Access to Higher Education Diploma (Criminology)

Access to Higher Education Diploma (Criminology)

This Course at a Glance

• Get on the fast track to a career that helps prevent crime
• Learn about offender profiling, prison categories, and how to measure crime
• Understand how the media affects public perceptions of crime and criminality
• Helps you access university without A Levels
• Studied online, at home
• No exams

About your Diploma

If you’re the type of person who figures out who the criminal is before the on-screen or in-book detectives do, this online criminology course can have you putting your investigative skills into action in a crime-fighting career.

No matter if you’d prefer to be chasing down criminals or looking at the bigger picture of crimes to spot trends and patterns in behaviour, this course provides the perfect platform to get started.

Through this Access to Higher Education Diploma (Criminology), you will begin to comprehend the severe impact that deviant behaviour can have on victims, their families, the criminals themselves, and society at large. Plus, the many methods that are in place to understand why crime happens and how to stop it.

You will build your knowledge through modules that explore:

• Measurements of Crime
• The Criminology of Prisons
• Situational Aspects of Crime
• Forensic Psychology

And so much more. Being a nationally recognised equivalent to A Levels, this course will also enable you to apply to university to take the next step towards a career that’s related to the prevention of crimes.

Getting Started

learndirectis a leading UK distance learning provider, with a host of online courses that unlock higher-level learning opportunities and help you access gated careers. This Access to Higher Education Diploma (Criminology) is a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification that is regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

Apply To University Within A Year

You can complete this course over 24 months, however, the flexibility of online learning makes it entirely possible to finish the course much sooner. In fact, the majority of our learners obtain their qualification within 9 months, so you can be on the way to university within a year!

Keep On Track To Success

To help you stay on track throughout your studies, you’ll be provided with an Individual Learning Plan that outlines the submission deadlines for your assignments.

*Please note, each university sets its own entry requirements. For this reason, we always advise you to check with your chosen institution that this qualification will be accepted before you enrol.

Modules

Unit 1: Studying the Brain and Nervous System

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand the structure and function of nervous system including key areas of the brain
• Understand the structure and function of glial cells and neurons

Unit 2: Aspects of Situational Crime

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand how the developments in environmental methods of crime control can contribute to crime prevention
• Understand how crime prevention methods can be incorporated to reduce risk to the victim and reward for the perpetrator
• Understand environmental methods of crime control in relation to route activity theory

Unit 3: Crime and the Media

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand the influence of news media on the public perceptions of crime and criminality
• Understand the influence of film and television on the public perceptions of crime and criminality
• Understand the link between social media and the public perceptions of crime and criminality
• Understand the links between crime and media using criminological research

Unit 4: Impact of Forensic Psychology in Criminal Investigations

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand the roles of the Forensic Psychologist
• Understand how psychologists have contributed to jury behaviour and eyewitness memory
• Understand offender profiling
• Be able to apply an offender profiling technique

Unit 5: Impact of Criminal Statistics in Criminal Justice

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand how different crime statistics are sourced in the UK
• Understand the reliability of criminal statistics on the understanding of crime
• Understand factors that cannot be measured within criminal statistics

Unit 6: Key Factors in Critical Criminology

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand the political difference between Right and Left Realism
• Understand the key feminist debates in criminology
• Understand arguments regarding crimes of the state and human rights
• Understand contemporary developments in criminology

Unit 7: Theories of Criminal Justice

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand crime prevention models
• Understand crime control theories
• Understand how different political perspectives inform criminal justice theories

Unit 8: The Prison System

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand the philosophical approaches of punishment and imprisonment
• Understand prison categories and the relative costs
• Understand the individual and societal effects of imprisonment 

Unit 9: Criminal Court Procedures, Personnel and Sentencing

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand a range of Criminal Court processes and personnel
• Understand sentencing in the UK court system

Unit 10: The European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand the general scope and application of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
• Understand the impact of ECHR
• Understand the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA)

Unit 11: Interpersonal Relationships

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand theories of interpersonal relationships
• Understand explanations relating to the stages of relationships using research
• Understand the effects of interpersonal relationships on the individual

Unit 12: Perspectives on Psychological Disorders

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand the challenges in defining normal human thoughts and behaviour
• Understand a range of explanations for a chosen psychological disorder
• Understand a range of psychological treatment methods for a chosen psychological disorder

Unit 13: Writing a Criminology Essay

On completion of this unit you will:

• Be able to develop and plan an essay about a topic from the field of Criminology Studies
• Be able to write an essay about a topic from the field of Criminology Studies

Unit 14: Exploring Theories of Crime and Deviancy

On completion of this unit you will:

• Be able explain of crime and deviance from a range of viewpoints
• Understand the social structural theoretical basis of crime and deviance
• Understand the media’s influence on perceptions of crime or deviance

Unit 15: Exploring an Introduction to Psychological Research and Approaches

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand scientific research methods in the field of psychology
• Understand different psychological approaches to explaining behaviour
• Understand ethical issues connected with psychological research

Unit 16: Exploring Family Structure and Changes

On completion of this unit you will:

• Understand changes in family
• Understand a range of sociological explanations of the family

Unit 17: Writing and Studying Academic Texts

On completion of this unit you will:

• Be able to write academically and with relevance
• Be able to interpret and express ideas in a piece of academic work
• Be able to analyse and summarise text, and appreciate the problems caused by plagiarism

Unit 18: Planning and Writing an Assignment

On completion of this unit you will:

• Be able to select and assess appropriate source information in response to a task
• Be able to reference sources used in a recognised style
• Understand different reading strategies
• Be able to take effective notes
• Be able to plan, draft and produce a written assignment

Entry Requirements

You must hold Level 2 qualifications in both English and Maths, or be working towards them alongside studying your Access to Higher Education Diploma. You also need to have a UK address to enrol.

University Entry Criteria

It must be reiterated that each university will set its own admission criteria. So, you must check with your desired institution if your Access to HE Diploma and other qualifications will be accepted. In many cases, to get started at university you will need: - A certain number of credits passed with a merit or a distinction grade - A face-to-face interview at the university - Literacy and numeracy assessments provided by the university - Course-related work placements or work experience - GCSE Grade C/4 or above in Maths and English (or equivalent Level 2 such as Functional Skills/Key Skills, etc.) It is your responsibility to check that your Access to HE Diploma will be accepted as part of these entry requirements for your chosen degree. learndirect will not be held accountable if completing this Access to Higher Education Diploma doesn’t secure you a position with a higher education institution.

Minimum age restriction

Access to HE Diplomas are designed to support students to progress to university who have substantial experience of life outside of formal education which they have gained since completing compulsory schooling.

Average completion timeframe

The average time it takes our learners to complete the course is 9-12 months.

Assessment requirements

A range of assessment methodologies are used, including: academic poster, academic report, case study analysis, essay, journal article, portfolio, presentation (video and audio recording), academic writing skills tasks

Exams required

There are no exams included in the assessment of the course.

Is Membership Required?

No membership is required to enrol on this course.

Additional requirements

Learners must be actively studying for a minimum of six months before results can be ratified and certificates ordered. The six month period does not start until you have passed unit 2 of your course and you must be submitting assignments regularly (in line with the deadlines in your Individual Learning Plan) to meet this six month requirement. Certificates can only be issued once your course is paid for in full.

Certification Timeframe

You can expect to receive your certificate 12-16 weeks from your final assignment being marked and graded, depending on the time of year. You will be provided with regular updates throughout the certification process so that you are fully informed of your individual timeframes.

Course Fees

All course fees, inclusive of all payment plans including our Premium Credit Limited option, must be settled before certification can be ordered.

*You will have access to the course for 24 months.

The assessment process of our criminology home study courses consists of the following:

Assignments

This online criminology course is made up of a range of units, with an assignment being issued at the end of each. You will submit your work to your tutor for marking and tailored feedback.

Credits

You must acquire 60 credits in total in order to achieve the Access to Higher Education Diploma (Criminology). The credits are split into the following two categories:

• Graded– 45 credits come from graded units, which focus on the academic subject
• Ungraded– 15 credits come from ungraded units, such as writing and study skills

As part of your distance learning criminology course, you will also receive help as well as guidance on your university application and the research you need to do to get the most out of your diploma.

Skills & Education Group Access

On successful completion of the Access to Higher Education Diploma (Criminology), you will receive a Skills & Education Group Access, QAA recognised, Access to Higher Education Diploma at Level 3. As part of your programme, you will also receive help as well as guidance on your university application and the research you need to do to get the most out of your diploma.

An access validating agency with a strong social purpose to recognise achievement, particularly for those who have benefited least from their previous educational experiences, Skills and Education Group Access supports the needs of learners, providers, businesses and communities by enabling progression into higher education.

With this Access to Higher Education Diploma (Criminology), you will have an ideal foundation knowledge of human behaviour and motivation in relation to crime, ahead of degree-level study of criminology.

This could be in degrees such as a:

• Criminology BA
• Criminology and Forensic Studies BA
• Criminology and Policing BSc
• Criminology with Applied Psychology BSc
• Sociology and Criminology BA

All of these can lead you to a range of fascinating criminology jobs that require your investigative skills to unearth the motivations behind crimes, prevent them, and keep people safe from harm.

With the relevant degree, you could become a:

• Criminologist
• Crime Scene Investigator
• Community Development Worker
• Probation Officer
• Social Worker
• Prison Officer and more!

Further Qualifications and Prospects

As criminology is a form of sociology that also covers psychology, biology, anthropology, and philosophy, you can study a number of related degrees too.

These include degrees in:

• Anthropology
• Economics
• Forensic Science
• Law
• Psychology
• Social Policy
• Sociology

So, in studying this Access to Higher Education Diploma (Criminology) you can open the door to a host of fascinating and important careers.

Frequently Asked Questions