Criminology Level 3 Course

Crime is a fascinating subject – we all know that! But why does it happen? How much of it exists? How is it changing? And how do we stop it? This engaging Criminology course will shed light onto all of these subjects and more. 

The course covers everything from understanding violence to high tech crime and crime prevention, as well also looking at the impact of drugs, the justice system and an overview of criminal statistics.

Our course is split into bite sized sections, for easier study, each providing valuable insights into the subject. Plus, don’t forget you will also get the support of your tutor every step of the way. So Start Learning now!

Distance Learning Support

At Start Learning we pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive tutors. Your tutor support will start as soon as you receive your course and will be valid for 12 months. All our tutors are highly qualified with extensive experience in supporting distance learning students. You contact your tutor via email and they are responsible for marking assignments answering your questions and guiding you through the course.

Entry Requirements

Start Learning’s validated course in Criminology is open to anyone and no prior knowledge is needed although a reasonable level of literacy is presumed. In addition an intelligent interest in the social-scientific study of crime would be an advantage.

At Start Learning we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and study further, so we try to keep our entry requirements to a minimum.   

Recommended Hours of Study

We recommended you spend approximately 110 hours of your time studying for the Criminology and the Legal System course. The pace of study is completely up to you. To give an example, if you dedicate 2 hours a week to the course it would take you a year to complete but if you could spare 4 hours a week you could complete it in six months.

Course Contents

There are five sections in the course:

• Criminology
• U.K. Legal System
• Criminal Statistics
• Crimes
• Criminal Profilers

The course will take you through the key aspects of how the study of Crime – Criminology – came about, focussing on the main theories behind the development of what we understand Crime to be today. Of necessity, Criminology involves the study of many disciplines across a wide range from the behavioural sciences.

We then move on to studying the principal aspects of the Legal System, from the functions of the various courts to the people who have roles and responsibility for working within it including lawyers, judges, juries, witnesses, the Crown Prosecution Service and forensics experts. We also look at the issue of punishment and the range available to the courts.
Crime statistics are important in any study of Criminology as they attempt to provide a statistical measurement of crime, and we will be examining the different ways they can be collated as well as the uses that can be made of them.

Crime itself is the next section where we look at the various types of crime that there are, including:

• Crime related to alcohol and drugs
• Violent crime
• Robbery
• Sexual assault
• Property crime
• Burglary
• Anti-social behaviour
• Fraud
• Investment scheme fraud
• Boiler room crime
• Insider trading
• Terrorism
• Organised crime

In the last section we examine the relatively new area of Criminal Profiling including the practice of Forensic Psychology.

Qualification

Upon successful completion of this course you will gain a Level 3 Award in Criminology and the Legal System. At the end of this course, successful learners will receive a Level 3 NCFE Award certificate of achievement.

Awarding Body Information:

NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulators are the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland. The course is recognised in Scotland by the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority).

Assessment

This course is marked through a process of continuous assessment guided by your tutor following NCFE guidelines. This means that your qualification will be awarded according to your performance on assessments rather than by taking an exam.

Language of Course

English