Law with Criminology (LLB)

You’ll build your independent learning skills in a supportive, close-knit learning community. Our expert teaching team encourages collaboration, with opportunities to learn alongside and from your peers.

Modules are taught by teams of lecturers with a mix of academic and professional experience so that you benefit from their knowledge drawing together real-world examples and the latest criminological research to bring your learning to life.

You’ll graduate with the confidence, transferable skills, and legal expertise to succeed in your future career. We support this through self-directed learning and a wide range of resources beyond the classroom.

Each module makes extensive use of Learning Central, our virtual learning environment. Here, you’ll access discussion forums, pre-recorded lectures, and a range of digital resources to support your studies.

How will I be supported?

You’ll receive regular feedback on your progress throughout our programme. This includes formative feedback in small group teaching, seminars, and tutorials, helping you reflect on your work and improve future assessments.

Outside scheduled teaching, you can meet academic staff during Student Support Hours to discuss your learning, ask questions, and get extra guidance.

You’ll have access to extensive library resources, both on campus and online. These include books, journals, and specialist legal databases, giving you everything you need to find cases, legislation, and wider research materials.

Throughout your studies you’ll be supported by personal tutors - including Welsh-speakers if you choose to study in Welsh - in both law and criminology. You can also access support from our Academic Support Tutor and student mentoring scheme.

We also offer a range of careers support, including workshops, advice from our in-house Law Careers Consultant, and guidance from our Pro Bono Scheme Coordinator.

You'll also have access to a range of student services and support, co-located in the Centre for Student Life. This includes services relating to Advice and Money, Student Futures, Counselling, Health and Wellbeing, the Student Disability Service, Academic Study Skills and Student Mentoring.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment methods vary across modules, helping you build a broad range of legal and transferable skills.

You’ll complete a mix of assessments, including essays, exams, reflective writing, and drafting advice for hypothetical clients. You’ll also deliver presentations that develop your advocacy skills - from presenting legal arguments as if in court to communicating ideas to academic audiences.
 

What skills will I practise and develop?

The Learning Outcomes for this Programme describe what you will achieve by the end of your programme at Cardiff University and identify the knowledge and skills that you will develop. They will also help you to understand what is expected of you.

On successful completion of your programme you will be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding:

KU 1 Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of fundamental legal concepts and the key criminological theories and concepts and their relationship to cognate social science disciplines

KU 2 Critically evaluate the content and application of legal rules, principles, and theories in a variety of political, economic, social, cultural, and ethical contexts

KU 3 Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the doctrinal coherence significance of a body of statutes and/or case law

KU 4 Critically engage with key ideas, theories, developments and debates in contemporary criminology and criminal justice and selected sub-fields.

Intellectual Skills:

IS 1 Critically evaluate a range of knowledge, scholarship and arguments in law and criminology, with due regard to their evidential basis and underpinning principles, and make reasoned judgements.

IS 2 Undertake basic legal research identifying relevant issues using relevant primary and secondary sources

IS 3 Interpret and apply legal rules, principles, and abstract concepts to complex factual situations to solve problems

IS 4 Utilise knowledge and skills to understand and explain social phenomena of interest to criminology and apply this understanding to new or novel questions.

Professional Practical Skills:

PS 1 Communicate persuasively across audiences and genres, conveying academic ideas and legal-technical arguments to both specialist and non-specialist audiences using visual, written, or oral techniques.

PS 2 Independently propose practical and ethical solutions to actual or hypothetical client-based legal problems.

PS 3 Systematically evaluate and recognise ambiguity and uncertainty in the law

Transferable/Key Skills:

KS 1 Research and study creatively, independently, and reflectively, applying advanced knowledge and skills to unfamiliar legal or criminological challenges or contexts.

KS 2 Demonstrate initiative by taking responsibility for one’s independent study and managing one’s time, including in the completion of assessments, and working in teams when appropriate.

KS 3 Demonstrate technical proficiency in written English and/or Welsh and competence in applying scholarly and legal-technical terminology, so as to be able to apply skills in critical evaluation, analysis and judgement effectively in a diverse range of contexts.

KS 4 Express ideas coherently and succinctly, within defined word limits, and using information technology.

KS 5 Demonstrate digital literacy and the ability to assess the credibility of information sources.