and values regarding the collection and analysis of crime-related research.

We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.

How you're taught

Teaching learning and assessment will be varied, appealing to a diverse range of learners, in the form of collaborative learning during seminars, workshops, debates, mentoring and small group tutoring.

You will develop essential transferable skills such as effective communication skills; analysing information; problem solving, critical thinking and decision making. You will have the opportunity to apply acquired knowledge through a variety of activities including classroom based, workshops and independent research.

Assessments throughout the year will comprise presentations and summative written assignments including essays, a poster and an independent research project.

The course will be delivered one full day each week to support learning with responsibilities outside of university.

Contact hours

Throughout your studies, your teaching will be a mixture of in-person teaching and independent study. You will have around 8 hours per week of contact time with our teaching staff, consisting of lectures, seminars, workshops and one-to-one supervision meetings. 100% of this teaching is in-person. Overall, contact time makes up around 30% of a full-time week, while the remaining 70% of your time will be devoted to independent study.

Staff Profiles

Mr Phil Rudkin - Principal Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Phil was a Police Officer for nearly 15 years with Leicestershire Police. Phil now directly oversees the management of all policing and law enforcement provision across the department at levels

Silvia Lopez Quijada - Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Silvia Lopez Quijada is a lecturer on NTU's BA Criminal Justice (Top Up) and FdA Criminal Justice.

Mr Gary Markham - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Gary Markham Course Leader Fda Criminal Justice

Martyn Magill - Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Martyn Magill

Careers and employability

Your future career

After completing your FdA in Criminal Justice, study this course for an extra year and you’ll get your BA (Hons) Criminal Justice at NTU.

Graduates from this course are well-placed to take up a variety of careers within the Criminal Justice System and students can go straight into work after completion their degree.

With a BA in Criminal Justice, you can start your career path towards roles such as:

  • Youth Justice Worker
  • Youth Support Services
  • Probation work
  • Prison work
  • Private Security work
  • Police roles.

Criminal Justice related employability events

During the year, structured employability events and guest speakers (in accordance with the level 6 modules) will engage with you to prepare you for either further study or wider employment within the Criminal Justice System.

Employability Team

At NTU in Mansfield, our award-winning Employability team is here to inspire and enhance your career planning, whichever path you choose. Whether you wish to go on to further study or to look for job opportunities, we can guide you to be a successful candidate.

Campus and facilities

As an NTU Mansfield student, you’ll benefit from the latest facilities and modern technology to support your studies and help you get the most out of student life.

We are continually investing in our facilities and enhancing our learning and teaching environment to make it an inspiring place for students.

Facilities and services include:

  • University Centre
  • Teaching and Learning Centre
  • Library
  • Dedicated study zones, including PC suites
  • On-site café
  • Social spaces
  • Sports facilities
  • Student Support Services
  • Nottingham Trent Students Union (NTSU) drop-in events.

Entry requirements

UK students

Academic entry requirements: Completion of the FdA Criminal Justice degree at NTU or similar course in Criminal Justice.

To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.

International students

This course is not suitable for tier 4 visa applicants.

We accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please visit our international qualifications page.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

£9,535 per year

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including NTU bursaries and scholarships.

Bursaries

A university bursary is an award that can help those who may not have otherwise been able to afford to attend university. We offer the following cash bursaries to prospective students:

  • NTU Bursaries
  • NTU Opportunity Bursary
  • NTU Care Leavers and Foyer Resident Bursary
  • NTU Estranged Student Bursary
  • Nursing, Teacher Training and Social Work Bursaries

Find out more about bursaries

Scholarships

University scholarships help to fund studies and are awarded to exceptional students with achievements or high potential in both academic and extracurricular fields.

Find out more about scholarships

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees, including the placement year and study abroad options are subject to government policy and may change in future years of study.

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but we don’t want you to feel anxious or confused about it. Visit our fees and funding pages if you have any concerns.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.

This course is not suitable for applicants who require a student visa.

However, we do accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our Bachelors and Masters degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please see our information about international qualifications.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Most modules will recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) - meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Field trips

All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, you can email our Student Money Team or phone us on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

How to apply

Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply now button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.

Keeping up to date

After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!

Getting in touch

If you need any more help or information, please call us on +44 (0)115 848 4200 or complete our enquiry form.