LLB Hons Law with Criminology

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Surrey

Program Overview

The LLB (Hons) Law with Criminology at the University of Surrey blends a strong legal foundation with a deep dive into the causes and consequences of crime — giving you the insight to think like both a lawyer and a criminologist. It’s ideal if you’re curious not just about laws, but about how crime impacts society, public policy, and justice.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1
In your first year, you’ll get the core legal building blocks — modules like Contract Law I & II, Criminal Law I & II, Tort Law, and Public Law I. At the same time, you'll be introduced to criminology through units such as Introduction to Criminology, exploring how social, psychological, and economic factors influence criminal behaviour.

Year 2
Second year deepens both streams: you’ll take more legal modules in Equity & Trusts, Land Law, and Administrative Law. In criminology, you’ll engage with units like Victims of Crime and Criminological Theory, developing your understanding of the role of victims and competing ideas about criminal responsibility.

Year 3
In the final year, you’ll tailor your studies to fit your interests with options like Medical Law, Intellectual Property Law, Family Law, or Tax Law. On the criminology side, you might take Crime & Social Policy or Policing and Crime Prevention, and will likely complete a Criminology Dissertation, giving you a real chance to research a topic you care about.

Focus Areas

Law & Criminal Behaviour, Victims & Social Policy, Policing, Crime Prevention, Legal Practice

Learning Outcomes

You’ll emerge with strong legal reasoning and advocacy skills, a sophisticated understanding of criminological theory, the ability to think critically about crime and justice, plus research and policy-analysis experience.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The law component is a Qualifying Law Degree, meeting the academic requirements needed to progress to solicitor or barrister training in the UK — while the criminology experience gives you added credibility for policy, public service, or academia.

Reputation (Employability & Rankings)

Surrey’s Law School is well regarded, with a high rate of graduate employment, and the combined law-criminology degree gives you a unique edge in careers that bridge legal and criminal justice systems.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Surrey, students on the LLB Law with Criminology learn by doing. From practising real advocacy in the purpose-built Moot Court to working directly with clients through the Surrey Law Clinic, the course is designed to help you apply legal and criminological knowledge in real-world scenarios. You’ll also gain hands-on experience with criminology research tools, crime analysis methods, and professional legal databases, helping you build both academic confidence and practical competence.

To show you exactly what this looks like in practice, here are some of the opportunities and facilities you’ll have access to:

Surrey Law Clinic, where you can work with real clients under supervision and develop interviewing, casework, and advisory skills.
Dedicated Moot Courtroom, used for mooting competitions, advocacy practice, and simulated hearings.
Access to professional legal databases such as Westlaw and LexisNexis, helping you build essential legal research skills.
Criminology research facilities, including digital tools for crime data analysis, victim studies, and offender profiling work.
Guest lectures and workshops delivered by practising solicitors, barristers, criminologists, and professionals from the criminal justice sector.
Group projects and applied assignments that mirror real legal teamwork, such as drafting case briefs or analysing crime patterns in communities.
Professional Training opportunities and internships, available through Surrey’s strong employer network, allowing students to gain workplace experience in legal, policy, or criminal justice settings.
The School of Law’s specialist study spaces and access to the university’s extensive library resources for legal and criminology research.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates from Surrey’s LLB Law with Criminology step into a wide range of exciting careers across law, policing, criminal justice, and policy. Many students move into roles such as criminal lawyer, criminologist, probation officer, police analyst, or legal researcher. The blend of legal training and criminology insight makes you especially employable across sectors that rely on analytical thinking and an understanding of justice.

To show you exactly how Surrey supports your career development, here are the key advantages you gain as a student:

Dedicated Careers & Employability support, offering tailored sessions for law and criminology students, including CV guidance, interview practice, and networking with employers.
Surrey has consistently strong employability results, with a very high percentage of law graduates entering work or further study shortly after finishing their degree.
Industry partnerships with law firms, justice organisations, local authorities, and non-profit agencies, providing placement and internship opportunities through Surrey’s Professional Training options.
The degree includes a Qualifying Law Degree accreditation, which holds long-term value for progressing to solicitor or barrister training.
Strong graduate outcomes, with alumni working in legal practice, criminal justice agencies, government departments, charities, and private-sector compliance teams.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing this degree, you could continue your legal training through routes such as the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) or a Bar training course. You might also choose to specialise further with a master’s degree in areas like Criminology, Human Rights, Criminal Justice, or Advanced Legal Studies — or even progress into academic research with a PhD.