BA (Hons) Criminology

Have your understanding of crime, deviance and the criminal justice process challenged on this fascinating and flexible Criminology degree, which is ranked top 10 in the UK for course satisfaction (Criminology, The Guardian University Guide 2023).

Course detail

Start Date

September

Duration

4 years (full-time)

Award Title

BA (Hons)

UCAS Code

M9M9

Why study Criminology?

Gain a deeper understanding of how we define, classify and respond to crime, and why people commit crimes on this fascinating Criminology degree. 

Criminology is a social science examining the nature of law making and how society is 'policed'. Gain a deeper understanding of how we define, classify and respond to crime, and why people break the law. You’ll study all aspects of crime, learning how crime is controlled and regulated in modern societies. 

 

This is a flexible degree. In the first two years you will concentrate on the fundamentals of criminology and sociology. In years three and four you will specialise, working with our academics to explore: 

  • Contemporary Criminological Theory.

  • Penal Institutions.

  • Ethnicity, Gender and Crime.

  • Human Rights.

  • Green Criminology.

  • Drugs and Addiction.

We place a strong emphasis on developing your research skills, which are highly valued in the workplace. There is a real-world work placement option in third year, giving you work experience and networking opportunities.

Whether it is team collaboration, assessing evidence, writing reports, researching or completing project work, this criminology degree will make you extremely employable.  

After the first two years of study, you can choose to specialise in other areas or carry on studying this pathway. See more in the 'How the Course Works' section below. 

This course was in the UK Top 10 for Course Satisfaction in the 2023 Guardian University Guide and scored nearly 85% for Teaching and Learning Resources in the 2021 National Student Survey.  

Study crime from every angle

Criminology focuses on the study of crimes and their causes, effects, and social impact.  

You will study key criminal issues and learn about the relationship between crime, society, politics, the media and criminal justice policy. 

Hear what our students have to say about this fascinating course. 

A male and a female student working together in an Abertay classroom.

Potential Careers 

We are extremely proud of our alumni, who have gone into a variety of different roles such as:

  • Community development worker 

  • Crime scene investigator 

  • Police officer

  • Police staff 

  • Detective 

  • Prison officer 

  • Probation officer 

  • Social worker 

  • Youth worker

  • Teacher

A graduate of this programme can expect to have the knowledge and skills to enter a range of professions.

Person wearing white plastic suit and face mask

Industry links & networking

We actively incorporate external speakers into the curriculum. These come from the media, business, the criminal justice system, the voluntary sector and local community groups. 

There is a real-world work placement option in third year, giving you work experience and networking opportunities. Some graduates have gone on to get a job in the organisation where they did their placement or through the contacts they have made there.  

Group of males wearing suits sitting at desks

Gain in-demand skills

Our criminology degrees equip you with the skills needed for a successful and varied career, especially if you want to work with or manage groups of people. 

Some graduates go onto further study, often in social policy and social work, criminology, law or criminal justice policy. Scotland has a great demand for people trained in these areas, so it’s good news for your future. 

Whatever you choose, we help you to become a confident, knowledgeable graduate with a great set of transferable skills, ready to start your career. 

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How the Course Works

This degree is part of a larger portfolio of three courses covering Criminology, Policing and Sociology.  

The first two years of each course follow the same curriculum. This initial two-year curriculum covers the fundamentals of criminology and sociology, recognising the deep interplay between the two. 

Our two-year foundation approach means you can keep your options open until you’ve learnt more about what really interests you. Having gained two years of knowledge, at the end of year two you choose from one of these pathways:  

Your chosen course will be reflected in your degree title e.g. BA (Hons) Criminology and Policing. And, of course, we’re here to help if you need help deciding which path to take. 

Remember, you only need to apply for ONE course, as the first two years are the same for everyone. 

Anyone applying for years two or three should email admissions@abertay.ac.uk for full details. 

Teaching and assessment 

You’ll learn through a blend of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, video screenings, guest speaker presentations, directed and private study, and student-focussed group work. 

Other assessment methods include supervised examinations, essays, reports, portfolios, presentations, project work, class and online tests, and reflective analyses. In your final year, you’ll design and produce a research project under the dedicated supervision of an academic staff member. 

Around one third of the course is assessed through examination, although the exact proportion depends on your module choices. 

Put simply, we aim to give you all the skills you need to move straight into a job or further study when you graduate. 

Entry Requirements

Please note: All applicants must have passes in English and Maths - National 5 English grade C or GCSE grade C/4 or equivalent.  National 4 Maths or Lifeskill Maths (Pass) or National 5 numerate subject as such Biology, Chemistry or Physics at C.

Higher Application of Maths at grade C accepted.

You may be eligible to take ABE111: Numbers for Everyday Life in lieu of a National 5 Maths qualification at grade C or GCSE grade C/4 or an acceptable equivalent.

Below are the literate subjects we accept for entry on this course:

One of the following: Business Management; Classical Studies; Economics; English; ESOL; Geography; History; Media Studies; Modern Studies; Philosophy; Politics; Psychology; Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies; Sociology

If there is a subject that does not appear, please contact our Admissions Office (admissions@abertay.ac.uk) who will be able to confirm whether or not it would be considered for entry.

Please visit our College Qualifications pages for suitable College courses.

Republic of Ireland applicants, click on the UK tabs and scroll down to find your Entry Requirements.

See information about studying and applying to Abertay for International students.

Qualification Type Grade Requirements Essential Subjects
Higher (standard entry) BBBB Literate subject
Higher (minimum entry) We may make you an offer at the minimum entry grades if you meet the criteria. Find out if you're eligible for minimum entry (see below). BBC Literate subject at B
A-Level CCC Literate subject
T Level C or higher in Core Component in one of the following:- Education & Early Years, Health, Healthcare Science, Legal Services or Management & Administration
Irish Highers H3H3H3H3 Literate subject
International Baccalaureate Diploma Based Programme (IBDP) 28 Points Literate subject at S5 or H4

International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP)

We encourage applications with the IBCP but understand that your combination of qualifications may differ depending on where you are studying.

We accept the International Baccalaureate Careers-related Programme (IBCP). Any subject requirements must be met as per our published IB Diploma requirements.

BTEC Extended Diploma MMM Health & Social Care/Public Services/Travel & Tourism
AHEAD   Successful completion of the relevant stream of our AHEAD programme
SWAP ABB Access to: Humanities, Arts & Humanities and Primary Education, University Study, Community, Education & Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences and Primary Teaching, Languages, Arts & Social Science, Degree Studies, Celtic Studies
HNC/HND B Our College Qualifications pages list approved HNC/HND courses​
BTEC HNC D Health & Social Care
Qualification Type Grade Requirements Essential Subjects
Advanced Higher ABB One from Sociology, Politics, History, Psychology, Modern Studies plus one other literate subject
A-Level ABB To include Sociology, Politics, History or Psychology plus one other literate subject

International Baccalaureate Diploma Based Programme (IBDP)

34 Points Two from Social and Cultural Anthropology, Global Politics , History, or Psychology plus one other Higher subject
HNC/HND B/BB Our College Qualifications pages list approved HNC/HND courses
BTEC HND D Health & Social Care
International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP) See next column If you are taking HNC/HND with one or more Higher Levels IB subjects, your offer will be similar to our BTEC + A Level offer (see 'BTEC National Diploma / Diploma') but with an HL requirement of 6 for A, 5 for B, or 4 for C.

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants from across the world. Please select your country from the searchable list below to view different qualification entry requirements. If you have different qualifications to those listed, please contact us using the form below.

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Academic Requirements

Applicants will typically be required to achieve CCC at A-Level, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma with an overall score of 28 points, to include any essential subject(s) at S5 or H4.

English language: English B at S5 or H4 is accepted. For English A, no grade is specified. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

We accept and encourage applications with the International Baccalaureate Careers-related Programme (IBCP) but understand that your combination of qualifications may differ depending on where you are studying.

Any subject requirements must be met as per our published IB Diploma requirements.

We recognise the Aptitude Scholastic Tests (ASTs) for entry to all our undergraduate programmes. The AST grades are equivalent to the below A Level grades: 

A Level Grade   AST Score

A                        210+

B                       170 - 209

C                       140 - 169

D                       100 - 139

Specific entry requirements for each course (year 1 and year 2 if applicable) can be found on each course page. 

Applicants should also meet our minimum requirements for English language and any portfolio or interview requirement (see course page for details).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) with 6 units as follows: 4 units at III, 2 units at IV, to include any essential subject(s) at III.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the European Baccalaureate with an overall grade of 70%, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 7.

English language: English Language 1 at grade 6 or English Language 2 at grade 7 are accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diplomë e Maturës Shtetëore with an overall grade of 7.5, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Baccalauréat Technique / Commercial with an overall grade of 14, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Baccalauréat de l'Enseignement Secondaire with an overall grade of 14, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants with national school qualilfications will typically be required to pass the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 12/20, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Trayecto Técnico Profesional with an overall grade of 6.5, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Título de Técnico Superior/Universitario with an overall grade of 6.5, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Araratian Baccalaureate at Extended Level with grades CCC, to include any essential subjects.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of Secondary General Education wih an average of 13 and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 64%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Year 12 Certificate plus ATAR rank of 77 or Overall Position of 11, to include any essential subject(s) at Year 12 with grade B, grade 3 or Sound Achievement.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Reifeprüfung/Maturazeugnis with an overall grade of 2.8, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 2.

English language: English at grade 2 in the Reifeprüfung/Maturazeugnis is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Tam Orta Tahsil Hazzinda Aggestat with an average of 4, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 62%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Shahadat Al-Thanawaya Al-Aama/General Secondary Education Certificate with an average of 60%, and the first year of a university degree or post-secondary diploma in a relevant subject with an average grade of 65% or 2.25 (on the 4 point scale), to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Intermediate/Higher Secondary School Certificate at an average of 2.5, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 50% or C+, to include any essential subject(s) at 60% or grade B.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of General Secondary Education at an average of 6, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 6.0, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate d'Enseignement Secondaire Supérieur with an overall average of 60%, to include any essential subject(s) at 65%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diploma van secundair onderwijs with an overall average of 60%, to include any essential subject(s) at 65%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Abschlusszeugnis der Oberstufe des Sekundarunterrichts with an overall average of 60%, to include any essential subject(s) at 65%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diploma de Bachiller at 64%, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 63%, to include any essential subject(s) at 70%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the General Certificate of Secondary Education at an average of 4.5, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 65%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificado de Conculsão de Segundo Grau with an average score of 8.0, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 8.0.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificado de Conclusão de Ensino Médio with an average score of 8.0, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 8.0.

Applicants will typically be required to pass Brunei A Levels in 3 subjects at grades CCC, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diploma za Sredno Obrazonvanie with an average score of 4.5, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 5.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diploma of Upper Secondary Education at average of C, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 65%, to include any essential subject(s) at 65%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Baccalaureat or Baccalaureat Technique at an overall grade of 12, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 12.

Applicants will typically be required to complete the Secondary School Diploma or Diplôme d'Études Collégiales with five grade 12 subjects at an average of 65%, to include any essential subject(s) at 65%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Licencia de Education with a GPA of 4.5 (7-point scale) overall. Applicants will also need to have completed the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average of 4.5 (7-point scale) GPA, with the essential subject at a minimum of 5.0 (7-point scale) GPA.

Applicants will typically be required to complete Senior Middle/High School Certificate/Diploma at an average of 75%, to include any essential subject(s) at 77%; and pass GAOKAO with 500 points (based on the 750 points scheme).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Bachiller Academico at an average of 3.25, and the first year of a university degree or Tecnico Universitario in a relevant subject with an average grade of 3.3, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 3.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Svjedodžba o Maturi with an overall grade of 3.2, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 3.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Apolytírio Lykeíou with an overall grade of 17.0, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 17.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Vysvědčení o maturitní zkoušce with an overall grade of 2.4, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 2.

Applicants will typically be required to complete the Studentereksamen (STX), including 3 Level A subjects an overall grade of 7, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 7.

English language: Studentereksamen English Level A or B at grade 7 is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Título de Bachiller at an average of 7.0, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 13 / 60%, to include any essential subject(s) at 60%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Gumaasiumi lõputunnistus with an average score of 3.2, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 4; and pass 3 state examinations at a minimum of 55% (or 2 states examinations plus C1 Advanced English CAE or IELTS).

English language: 75% in the English state examination is accepted, or C1 Advanced English CAE or IELTS (overall score 6.0 with no band lower than 5.5). For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants who have achieved a Diploma from a Technical/Commercial/Industrial/Health Institute may be granted entry to Year 2 of our degrees if they pass with a minimum of 71%, to include any essential subject at 70%. 

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of General Secondary Education with a minimum of 71%, in include any essential subject at 70%. 

Applicants will typically be required to complete the Studentsprogv at an overall grade of 7, to include any essential subject(s) at Level A grade 7.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Ylioppilastutkinto/Studentexamen at an overall grade 4, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 5.

English language: Advanced English at grade 5 within the Ylioppilastutkinto/Studentexamen is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Baccalauréat Général/Professionnel/Technologique at an overall grade 12, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 13.

English language. English at grade 14 in the Baccalauréat Général/Professionnel/Technologique is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat at an overall grade 11, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 13.

English language. English at grade 13 in the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the NECO in at least five subjects at an average of B/C, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 54%/2.00, to include any essential subject(s) at 60%/2.70.

English language: English at C6 or higher in the NECO is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the WAEC in at least five subjects at an average of B/C, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 54%/2.00, to include any essential subject(s) at 60%/2.70.

English language: English at C6 or higher in the WAEC is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Sashualo Skolis Atestati (Secondary School Certificate) at an average grade of 7, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 65%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Shualo Specialuri Sastsavleblis Diplomi (Special School Leaving Diploma) at an average grade of 7, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 65%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Abitur with an overall grade of 2.4, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 11.

English language: Abitur English at grade 10 is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the NECO in at least five subjects at an average of B/C, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of C/50%, to include any essential subject(s) at grade B/55%.

English language: English at C6 or higher in the NECO is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the WAEC in at least five subjects at an average of B/C, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of C/50%, to include any essential subject(s) at grade B/55%.

English language: English at C6 or higher in the WAEC is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Greek Apolytirion of Geniko Lykeio at grade 17 and 3 Pan-Hellenic exams at an average of 16, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 17.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Hong Kong HKDSE at 3333 in 4 core subjects, with elective subjects at 333 (for 3 electives) or 43 (for 2 electives), to include any essential subject(s) at 3.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Érettségi Bizonyítvány at an overall grade 4.0, with 2 higher subjects at grade 4, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Stúdentspróf at an overall grade 6, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 6.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Indian Senior School (Year 12) exam at an average of 60%, to include any essential subject(s) at 65%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan/Madrasah Aliyah (SMK / MA) at 71%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Post School Qualification Diploma 1 at 2.2, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants from Ireland should check the UK Year 1 Entry tab for entry requirements with Irish Highers.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Te'udat Bagrut or Bagrut with at least 2 subjects at level 5 and 1 subject at level 4 at an average of 60%, to include any essential subject(s) at Level 5 with 65%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diploma di Esame di Stato at 70%, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 8 (on the 10 point scale) or grade 16 (on the 20 point scale).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate at grade 3.5, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 4.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of Completed Secondary Education at an average of 3, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 70% / 2.33, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) at an average of B, to include any essential subject(s) at B.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of Complete General Secondary Education at an average of 3, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 3.4, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Atestas par vispārējo vidējo izglītību with an average score of 7, to include 3 state exams at a minimum of 70%, to include any essential subject(s) at 70%.

English language: 80% in the English state exam is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Baccalauréat Libanais or Baccalauréat II with 12, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 12.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Brandos Atestatas with an average score of 7 with a minimum of 70% in 3 state exams, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 8.

English language: 80% in the English state exam is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diplôme de Fin d'Études Secondaires at an overall grade of 42, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 44.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of Higher Secondary Education with 70%, to include any essential subject(s) at 73%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Ensino Secundário Complementar with grade 2.6, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 3.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate (COHSC) with grades CCC, to include any essential subject(s) at grade C.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Malawian School Certificate of Education at grade 5, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average of 60%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) with a minimum of 3 subjects at BCC or 2.30 GPA, to include any essential subject(s) at grade B/3.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) with 4 subjects at 70% / B5 B5 B5 B5, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 75%/B5.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Matriculation Certificate Examination with grades BC at Advanced level and CCCC at Intermediate level, to include any essential subject(s) at Advanced level grade C.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diplomă de Bacalaureat with an overall grade of 6.0, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 7.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of Secondary Education at 70%, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average of 70%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Higher Secondary Education Certificate with a minimum of 65%, with essential subjects at 65%. On the 4-point GPA scale, applicants will need to pass with 2.6 GPA, with the essential subject at 2.8 GPA. 

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO) with an overall score of 6.6, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 7.

English language: English at grade 8 in HAVO is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the NECO in at least five subjects at an average of B/C, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 2.5 or 50%, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 3.0 or 55%.

English language: English at C6 or higher in the NECO is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the WAEC in at least five subjects at an average of B/C, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 2.5/50%, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 3.0/55%.

English language: English at C6 or higher in the WAEC is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Secondary School Leaving Diploma/Matura with an overall grade of 3.5, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 3.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Vitnemål for Vidergaende Opplaering with an overall average of 3.6, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 4.

English language: English at grade 4 in the Vitnemål for Vidergaende Opplaering is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination at 65% minimum.

In addition, applicants will also need to have completed a Foundation Programme or the 1st year at University in a relevant subject, with an average grade of 3.0 GPA (on a 4 point scale), to include any essential subject at 3.0 (on a 4 point scale). 

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Higher Secondary School Certificate at an average of 60%, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 60%/2.5, to include any essential subject(s) at 68%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Senior High School with a minimum average of 80% in the relevant subject. 

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Matura with an average score of 60%, to include 3 Advanced subjects at a minimum of 50%, to include any essential subject(s) at Advanced level with a score of 70%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diploma/Certificado Nível Secundário de Educação with an overall grade of 14, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 16.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Qatar Senior School Certificate (Shahadat Al-Thanawaya Al-Aama) at an average of 60%, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 2.0/70%, to include any essential subject(s) at 2.5/75%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diplomă de Bacalaureat with an overall grade of 7, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 8.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Attestat o Srednem Obrzovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) at an average of 4, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 3.5, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjihiyah) with an average of 60%, and either the post-secondary diploma or first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 3.0/70%, to include any essential subject(s) at 75%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass Singapore GCE A-Levels with grades CCC, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške at grade 2.4, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 2.

English language: English at B2 level at grade 2 in the Vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Maturitetno spričevalo at grade 3.5, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 4.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the National Senior Certificate (with Matriculation Endorsement) with 4 subjects at 5555, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Título de Bachiller with an average score of 6.8, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 7.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Sudan School Certificate with an average of 60%/C, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 65%/B, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Avgangsbetyg/Slutbetyg fran Gymnasieskola with an average score of 15.5, to include any essential subject(s) at level 5 grade B.

English language: English Level 5 at grade B or English Level 6 at grade C in the Avgangsbetyg/Slutbetyg fran Gymnasieskola is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificat de Maturité with an overall grade of 4.2, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 5.

Applicants will typically be required to pass Maturitätszeugnis with an overall grade of 4.2, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 5.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Attestato Di Maturità with an overall grade of 4.2, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 5.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of Complete General Secondary Education at an average of 3, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 3.4, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to complete the Certificate of Secondary Education/Maw 6 with an average of 70%/3.0, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 3; or complete the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average of 2.0, to include any essential subject(s) at 2.5.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the High School Diploma at an average of 80%, to include any essential subject(s) at 75%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the High School Diploma at an average of 75%, to include any essential subject(s) at 70%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of Secondary Education at an average of 3, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 3.5, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Certificate of Complete General Secondary Education, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 65% / 2.2 (on the 4 point scale) / 4.0 (on the 5 point scale), to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination at 65%, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 2.0, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 2.3.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the High School Diploma with a GPA of 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) plus ONE of:  

  • SAT (I) score of 1100 (minimum 550 on each section)
  • 3 AP Tests at grades 3 or above
  • ACT Composite score of 25

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Diploma of Academic Lyceum at an average of 3, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 60%, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Título de Técnico Superior Universitario, and the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject with an average grade of 50% / 6.1 (on the 10 point scale) / 12 (on the 20 point scale), to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education at Advanced Level with grades CCC, to include any essential subject(s).

Applicants will typically be required to pass the High School Diploma at an average of 80% / B / WU, to include any essential subject(s) at 75%.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Baccalaureat or Baccalureat Technique with an average of 12/20 to include any essential subject(s) at 12.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Baccalauréat Général/Professionnel/Technologique at an overall grade 12, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 13.

English language. English at grade 14 in the Baccalauréat Général/Professionnel/Technologique is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat at an overall grade 11, to include any essential subject(s) at grade 13.

English language. English at grade 13 in the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat is accepted. For alternative English language qualifications, please see below.

Applicants will typically be required to pass the Baccalaureate/Baccalaureate Technique at grade 13 or higher and have 1 year of a University degree with an average grade of 50% or 2.5GPA (on the 5 point scale) in a relevant subject. The essential subject will need to be achieved at 55% or a 3.0GPA (on the 5 point scale). 


All courses at Abertay University are taught in English. If your first language is not English, you will need to demonstrate that you meet our English language requirements.

Please see English Language Requirements for the full list of accepted qualifications and further details.

For more information on the application process, tuition fees and scholarships, studying in Scotland, and to contact our International Team, please visit our International Students page.

 

About your modules

All modules shown are indicative and reflect course content for the current academic year. Modules are reviewed annually and may be subject to change. If you receive an offer to study with us we will send you a Programme document that sets out exactly which modules you can expect to take as part of your Abertay University degree programme. Please see Terms and Conditions for more information.

Modules

Year 1 Core Modules

You must study and pass all five core modules

Brief description

Key concepts regarding crime and punishment, how they are understood and represented in society and what impact this understanding of crime can have.

Module content:

  • The meaning of crime, deviance and punishment: What do we mean by crime, deviance and punishment? How and why do different societies define certain behaviours as criminal whilst others do not? External and internal social control; the problem of social order; conformity and deviance.
  • The extent of crime and deviance: The incidence of crime; How reliable are official statistics on crime? Who commits most crime? Are official statistics on crime useful? How do we ‘talk’ about crime and define criminal behaviour?
  • Crimes of the powerful: Exploring the dark figure of crime: uncovering the implications of dominant constructions of criminality. What crimes exist that we know very little about? Why might that be? Includes engagement with crimes of the powerful including state corporate crime and human trafficking.
  • Inequality and crime: The meaning of Criminalisation and an examination of aspects of this, including an examination of the shift from criminalising HARM to criminalising OFFENCE.

Brief description

A sociological examination of key contemporary social issues, challenges and problems.

Module content:

  • Social inequality and social division: Social class and social mobility; race, ethnicity and multiculturalism; gender and identity.
  • Globalization and globality: Media and culture; identity, nation-states and globalization; terrorism and political conflict.
  • Social life and everyday life: The life-course; families and family life; interactionism; education.

Brief description

The fundamental areas of civil law.

Module content:

  • Legal systems: The nature of law; the distinction between civil and criminal law; sources of law; the structure of the courts; impact of EU law on Scots law.
  • Contract: Nature and formation; essential features and validity; terms of the contract; breach of contract; extinction of contractual obligations.
  • Delict: Nature of delict; culpa and negligence; strict and vicarious liability; Consumer Protection Act 1987; defences to an action in delict.
  • Criminal law: Principles of Scots criminal law. Requirements for men’s rea and actus rues and causation. An introduction to the main features of selected crimes against the person such as homicide and assault (including common law and statutory aggravations). Selected defences to crimes against the person. Exculpating and mitigating factors.

Brief description

Introduction to the criminal justice system and processes in Britain. Examine how the criminal justice system operates, its key agencies and processes, as well as their relationship with the wider institutions, structures and issues in modern society. Consider theories of and debates concerning crime and criminal justice and how these have influenced the history and development of the criminal justice system.

Module content:

  • The criminal justice system: What is criminal justice? Is there a criminal justice 'system'? General characteristics, themes and principles; theories and approaches to crime prevention and crime control; crime control models vs 'due process' models; criminal justice in Scotland.
  • Key agencies: The role, functions and working practices of the main agencies operating within the criminal justice system (e.g. the police, courts, prisons and probation services) and the processes involved from arrest to probation.
  • Social power, inequality and criminal justice: Youth crime and justice; race and institutional racism; gender and crime; crime and criminalisation.

Brief description

The processes of social change within European history. Trace the dynamic interplay of politics, science, technology, economy, art, culture and ideas that has defined the epochs of classical antiquity, feudalism, early modernity and capitalist modernity.

Module content:

  • Lectures: Lectures will be divided into four distinct sections that cover the following historical epochs: classical antiquity, feudalism, early modernity and capitalist modernity. Lectures will cover the social structure, economy, politics, science, technology, ideas and culture of the historical epoch concerned and the processes of historical change that led to its breakdown and supersession by another type of socio-political formation.
  • Tutorials: Tutorials will be of a traditional format centred around the discussion of readings from the core texts, related videos and library exercises - they will also offer guidance regarding the assessment requirements.
  • Introduction and conclusion: In the first week there will be an Introduction to the module and a lecture that focuses on the question ‘What is history?’ In the final week there will be an exam revision session.

Years 1 and 2 Elective Modules

You must study and pass one elective module of your choosing

Introduction of the concept of smart cities - hard infrastructure, social capital including local skills and community institutions, and digital technologies to fuel sustainable economic development and provide an attractive environment for all.

Module content:

  • Social impacts

There is an overall need for theoretical and methodological plurality in how we assess the impact and value of future cities in terms for individual and societal well−being. Gaps in our understanding relate to the complex ways individuals and groups engage with built and natural settings, the cultural goods and consequent benefits that may arise and the inequalities associated with these cultural benefits.

  • Security

Different types of cyber-attacks that could be launched against a Smart City. Impact of cyber-attacks. Approaches to securing the smart grid and critical infrastructure, i.e. improving cyber resilience.

  • Sustainable urban food production

Includes the long established allotments movement to large-scale projects based on sustainability throughout the food chain. Urban food production includes the long established allotments movement. The demand for urban growing also responds to the densification and intensification of living areas, due to population rise, migration and demographic aging with lower housing and ‘garden’ space standards placing greater importance on collective production.

  • Energy, waste and water

At present, water and wastewater facilities are often the largest and most energy intensive responsibilities owned and operated by local governments, representing up to 35% of municipal energy use. Future cities will need to utilise more sustainable methods of water and wastewater management and renewable energy production.

  • Digital technologies

​Digital technologies will play a major role in creating sustainable and resilient cities offering a vehicle for more inclusive decision−making process and promoting dialog amongst architects, urban planners, the public and technologists.

Develop a range of skills, knowledge and techniques within the natural, technological and social sciences relevant to the study of environmental sustainability and life in the twenty-first century. Understand the critical issues that confront humanity and begin to discern appropriate responses.

Module content:
The challenge of sustainable development
Problems associated with life in the 21st Century and the relationship to scientific provisionalism and uncertainty.

The genesis of sustainable development concept
Developments associated with the Club of Rome are outlined while Limits to Growth and the Tragedy of the Commons.

Evolution of sustainable development
The Reo Summit and Suitability, and Policy Developments thereof.

Scientific inquiry and sustainable development
Controversial issues like climate change, oil peak, and food production and the role of science in helping delimit them as problematic.

Mainstreaming sustainability
Sustainability and Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience, as individual and social concerns, and their role in transformation.

Communicating sustainability
Human well-being, Environmental Justice, Environmental Policy and the practicalities of Sustainability in Scotland.

Sustainable development in practice
Community Empowerment associated with Land Reform. Energy Production and Food Production in Tayside.

Ethics and sustainability policy
Active citizenship and globalisation.

Innovating locally, transforming globally
Transformations required to embrace Sustainability.

Active relationship for sustainable futures
Thinking globally, acting locally.

How lifestyle can effect physical and mental well-being. This module enables you to reflect on your own lifestyle choices and how to incorporate good health behaviours into your life.

Module content:

  • Sleep and stress
    The impact of sleep and stress on health and performance. Completion of sleep diaries and questionnaires related to sleep patterns and stress.
     
  • Physical activity
    Current physical activity recommendations, components of physical fitness.
     
  • Physical inactivity
    Understanding why people are inactive. The link between physical inactivity, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
     
  • Physical activity and mental well-being
    The effects of physical activity on mental well-being.
     
  • The effect of carbohydrate consumption and exercise on blood glucose
    Measurement and recording of blood glucose in response to the carbohydrate ingestion and exercise.
     
  • Simple health and fitness testing
    Measurement and recording of data. Tests will include blood pressure, strength, endurance and flexibility. Data will be compared with normative values for these tests.

Develop critical thinking skills that form the basis for progression across the academic disciplines of the university. Learn how to recognise, construct, evaluate, criticise and defend different forms of argument.


Module content:
•    Potential 'timeless' debates 
Debates delivered by internal and external experts on: e.g. existence of God; privacy and civil society; private property; money as source of 'evil'; nature/nurture; free speech; pornography; capital punishment; prostitution; animal experimentation; meaning of justice; abortion; affirmative action; just war; trade union power; good life/good political community; human nature; monarchy; value of democracy; meaning of equality; citizenship rights.

•    Potential 'timely' debates
Debates delivered by internal and external experts on: eg, Scottish independence, academic freedom; drug legalisation; drug use in sport; immigration; free health care; war on terror; EU membership; euthanasia; progressive taxation; race and gender discrimination; gay marriage; human rights; politics/sport; global warming; internet censorship; nuclear power; education league tables; nuclear weapons; GM agriculture; religion; cloning; fair trade; value of contemporary culture.

•    Critical thinking seminars
Follow-up discursive discipline specific seminar sessions led by teaching staff on topics covered in formal debates. Learn to identify types of argument presented, evaluate perspectives and to reflect upon their own reasoning processes and value assumptions. The debates and seminars facilitate a foundation for the acquisition of graduate attributes.

•    WEB CT Wiki discussion forum
Work in small groups to write a short 800 word indicative "Thinking Summary" online Wiki of the arguments presented in each debate. These summaries will be constructed by each designated Thinking Group of three students using the Wiki facility on Blackboard which will facilitate further discussion on the moderated WEB CT discussion forum.

The social, managerial, economic, political, and technical challenges and opportunities associated with emerging renewable energy innovation, production, supply and consumption.


Module content:
•    Renewable energy non-technical challenges and opportunities
Social and political challenges and opportunities of renewable energy production supply and consumption. Economic and environmental challenges of renewable energy production supply and consumption. Strategic and managerial challenges of renewable energy production supply and consumption.


•    Renewable energy technological challenges and opportunities
Geotechnical, Geophysical and Hydrographic information; Knowledge of sources of hydrographic information and interpretation of published charts. Forces on structures; Appreciation of the various forces acting on marine structures. Technical limitations and challenges of energy distribution systems and energy storage. Current technological development trend, collaborative innovation in renewable energy.

An understanding of the concepts of tolerance, and the importance of making sound ethical decisions. Develop the qualities, characteristics and skills to meet the aspiration for Abertay graduates to become global and active citizens. 

Module content:
•    Introduction to equality and ethics legislation 

•    Diversity competence and moral/ethical reasoning 
Inclusiveness, equal opportunities, positive action, reasonable adjustment.

•    Attributes for the workplace and for global citizenship.

•    Reflective practice 
Application of models of reflective practice.

•    Contemporary issues

Learn how to adjust language to suit context. Analyse a range of linguistic issues, including “proper English”, how language can be used to create moral panics, and the ethics of communication.

Module content:

•    “Good English”
The role of standardisation, dialect and idiolect − how we choose language to reflect our identities and our role in a speech or discourse community.

Language and influence
How the media constructs narratives to persuade or inform the audience (and how to tell the difference).

Creating a narrative across genres
The conventions, freedoms and limitations of different forms; using these forms in new ways.

Narrative changes over time
How authors reinvent old stories to reflect current concerns.

Technical writing
The use and manipulation of data; hearing the author's voice; critiquing "bad science".

The ethics of communication
 (Electronic) media and ownership, attribution and theft.

“Personal” digital safety to make computer security fun, practical and eye-opening.  Learn the base knowledge that will continue to be relevant to future generations of devices.

Module content:
•    Current state of computer security
An overview including legal aspects.

•    Cyber-attacks, vulnerabilities and threats
Malware, Network attacks (denial of service, packet sniffing etc.), bots and rootkits. How the bad guys can obtain your password.

•    Information leakage
Recovery and forensics recovering deleted or corrupted files. What your browser knows about you. Web browser forensics.

•    Securing networks, accounts and devices
Defence against malware, honeypots, Secure protocols, intrusion detection, Password security, Mobile device security.

•    Human aspects of cyber security 
The Psychology of Hackers, Social Engineering, identity theft, Usability vs security.

•    Breaking the code
An introduction to cryptography, Encryption and Decryption, public and private keys, the key exchange problem.

•    History of cryptography 
The Caesar cipher, polyalphabetic ciphers, the Playfair cipher, the role of Enigma and the Bletchley Park cryptographers in WWII.

•    Computers and Crypto Diffie-Hellman and RSA encryption
Phil Zimmerman and “Pretty Good Protection". Quantum Cryptography – Provably unbreakable information hiding. Mathematical Underpinnings – Large prime numbers and why they matter.

•    Steganography
 A picture's worth a thousand words when you're hiding the wood in the trees.

•    The law, society and cryptography 
Why you can be imprisoned for forgetting your password. The Civil Liberties Arguments for and against strong-crypto. International perspectives on information hiding, information freedom, the right to privacy and the conflicts between these. Are unbreakable cyphers an unqualified “good thing”?

Develop perspectives on the key challenges faced by humankind such as environmental change, pollution, food security, energy provision, conflicts, terrorism, emerging diseases, and changing demographics. Understand the overwhelming complexity of the problems and the need for interdisciplinary approaches to create solutions.

Module content:

  • Interdisciplinary research
    Introductory lectures will discuss the definitions, methods, benefits, challenges, and drawbacks of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches and the role of public policy influencing research
     
  • Global challenges
    Challenges from different disciplines. Examples include: Climate Change: causes and impact; Serious Games: science and application of visualization and games; Global Security: valuing ecosystems: balancing policy, economics and environment; Contemporary Challenges to Healthy Living; Food Security: global threats and local needs; Energy Poverty: space travel.

Design an activity to communicate and present scientific principles to primary school children. Learn about working as a group and how to communicate complex ideas.

Module content:
Developing a science communication activity
Target audience, sources of information to identify suitable activities (CfE documentation etc.), health and safety, issues around working with specific groups, accessibility, ethics, costing and sustainability.

The landscape of engagement and current practice
Types of public engagement activities, target audiences, funding, role of learned societies, universities and other bodies. Public engagement in Dundee and Tayside.

Work in a team to develop game design concepts for serious applications. Gain the knowledge, processes and techniques of game design and study examples of serious games developed to benefit society.

Module content:
•    Overview of Games
A brief history of games, game art and gamification.

•    Games for change
Understanding how games can benefit society.

•    Game mechanics
Deconstructing core components of popular game genres.

•    Gameplay constructs
What is gameplay and how is this broken down and communicated within the game design.

•    The game design process
Conceptualisation, iteration, phases of workflow.

•    Game design theory and practice
Identifying the elements within effective design and how they are implemented.

•    Documenting the design interactive
Oriented design, technical design, capturing requirements.

•    Business models
Exploring methods that can be used to generate revenue within the game design.

Develop the knowledge and awareness required to make good career decisions and the skills and confidence to successfully navigate each stage of the recruitment process for graduate jobs.

Module content:

  • Developing self-awareness
    Profiling of personal strengths, values and priorities in relation to career choice.
     
  • Developing opportunity awareness
    Generating career ideas based on your personal profile; Exploring the range of graduate opportunities within job sectors of interest; Reviewing occupations that are directly related to your own subject discipline.
     
  • Developing a career action plan
    Matching your personal profile with best fit opportunities in the job market; Creating a timeline of actions to improve your prospects of meeting your aim.
  • Developing job seeking skills
    Sourcing suitable job opportunities - both advertised and unadvertised; Creating a professional image online; Identifying the skills and qualities employers look for in graduates; Learning how to produce targeted applications for specific job roles; Practising the presentation of your strengths and motivations in face to face selection activities.

Learn about natural disaster such as landslides and flooding, structural disasters such as the Tay Rail Bridge and the system of critical infrastructure (such as road, rail, air and shipping transport networks, power grid, gas and water networks, health system) that constitute the backbone of modern societies.

Module content:
•    Overview of the scope and the content of concept of critical infrastructure failure during natural disasters and resilience against such failures
The consequences of geophysical, hydrological and meteorological disasters on critical infrastructure and critical infrastructure protection capabilities against natural disasters. Interdependencies of critical infrastructures during large disasters, presents a brief review of current research being done in this field, and presents a methodology to address interdependencies.


•    The identification of the vulnerabilities of the critical systems
The critical systems upon which modern society, economy, and polity depend. The identification of the vulnerabilities of these systems threats that might exploit these vulnerabilities. The effort to develop techniques to mitigate these vulnerabilities through improved design.


•     Flooding in Scotland
General overview of fluvial, pluvial and coastal flooding, the structural, economic and societal impact and responses to flooding. Resources will include historical examples, current policies and information (including SEPA flood maps). Case study (with virtual/actual field visit?) the Perth Floods of 1990 and 1993 and the Perth flood defence scheme*


•    Landslide origins, types and mitigations
General overview what landslides are, why they happen and what can be done to prevent them.


•    Structural failure
An example such as why the Tay Bridge failed and what it meant for the Forth Rail Bridge.


•    Reports and investigations
The role of reports in accident and disaster investigations in creating informative reports; case studies of accidents, disasters, learning from history, learning from case studies, learning from common law

Introduction to the skills and knowledge needed to launch a small business successfully. This module will define and help you acquire the personal and professional skills needed to develop a professional career and/or to succeed as entrepreneurs in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Module content:

  • Understanding entrepreneurship.
     
  • Generating successful business ideas.
     
  • Environmental scanning.
     
  • Developing a credible business plan that includes evaluating business ideas.
     
  • Presenting the business idea.

An understanding of some of the processes involved in food production. Discuss common misconceptions and ideas which present the food and nutritional industries in a bad light.


Module content:
•    Student led investigations
Student led investigations of the different sectors within the food and drink industry including: prebiotics – and the controversy surrounding the term; if barbequing is a healthy cooking method; and exposing the celebrity chef - common Myths about cooking.


•    Consumerism
Does the food industry listen to us? Understanding consumer and sensory science to better understand why you buy the products you buy.  How food/public health is reported by the media? The French paradox / Mediterranean diet.


•    Future of food
Ethical food production and the future of foods, and what’s waste got to do with it?


•    Debunking myths
Debunking food myths, more science than science fiction in our food today, like the science behind getting sauce out of a bottle and what to drink – Whisky or Beer?


•    Facts from fiction
Finding facts from fiction, investigating the three-second rule – should I eat things that have fallen on the floor? What’s so super about super-foods? Fat or sugar: Which is worse?

Learn how we approach and understand mental health, from historic, social, therapeutic, and individual perspectives. Explore questions such as ‘what is madness?’, ‘how does society position people with mental illness?’, and ‘how do we best respond to challenges to our mental health?’

Module content:

  • Historical and cultural perspective on mental illness
    How do we ‘think’ about mental health, and mental ill health?
     
  • Diagnosis and the anti-psychiatry movement
    Who holds the power to decide what is normal in terms of psychological well-being and behaviour?
     
  • Gender, culture and mental health
    How gendered cultural expectations and representations influence how we respond to mental health issues.
     
  • Media representations
    The impact of film and literature on attitudes and understandings of mental health.
     
  • Resilience, treatment and recovery
    Common mental health problems in the UK, treatment and management, and frameworks for enhancing well-being and resilience.

An introduction to the wide range of disciplines in forensic investigation. Learn how crimes are investigated from the moment of reporting through to the presentation of the evidence in court. A hypothetical case study provides an over-arching framework in which to explore the critical aspects of forensic investigations. It involves not only physical and electronic evidence, but also statements from witnesses, suspects and victims which requires cross discipline collaboration of professionals.

Module content:
Crime scene investigation
How a crime scene is examined in the context of incomplete contextual information and to avoid loss or contamination of evidence and the maximising of the value of evidential material.

Media involvement
Positive and negative effects of the media/public interest in the crime.

Forensic biology
Examination and evidential value of body fluids, DNA, hairs and fibres.

Forensic chemistry
Analysis for drugs, toxicological analysis, firearms, explosives, and trace evidence.

Digital sources
Evidence from CCT, mobile phones, computer hardware, on−line behaviour.

Forensic reasoning and practice
An introduction to forensic problem solving, thinking styles, case assessment and interpretation.

Psychology of witnesses and suspects
False confessions, offender profiling, effects and avoidance of cognitive bias in forensic science through process design.

Year 2 Core Modules

You must study and pass all five core modules

Brief description

Key concepts regarding crime and punishment, how they are understood and represented in society and what impact this understanding of crime can have.

Module content:

  • The meaning of crime, deviance and punishment: What do we mean by crime, deviance and punishment? How and why do different societies define certain behaviours as criminal whilst others do not? External and internal social control; the problem of social order; conformity and deviance.
  • The extent of crime and deviance: The incidence of crime; How reliable are official statistics on crime? Who commits most crime? Are official statistics on crime useful? How do we ‘talk’ about crime and define criminal behaviour?
  • Crimes of the powerful: Exploring the dark figure of crime: uncovering the implications of dominant constructions of criminality. What crimes exist that we know very little about? Why might that be? Includes engagement with crimes of the powerful including state corporate crime and human trafficking.
  • Inequality and crime: The meaning of Criminalisation and an examination of aspects of this, including an examination of the shift from criminalising HARM to criminalising OFFENCE.

Brief description

Introduction to the work of three key social theorists, Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim, to critically illustrate the nature of capitalist modernity and the foundations of contemporary sociological theory and practice.

Module content:

  • Karl Marx: Capitalism, Workers` Movement and The Communist Manifesto (1848); Dialectics, Fetishism and the Purpose of Critique; Value, Labour, Money; Capital, Surplus Value and Exploitation; Primitive Accumulation, the Logic of Separation and the Question of Crisis; Class Struggle, Revolution and Communism.
  • Max Weber: Introduction: contextual overview and biography; The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; Conception of sociology and methodology; Bureaucratisation and rationalisation; Class, status and party; Political sociology: power, legitimacy and the state.
  • Emile Durkheim: Introduction: contextual overview and biography; The Rules of Sociological Method; Suicide; The Division of Labour in Society; Morality and Religion; Crime, Deviance and the Law.

Brief description

Ways of interpreting new laws, forms of policing and new forms of criminalisation.

Module content:

  • Criminalisation: The criminalisation of everything; the development of new laws, forms of surveillance and ways of thinking about crime.
  • Race and class: Moral and amoral panics, past and present, regarding class and race.
  • Tolerance, intolerance and zero tolerance: Changing nature of the elite, of the legal subject and the new criminalising dynamic.
  • Fear, risk and regulation: The importance of policing fear and developing a culture of control.
  • The rise and fall of ‘youth’: Freedom and rebellion; regulation and safety of generation ‘Snowflake’.

Brief description

This module complements earlier programming modules. Learn in a practical rather than theoretical way, some of the fundamental ideas of software engineering so you can develop and communicate designs for small and large scale software systems.

Module content:

  • Problem-solving: Capturing requirements, general problem-solving techniques, testing, the idea of a non-programming language.
  • OO Analysis Design and Implementation: Identify objects in a system and structure data and information in class definitions. Mapping object oriented design principles to programming constructs.
  • Abstraction: Understand how to work with complexity by using code abstraction, code blocks and control flows.
  • Class modelling: Introduction to UML class diagrams.
  • Data design – an OO approach: Modelling using object-oriented techniques, drawing informal and formal diagrams to describe information and behaviour (including UML), design patterns.
  • Data design – a relational approach: Modelling using relational techniques, theoretical and practical design concerns, constructing and querying a database using basic SQL Modelling using relational techniques, theoretical and practical design concerns, constructing and querying a database using basic SQL.

Brief description

Media discourses of criminal activity and the state. 

Module content:

  • Crimes of the Powerful: The state as criminal actor.
  • Media, Crime and Power: Investigative Journalism, Corruption and the Political Process.
  • State Corporate Corruption.
  • The Nation State and Violence.
  • Terrorism and Counter Terrorism in the Global War on Terror.
  • Crimes Against Humanity.
  • Transnational Organised Crime.
  • The Geopolitical War on Drugs.
  • Urban Legends, Conspiracy theories and other Stigmatised Knowledge.

Years 1 and 2 Elective Modules

You must study and pass one elective module of your choosing

Introduction of the concept of smart cities - hard infrastructure, social capital including local skills and community institutions, and digital technologies to fuel sustainable economic development and provide an attractive environment for all.

Module content:

  • Social impacts

There is an overall need for theoretical and methodological plurality in how we assess the impact and value of future cities in terms for individual and societal well−being. Gaps in our understanding relate to the complex ways individuals and groups engage with built and natural settings, the cultural goods and consequent benefits that may arise and the inequalities associated with these cultural benefits.

  • Security

Different types of cyber-attacks that could be launched against a Smart City. Impact of cyber-attacks. Approaches to securing the smart grid and critical infrastructure, i.e. improving cyber resilience.

  • Sustainable urban food production

Includes the long established allotments movement to large-scale projects based on sustainability throughout the food chain. Urban food production includes the long established allotments movement. The demand for urban growing also responds to the densification and intensification of living areas, due to population rise, migration and demographic aging with lower housing and ‘garden’ space standards placing greater importance on collective production.

  • Energy, waste and water

At present, water and wastewater facilities are often the largest and most energy intensive responsibilities owned and operated by local governments, representing up to 35% of municipal energy use. Future cities will need to utilise more sustainable methods of water and wastewater management and renewable energy production.

  • Digital technologies

​Digital technologies will play a major role in creating sustainable and resilient cities offering a vehicle for more inclusive decision−making process and promoting dialog amongst architects, urban planners, the public and technologists.

Develop a range of skills, knowledge and techniques within the natural, technological and social sciences relevant to the study of environmental sustainability and life in the twenty-first century. Understand the critical issues that confront humanity and begin to discern appropriate responses.

Module content:
The challenge of sustainable development
Problems associated with life in the 21st Century and the relationship to scientific provisionalism and uncertainty.

The genesis of sustainable development concept
Developments associated with the Club of Rome are outlined while Limits to Growth and the Tragedy of the Commons.

Evolution of sustainable development
The Reo Summit and Suitability, and Policy Developments thereof.

Scientific inquiry and sustainable development
Controversial issues like climate change, oil peak, and food production and the role of science in helping delimit them as problematic.

Mainstreaming sustainability
Sustainability and Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience, as individual and social concerns, and their role in transformation.

Communicating sustainability
Human well-being, Environmental Justice, Environmental Policy and the practicalities of Sustainability in Scotland.

Sustainable development in practice
Community Empowerment associated with Land Reform. Energy Production and Food Production in Tayside.

Ethics and sustainability policy
Active citizenship and globalisation.

Innovating locally, transforming globally
Transformations required to embrace Sustainability.

Active relationship for sustainable futures
Thinking globally, acting locally.

How lifestyle can effect physical and mental well-being. This module enables you to reflect on your own lifestyle choices and how to incorporate good health behaviours into your life.

Module content:

  • Sleep and stress
    The impact of sleep and stress on health and performance. Completion of sleep diaries and questionnaires related to sleep patterns and stress.
     
  • Physical activity
    Current physical activity recommendations, components of physical fitness.
     
  • Physical inactivity
    Understanding why people are inactive. The link between physical inactivity, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
     
  • Physical activity and mental well-being
    The effects of physical activity on mental well-being.
     
  • The effect of carbohydrate consumption and exercise on blood glucose
    Measurement and recording of blood glucose in response to the carbohydrate ingestion and exercise.
     
  • Simple health and fitness testing
    Measurement and recording of data. Tests will include blood pressure, strength, endurance and flexibility. Data will be compared with normative values for these tests.

Develop critical thinking skills that form the basis for progression across the academic disciplines of the university. Learn how to recognise, construct, evaluate, criticise and defend different forms of argument.


Module content:
•    Potential 'timeless' debates 
Debates delivered by internal and external experts on: e.g. existence of God; privacy and civil society; private property; money as source of 'evil'; nature/nurture; free speech; pornography; capital punishment; prostitution; animal experimentation; meaning of justice; abortion; affirmative action; just war; trade union power; good life/good political community; human nature; monarchy; value of democracy; meaning of equality; citizenship rights.

•    Potential 'timely' debates
Debates delivered by internal and external experts on: eg, Scottish independence, academic freedom; drug legalisation; drug use in sport; immigration; free health care; war on terror; EU membership; euthanasia; progressive taxation; race and gender discrimination; gay marriage; human rights; politics/sport; global warming; internet censorship; nuclear power; education league tables; nuclear weapons; GM agriculture; religion; cloning; fair trade; value of contemporary culture.

•    Critical thinking seminars
Follow-up discursive discipline specific seminar sessions led by teaching staff on topics covered in formal debates. Learn to identify types of argument presented, evaluate perspectives and to reflect upon their own reasoning processes and value assumptions. The debates and seminars facilitate a foundation for the acquisition of graduate attributes.

•    WEB CT Wiki discussion forum
Work in small groups to write a short 800 word indicative "Thinking Summary" online Wiki of the arguments presented in each debate. These summaries will be constructed by each designated Thinking Group of three students using the Wiki facility on Blackboard which will facilitate further discussion on the moderated WEB CT discussion forum.

The social, managerial, economic, political, and technical challenges and opportunities associated with emerging renewable energy innovation, production, supply and consumption.


Module content:
•    Renewable energy non-technical challenges and opportunities
Social and political challenges and opportunities of renewable energy production supply and consumption. Economic and environmental challenges of renewable energy production supply and consumption. Strategic and managerial challenges of renewable energy production supply and consumption.


•    Renewable energy technological challenges and opportunities
Geotechnical, Geophysical and Hydrographic information; Knowledge of sources of hydrographic information and interpretation of published charts. Forces on structures; Appreciation of the various forces acting on marine structures. Technical limitations and challenges of energy distribution systems and energy storage. Current technological development trend, collaborative innovation in renewable energy.

An understanding of the concepts of tolerance, and the importance of making sound ethical decisions. Develop the qualities, characteristics and skills to meet the aspiration for Abertay graduates to become global and active citizens. 

Module content:
•    Introduction to equality and ethics legislation 

•    Diversity competence and moral/ethical reasoning 
Inclusiveness, equal opportunities, positive action, reasonable adjustment.

•    Attributes for the workplace and for global citizenship.

•    Reflective practice 
Application of models of reflective practice.

•    Contemporary issues

Learn how to adjust language to suit context. Analyse a range of linguistic issues, including “proper English”, how language can be used to create moral panics, and the ethics of communication.

Module content:

•    “Good English”
The role of standardisation, dialect and idiolect − how we choose language to reflect our identities and our role in a speech or discourse community.

Language and influence
How the media constructs narratives to persuade or inform the audience (and how to tell the difference).

Creating a narrative across genres
The conventions, freedoms and limitations of different forms; using these forms in new ways.

Narrative changes over time
How authors reinvent old stories to reflect current concerns.

Technical writing
The use and manipulation of data; hearing the author's voice; critiquing "bad science".

The ethics of communication
 (Electronic) media and ownership, attribution and theft.

“Personal” digital safety to make computer security fun, practical and eye-opening.  Learn the base knowledge that will continue to be relevant to future generations of devices.

Module content:
•    Current state of computer security
An overview including legal aspects.

•    Cyber-attacks, vulnerabilities and threats
Malware, Network attacks (denial of service, packet sniffing etc.), bots and rootkits. How the bad guys can obtain your password.

•    Information leakage
Recovery and forensics recovering deleted or corrupted files. What your browser knows about you. Web browser forensics.

•    Securing networks, accounts and devices
Defence against malware, honeypots, Secure protocols, intrusion detection, Password security, Mobile device security.

•    Human aspects of cyber security 
The Psychology of Hackers, Social Engineering, identity theft, Usability vs security.

•    Breaking the code
An introduction to cryptography, Encryption and Decryption, public and private keys, the key exchange problem.

•    History of cryptography 
The Caesar cipher, polyalphabetic ciphers, the Playfair cipher, the role of Enigma and the Bletchley Park cryptographers in WWII.

•    Computers and Crypto Diffie-Hellman and RSA encryption
Phil Zimmerman and “Pretty Good Protection". Quantum Cryptography – Provably unbreakable information hiding. Mathematical Underpinnings – Large prime numbers and why they matter.

•    Steganography
 A picture's worth a thousand words when you're hiding the wood in the trees.

•    The law, society and cryptography 
Why you can be imprisoned for forgetting your password. The Civil Liberties Arguments for and against strong-crypto. International perspectives on information hiding, information freedom, the right to privacy and the conflicts between these. Are unbreakable cyphers an unqualified “good thing”?

Develop perspectives on the key challenges faced by humankind such as environmental change, pollution, food security, energy provision, conflicts, terrorism, emerging diseases, and changing demographics. Understand the overwhelming complexity of the problems and the need for interdisciplinary approaches to create solutions.

Module content:

  • Interdisciplinary research
    Introductory lectures will discuss the definitions, methods, benefits, challenges, and drawbacks of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches and the role of public policy influencing research
     
  • Global challenges
    Challenges from different disciplines. Examples include: Climate Change: causes and impact; Serious Games: science and application of visualization and games; Global Security: valuing ecosystems: balancing policy, economics and environment; Contemporary Challenges to Healthy Living; Food Security: global threats and local needs; Energy Poverty: space travel.

Design an activity to communicate and present scientific principles to primary school children. Learn about working as a group and how to communicate complex ideas.

Module content:
Developing a science communication activity
Target audience, sources of information to identify suitable activities (CfE documentation etc.), health and safety, issues around working with specific groups, accessibility, ethics, costing and sustainability.

The landscape of engagement and current practice
Types of public engagement activities, target audiences, funding, role of learned societies, universities and other bodies. Public engagement in Dundee and Tayside.

Work in a team to develop game design concepts for serious applications. Gain the knowledge, processes and techniques of game design and study examples of serious games developed to benefit society.

Module content:
•    Overview of Games
A brief history of games, game art and gamification.

•    Games for change
Understanding how games can benefit society.

•    Game mechanics
Deconstructing core components of popular game genres.

•    Gameplay constructs
What is gameplay and how is this broken down and communicated within the game design.

•    The game design process
Conceptualisation, iteration, phases of workflow.

•    Game design theory and practice
Identifying the elements within effective design and how they are implemented.

•    Documenting the design interactive
Oriented design, technical design, capturing requirements.

•    Business models
Exploring methods that can be used to generate revenue within the game design.

Develop the knowledge and awareness required to make good career decisions and the skills and confidence to successfully navigate each stage of the recruitment process for graduate jobs.

Module content:

  • Developing self-awareness
    Profiling of personal strengths, values and priorities in relation to career choice.
     
  • Developing opportunity awareness
    Generating career ideas based on your personal profile; Exploring the range of graduate opportunities within job sectors of interest; Reviewing occupations that are directly related to your own subject discipline.
     
  • Developing a career action plan
    Matching your personal profile with best fit opportunities in the job market; Creating a timeline of actions to improve your prospects of meeting your aim.
  • Developing job seeking skills
    Sourcing suitable job opportunities - both advertised and unadvertised; Creating a professional image online; Identifying the skills and qualities employers look for in graduates; Learning how to produce targeted applications for specific job roles; Practising the presentation of your strengths and motivations in face to face selection activities.

Learn about natural disaster such as landslides and flooding, structural disasters such as the Tay Rail Bridge and the system of critical infrastructure (such as road, rail, air and shipping transport networks, power grid, gas and water networks, health system) that constitute the backbone of modern societies.

Module content:
•    Overview of the scope and the content of concept of critical infrastructure failure during natural disasters and resilience against such failures
The consequences of geophysical, hydrological and meteorological disasters on critical infrastructure and critical infrastructure protection capabilities against natural disasters. Interdependencies of critical infrastructures during large disasters, presents a brief review of current research being done in this field, and presents a methodology to address interdependencies.


•    The identification of the vulnerabilities of the critical systems
The critical systems upon which modern society, economy, and polity depend. The identification of the vulnerabilities of these systems threats that might exploit these vulnerabilities. The effort to develop techniques to mitigate these vulnerabilities through improved design.


•     Flooding in Scotland
General overview of fluvial, pluvial and coastal flooding, the structural, economic and societal impact and responses to flooding. Resources will include historical examples, current policies and information (including SEPA flood maps). Case study (with virtual/actual field visit?) the Perth Floods of 1990 and 1993 and the Perth flood defence scheme*


•    Landslide origins, types and mitigations
General overview what landslides are, why they happen and what can be done to prevent them.


•    Structural failure
An example such as why the Tay Bridge failed and what it meant for the Forth Rail Bridge.


•    Reports and investigations
The role of reports in accident and disaster investigations in creating informative reports; case studies of accidents, disasters, learning from history, learning from case studies, learning from common law

Introduction to the skills and knowledge needed to launch a small business successfully. This module will define and help you acquire the personal and professional skills needed to develop a professional career and/or to succeed as entrepreneurs in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Module content:

  • Understanding entrepreneurship.
     
  • Generating successful business ideas.
     
  • Environmental scanning.
     
  • Developing a credible business plan that includes evaluating business ideas.
     
  • Presenting the business idea.

An understanding of some of the processes involved in food production. Discuss common misconceptions and ideas which present the food and nutritional industries in a bad light.


Module content:
•    Student led investigations
Student led investigations of the different sectors within the food and drink industry including: prebiotics – and the controversy surrounding the term; if barbequing is a healthy cooking method; and exposing the celebrity chef - common Myths about cooking.


•    Consumerism
Does the food industry listen to us? Understanding consumer and sensory science to better understand why you buy the products you buy.  How food/public health is reported by the media? The French paradox / Mediterranean diet.


•    Future of food
Ethical food production and the future of foods, and what’s waste got to do with it?


•    Debunking myths
Debunking food myths, more science than science fiction in our food today, like the science behind getting sauce out of a bottle and what to drink – Whisky or Beer?


•    Facts from fiction
Finding facts from fiction, investigating the three-second rule – should I eat things that have fallen on the floor? What’s so super about super-foods? Fat or sugar: Which is worse?

Learn how we approach and understand mental health, from historic, social, therapeutic, and individual perspectives. Explore questions such as ‘what is madness?’, ‘how does society position people with mental illness?’, and ‘how do we best respond to challenges to our mental health?’

Module content:

  • Historical and cultural perspective on mental illness
    How do we ‘think’ about mental health, and mental ill health?
     
  • Diagnosis and the anti-psychiatry movement
    Who holds the power to decide what is normal in terms of psychological well-being and behaviour?
     
  • Gender, culture and mental health
    How gendered cultural expectations and representations influence how we respond to mental health issues.
     
  • Media representations
    The impact of film and literature on attitudes and understandings of mental health.
     
  • Resilience, treatment and recovery
    Common mental health problems in the UK, treatment and management, and frameworks for enhancing well-being and resilience.

An introduction to the wide range of disciplines in forensic investigation. Learn how crimes are investigated from the moment of reporting through to the presentation of the evidence in court. A hypothetical case study provides an over-arching framework in which to explore the critical aspects of forensic investigations. It involves not only physical and electronic evidence, but also statements from witnesses, suspects and victims which requires cross discipline collaboration of professionals.

Module content:
Crime scene investigation
How a crime scene is examined in the context of incomplete contextual information and to avoid loss or contamination of evidence and the maximising of the value of evidential material.

Media involvement
Positive and negative effects of the media/public interest in the crime.

Forensic biology
Examination and evidential value of body fluids, DNA, hairs and fibres.

Forensic chemistry
Analysis for drugs, toxicological analysis, firearms, explosives, and trace evidence.

Digital sources
Evidence from CCT, mobile phones, computer hardware, on−line behaviour.

Forensic reasoning and practice
An introduction to forensic problem solving, thinking styles, case assessment and interpretation.

Psychology of witnesses and suspects
False confessions, offender profiling, effects and avoidance of cognitive bias in forensic science through process design.

Year 3 Core Modules

You must study and pass all four core modules

Brief description

Examine the relationship between gender and crime.

Module content:

  • The feminist critique of criminology: The emergence of the feminist critique and the challenge to the feminine 'other'.
  • Women and crime: The pattern of women's crime. Deviance, femininity and the response to female transgression.
  • Men and crime: Masculinity and crime, crime as structured action, crime as a resource for doing gender. The situational context and crime.

Brief description

Introduction to key issues and debates in the history and development of contemporary policing in the UK.

Module content:

  • The history of the Police: ‘Policing before the police’; from ‘Peelers’ to ‘crime fighters’ to ‘risk managers’ to ‘knowledge workers’; models of policing.
  • Policing structures and systems: What do policing structures look like? How is the service organised? Hierarchies; police powers, police cultures; policing and the media, myth and reality.
  • Police operations: Analysing and investigating crime; policing styles revisited; crime reduction and/or community safety; responding to terrorism; organised crime.
  • Key debates in contemporary policing: Governance; accountability; ethics; performance management; policing ‘futures’; surveillance.

Brief description

The importance of empirical research to the social sciences. Learn to identify and use appropriate data collection tools, apply analysis techniques to data generated and reflect upon their meaning, relevance and ethical implications.

Module content:

  • Principles of quantitative research: The elements of statistical data, how quantitative data is collected, structured and presented, how inferences and conclusions can be drawn through the application of basic statistical tests and how SPSS software can facilitate the organisation and analysis of quantitative data.
  • Qualitative data collection skills: An overview of qualitative data-collection methods, how such techniques are applicable in an array of different ways to different research contexts and how you should reflect upon yourself as an active participant in these kinds of research endeavours.
  • Approaches to qualitative data analysis: Engage in the analysis of data produced using qualitative data collection techniques. The main emphasis here will be on thematic coding and how qualitative researchers use sociological knowledge to inductive derive systematic meaning from the data they generate. The use of NVivo computer software in qualitative data analysis.
  • Research ethics and ethical issues: Research ethics and ethical issues in terms of research subject matter, the application of data collection methods, how research can impact in different ways upon research participants and wider society, as well as the formal ethical guidelines and requirements that govern sociological research.

Brief description

The prison system, the experience of imprisonment and penal policy and practice in the UK. Learn about developments in penal policy and practice, the lived experience of imprisonment and consider alternatives to imprisonment.

Module content:

  • Contemporary developments in penal theory, policy and practice: Penal institutions in contemporary society. The crises of legitimacy in penal institutions. Reorganisation and reform. Privatisation of the prison system.
  • Prison life the reality: ‘Doing time’ the actuality of prison life, the ‘total institution’? Strategies for survival, regime activities, ‘banged up’ prisoners, prison staff and civilian staff. Dealing with social exclusion. The diversity of the prison population. Stratification and power within prisons.
  • Alternatives to imprisonment the way forward?: Reducing risk or protecting the public? Reducing fear of crime? Human or humane containment and warehousing. Therapeutic prisons. Electronic tagging, community service orders, mediation/reparation.
  • Attitudes to imprisonment: Why do we have prisons? Why are they at the centre of penal policy? Are they culturally ‘acceptable’? Abolitionism.
  • Foreign nationals: Detention centres; foreign national prisoners and race relations in prisons; are immigration detention centres new types of penal establishments; critical issues surrounding foreign national prisoners in the UK.

Year 3 Option Modules 

You must study and pass two option modules of your choosing – one in Term 1 and one in Term 2

Brief description

Criminological and sociological perspectives on drug governance and addiction

Module content:

  • Historical, political and social contexts of drugs consumption and governance: Historical contexts in the growth of drug consumption and its governance. State and criminal justice drugs policy in the UK. 12 step and other recovery movements.
  • Theorising addiction: Freedom, compulsion and willpower. Neuropharmacology (and its critics) the social construction of addiction. Sociological approaches.
  • Case studies: Heroin and opioids. Smoking and anti-smoking. Alcohol.

Brief description

The history of race and racism in 19th, 20th and 21st century Britain, from the 'Scramble for Africa' through the postwar/post-colonial period to the present. Examine the various forces, processes and discourses through which race, ethnicity and the racialised subject have been constructed, shaped and changed. Also examine theoretical approaches to and debates about race and ethnicity, racism, race relations and anti-racism, and how these have developed in response to both historical developments and social-political activism.

Module content: 

  • The concept and construction of race and ethnicity: The concept and construction of race and ethnicity, and the production of racial knowledge from the colonial period to the present.
  • Race, ethnicity and nation: The (re)construction and relationship between race, ethnicity and nation in Britain in light of postwar/ post-colonial immigration and the end of empire.
  • Race, ethnicity and identity: The politics, construction and expression of racial and ethnic identities in post-colonial Britain in response to colonialism, migration, discrimination and racism.
  • Race and class: The relationship between race and class as sites of social-political identification, power, inequality, political struggle and analysis, as well as debates over which is the most effective framework for analysis and activism.
  • Race and gender: The relationship between race and gender as sites of social-political identification, power, inequality, political struggle and analysis, as well as debates over which is the most effective framework for analysis and activism.
  • Race, crime, civil unrest and political protest: The relationship (within analysis and representation) between race, the law, crime, civil unrest and political protest against socioeconomic conditions, policing and state policy.
  • Anti-racism, race relations and multiculturalism: The history and development of anti-racist and race relations discourses, activism, strategies and legislation, how they have attempted to combat forms of racism, discrimination and inequality, and debates surrounding them.
  • Race, ethnicity and the politics of popular culture: Popular culture (e.g. music, film or television) in terms of postcolonial cultural politics, multiculturalism, representation, identity and political activism.

Brief description

Introduction to the study of surveillance and cybercrime using a perspective that sees technologies as socially constructed.An analysis of the ways in which surveillance, cybercrime and cybersecurity can be seen as socio-technical assemblages.

Module content: 

  • Concepts on the social study of technology: such as (a) Social Construction of Technology (b) Technological Determinism (c) Actor-Network Theory.
  • Case studies in surveillance: such as (a) Automation of surveillance (b) Algorithmic Surveillance (c) Dataveillance.
  • Case studies in cybercrime and security: such as: (a) malware software (b) security policies and mechanisms (c) Encryption (d) the Dark Web (e) manipulation of trust and reputation.

Brief description

Examine crimes and harm against the natural environment, generally referred to as ‘green crime’. Focus on competing theoretical tools that aim to discern issues pertinent to green crime and environmental harm. Discuss theoretical propositions including: environmental risk, environmental rights and ecological justice, and in doing so, analyse issues like climate change, land reform, and wildlife conservation. Where appropriate case studies local to Scotland are used. 

Module content:

  • Contextualising green criminology: Traditional theoretical tools as regards Sociology and Criminology and their development as theoretical frameworks in understanding environmental crime and harm.
  • The risk society, the precariat and green harm crime: The rise of the risk society and the idea of the precariat as a vulnerable class of global peoples.
  • Animal rights, species justice and animism: The rise of the ‘environmental paradigm’ as an all-embracing theoretical concept in helping us understand environmental harm and crime. Using the theoretical idea the ‘new-materialism’, non-human agency as regards animal rights and species justice  in relation to contemporary environmental degradation.
  • Ecological victims: Confronting the effect of crimes and harms against the environment. The developing concept of ‘green victimology’. Using concepts like poverty, class and gender, it will look at those affected by environmental crime and other environmentally damaging activities, and begin to outline the role of criminal justice in ameliorating these problems.
  • The regulation of environmental harm: Environmental crime and governance. The extent to which law and governance contribute to the protection of the environment. In doing so, discuss the interlinked concepts of environmental governance and environmental law and terms such as deliberative democracy.
  • Environmental citizenship and ecological justice as a green panacea.
  • Wildlife crime and field sports: The case of wildlife hunting and wildlife crime in Scotland. The management of parts of Scotland as grouse moors and the issue of stalking.
  • Land-reform and environmental rights: The topical issues of land-reform in Scotland and its embodiment of land rights in relation to environmental justice, as regards Scottish legislation.
  • Resource depletion, oil peak and the circular economy: The harms caused by our continuing exploitation of oil, gas and other natural resources into the twenty-first century. The idea of the circular economy in Scotland, as a policy aimed at addressing the environmental harms caused by resource exploitation.
  • Policing the environment: NGOs and environmental enforcers: The concept and role of the ‘green movement’, especially that of NGOs, in regulating environmental crime and harm. Theoretical concepts such as ‘Regulation theory’.

Year 4 Core Modules

You must study and pass all three core modules

Brief description

Conduct and present a simple investigation into a sociological topic of their choice, the result of which is a 10,000 word dissertation.

Module content:

  • Research design: Selecting the appropriate method for a specified topic and conducting actual research - with guidance from project supervisor.
  • Reviewing literature: Collecting evidence within relevant field of research and its application to the field of study.
  • Analysing and interpreting data: Collecting, dealing with and understanding data; turning data into words and/or numbers - with guidance from project supervisor.
  • Presenting findings: Making research findings ‘public’; writing-up your project - with guidance from project supervisor.

Brief description

Contemporary theoretical approaches in criminology and their application to key issues that characterise contemporary criminal justice policy and practice.

Module content:

  • Contemporary Issues in criminal justice policy and practice: Victimology and the ‘victim’; hate crime; semiology; restorative justice 1.
  • Contemporary Issues in criminal justice policy and practice: Community safety; anti-social behaviour; restorative justice 2.
  • Insecure state: The insecure nature of `policing’ and law making.
  • Antisocial behaviour: Key issues, debates and challenges regarding the regulation of antisocial behaviour.

Brief description

Key issues and debates in policing and criminal justice matters for the 21st century. Emerging police issues, contemporary research in tackling gangs and violence, both in US and UK, eco-crime, policing borders and immigration and state crime.

Module content:

  • Gang research: What are the issues regarding contemporary research into gangs and violence both in US and UK?
  • Policing gangs: What are the key and emerging tactics that have been developed to deal with gangs and violence over time?
  • Eco crime: Emerging trends in criminology, including eco-crime or environmental crime.
  • Policing borders: How do we deal with cross border issues in policing in a modern and cultural world?
  • Policing immigration: How do we deal with immigration? Is it a crime or a humanitarian problem?
  • State crime: How do we tackle state and corporate crime?

Year 4 Option Modules

You must study and pass two option modules of your choosing – one in Term 1 and one in Term 2

NOTE module SOC410 runs over both semesters.

Brief description

Analysis of the socio-ideological discourses contained in popular cultural narratives that deal with crime, justice, punishment and morality.

Module content:

  • Morbid fascination: The social world, crime and culture.
  • Popular culture and ideologies of crime: The criminal body to the social body in accounts of crime.
  • The emergence of the detective: Modernity and the rise of the detective, from the science of deduction to the hard-boiled tradition and beyond.
  • Crime and the city: The construction of the city as criminogenic; surveillance and danger.
  • Punishment, order and justice: Law versus order, retribution and justice.
  • Moral orders: The criminal as an ambivalent figure, serial killers and modernity.

Brief description

The question of power in modern societies - the key theme at the heart of political sociology.

Module content:

  • Lectures: The lecture programme is divided into four key sections: Sociological and political theories of power; States, citizenship, rights and the law; Alternative visions of power relations - utopia and dystopia; Contesting power - social movements and political protest.
  • Tutorials: Students will be required to read set literature each week and to bring notes and points of contention from lectures to tutorials for discussion.

Brief description

Understand the language of crime through conversation analysis, discourse analysis and Wittgensteinian arguments about the public nature of language use, such as insults and bullying. Consider philosophical issues, contemporary studies, debates and critiques in relation to crime and other issues.

Module content:

  • Conversation analysis: The roots of conversation analysis in ethnomethodology and the study of social order at the local level. The nature of the conversation analytic approach is examined alongside in terms of classic and contemporary studies. Studies examined include topics such as police interrogations, counsel and witness courtroom interaction, sexual consent and refusals.
  • Discourse analysis: The different approaches to discourse analysis: from conversation analytic to critical approaches. The nature of these are explored through contemporary studies including topics such as: criminal speech acts such as conspiracy, threats, solicitation, swearing and offensive language; police talk about trauma; youth crime in the media; constructing the legitimacy of whistleblowers; phishing emails; the reporting of intimate partner violence.
  • Wittgenstein and Ordinary Language Philosophy: The resurgence of interest in Wittgenstein's approach to language use. The focus is on the reference to language games and includes consideration of topics such as the law and vagueness; the problem of abusive language, the conceptual instability of consent.

Brief description

Changing attitudes to death, dying and killing. The connections between power and the right to take or preserve life, how death and killing are represented and legitimated in various contexts.

Module content:

  • The death-denial thesis: Changing ideas of death and dying from pre-modernity to postmodernity Death denial and ambivalence the sequestration of death The ‘revival’ of death.
  • Social, political and legal constructions of death: State crime and deviance, militarism.
  • Death and representation: Conflict, commemoration and public memorialising; Death and popular culture, representations of war and death in news.
  • Death and power: The social mechanisms of oppression, consent and legitimation that determine when, how and why people kill and die; Terror Genocide.
  • Bioethics and politics: The sanctity of life versus the quality of life; The politics of ‘ethical’ decisions about life and death; Capital punishment.

Brief description

The significance of human rights in the world today. Gain a grounding in human rights from a social theoretical perspective, including current debates and trends in human rights.

Module content:

  • History and theory of human rights: Classical origins in Greece and Rome. Classical liberal thought. The French and American Revolutions. Marx. Critical social theory. Postcolonialism.
  • Human rights in transition: Human rights in armed conflict. Responsibility to protect. Refugees and asylum seekers. Genocide and torture. The International Criminal Court.

Brief description

The opportunity to take up a volunteer/work placement in a public or voluntary sector organisation throughout your fourth year.

Module content:

  • Student defined content: The learning will be shaped by the organisation in which you are placed and the role you are assigned.
  • Work experience: Gain valuable employability skills.
  • Job-seeking skills: Guidance on producing professional CVs is built into the organisation of the module.

Not sure if you're eligible for entry?

If you have the potential and motivation to study at university, regardless of your background or personal circumstances, we welcome your application.  

We understand some people have faced extra challenges before applying to university, which is why we consider the background in which your academic grades have been achieved when making an offer.  

If you expect to receive passes in three Scottish Highers (grades A-C) and have...  

  • been in care, or are a young carer yourself

  • attended a school or lived in an area where not many people go to university

  • are eligible for free school meals

  • are a young person estranged from your family

  • are a government-recognised refugee or have asylum seeker status

  • are a registered pupil with sustained engagement in a targeted aspiration-raising programme such as LIFT OFF, LEAPS, FOCUS West or Aspire North  

... we encourage you to submit an application.

Fees and funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you depends on factors such as your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying.   

More information  

Find out about grants, bursaries, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs in our undergraduate fees and funding section.  

 

Scholarships

We offer a range of scholarships to help support your studies with us.  

As well as Abertay scholarships for English, Welsh, Northern Irish and international students, there are a range of corporate and philanthropic scholarships available. Some are course specific, many are not. There are some listed below or you can visit the Undergraduate scholarship pages.  

Scholarships

Abertay RUK Scholarship: Science and Social Science

A scholarship for prospective undergraduate Science and Social Science students applying from England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Abertay International Scholarship

This is an award of up to £12,000 for prospective international undergraduate students.

Get inspired

Meet some of our Criminology graduates and find out what they've gone on to do.

A picture of Stephen Annis at Abertay University

Stephen Annis

Stephen is a Trainee Solicitor at Blackadders.

Find out more

Graduate standing in front of bookshelf holding a book

Beata Kozłowska

Beata is a Legal Executive at Maguire McClafferty Solicitors in Dublin.

Find out more

Exterior of Abertay Universities Bernard King Library

Laura Scofield

Laura provides in-depth family support to both children and young people in families who have a loved one imprisoned.

Find out more

The Discover Uni dataset

The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats) is an official source of information about higher education. It collates comparable information in areas students have identified as important in making decisions about what and where to study.

Ukrainian flag

Support for Ukrainian students

We're keen to offer help to Ukrainian students who may wish to transfer from their existing institution in Ukraine or to register with us as new students for intake in September. There will be no tuition fees charged for the duration of the degree programme, as those with refugee status are treated as ‘Home/Scottish’ students and will also have access to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland bursary and student loans. Our Recruitment Team can help guide applicants.

FIND OUT MORE

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