About Criminology And Security BA (hons) in University of Liverpool

The BA (Hons) Criminology & Security was launched in 2013 and is the first criminology degree in Singapore. It is a full time, three year undergraduate degree and is based on the same degree structure followed by students based in Liverpool, although it is additionally tailored to be relevant to the Singapore and broader South East Asian contexts. Its quality and depth are identical to the undergraduate degrees offered at our home campus.

Crime is one of the most talked about and governed problems of the contemporary age but what is ‘crime’? Is it on the increase? Is it a social problem that has a ‘solution’? Are criminals easily identifiable? Why are certain types of people more likely to commit certain crimes? Are victims a readily apparent group? What is the purpose of punishment in the criminal justice system? How should crime be responded to? Why do the media report crime in the way they do? Such questions provide the focus for the study of criminology. Our approach to criminology investigates these issues in relation to theoretical perspectives and the workings of criminal justice institutions.

In the first year, students follow the common first year model studied by all students in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology. In the second year, students focus on specific criminological debates and are prepared to undertake original research. In the third and final year, students have a greater element of choice relating to a range of criminological subjects and have an opportunity to conduct their own in-depth research into a criminological area that most interests them.

Teaching and learning are conducted through lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, guided independent study, group work, reflective and experiential approaches, and community-based learning opportunities. There is a strong emphasis on reading, writing and spoken contributions throughout the degree programme, but we are aware that many students will not be from social science backgrounds, and so ample assistance is provided to all students to improve these skills.

Career opportunities

In 2013, a UK study found that social science graduates are more likely to be in employment after graduating than natural science students, and a higher proportion of social science graduates are in senior and managerial roles. According to the study, 84% of social science graduates were in employment following graduation, compared to just 78% of science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates. Social science graduates are highly employable due to the many transferable skills they acquire in the course of their studies, such as analytical and critical thinking skills; research capability; communication skills in reading, writing and speaking; interpretive ability; possessing a broad historical and contemporary knowledge base; creative problem-solving; independent perspective-taking; adaptability; and many others.

One of the possible career paths following successful completion of this degree includes working in Singapore’s Home Team (e.g. Singapore Police Force, Singapore Prison Service, Immigration Checkpoint Authority). Other ministries in Singapore may also be keen to employ graduates with social science degrees in various capacities, depending on your strengths.

Those who do not want to work in governmental agencies may also consider careers in the following sectors:

• NGOs or grassroots organisations (e.g. working with ex-offenders, victims of crime, relatives of prisoners etc).
• Researching for an independent institute, think tank or charity (e.g. conducting research about youth or family to inform policy making).
• Postgraduate study with the intention of becoming an academic (e.g. making deeper enquiries about the area of the discipline which most interests you with the intention of becoming a university academic).
• Journalism and media (e.g. becoming a newspaper journalist or being involved in producing television news reports).
• Private sector businesses (e.g. using the many transferable skills acquired in the degree and applying them to an unrelated sector such as management or banking).

Students have the opportunity to increase their employability by engaging in the many Value Added Programmes offered by the Singapore Institute of Technology. This will be collated in a Record of Achievement which will be presented to students upon graduation, and reflect the additional activities they engaged in whilst studying for their degree.

In the second and third years of study, students are given a rare opportunity to partner a local grassroots organisation to conduct research on their behalf, which will be beneficial for them in making real-world decisions, but also beneficial to students in acquiring work experience which will be attractive to future employers. This will also be a chance for students to make a difference to real peoples’ lives.

Our reputation as a leading centre for excellent education is why the University of Liverpool is one of the top 24 universities in the UK targeted by leading graduate employers.

Academic qualification equivalents

• Successful completion of examinations at standard X and XII (Higher Secondary School Certificate) with minimum marks of approximately 70 to 85%, according to the course and exam board.

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS: A  minimum of IELTS band 6.0–7.0, with no component below 5.5.
• TOEFL iBT: 78-88 overall with 19-Listening, Writing, Reading, 21-Speaking.
• PTE:  55-62 with minimum score of 51 in any component

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University of Liverpool Average Tuition Fees And Other Expenses

The estimated fee and cost of living per year for international students is tabulated below: