Level 3 Qualifications - Criminology

East Norfolk Sixth Form College

Church Lane, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 7BQ

Other Regulated/Accredited Qualification

Level 3

Available start dates

Tuesday, 01 September 2026

East Norfolk Sixth Form College

2 Year(s)

Full time

Daytime/working hours

Application Instructions

Please refer to EN's Entry Requirements Guide for specific advice on our Admissions Policy. This guide is supplied at interview to prospective students and is also available to Schools & Careers Advisers.

Course Summary

Criminology aims to answer a number of key questions in society such as:

- How do we explain why people commit crime?

- What makes someone become a serial killer, or abusive to their own families?

Knowing about different criminological theories will give you a sharper insight into the kind of thinking used by experts and politicians to explain crime and criminality.

The course provides an understanding of crime and deviance but also gives an insight into the range of related careers. Criminology L3 is equivalent to an AS/A level.

Course Details

Year 1: Certificate

- Changing Awareness of Crime: Not all types of crime are alike. What different types of crime take place in our society? What kinds of crime exist about which we know very little, or which are simply not reported to the police and the media? How do we explain people's reluctance to come forward about crimes of which they have been the victim? At the end of this unit, you will have gained skills to enable you to differentiate between myth and reality when it comes to crime and to recognise that common representations may be misleading and inaccurate.

- Criminological Theories: How do we decide what behaviour is criminal? What is the difference between criminal behaviour and deviance? How do we explain why people commit crime? What makes someone a serial killer, or abusive to their own families? Criminologists have produced theoretical explanations of why people commit crime, but which is the most useful? Are these theories relevant to all types of crime? You will gain the skills to apply the theories to a specific crime or criminal in order to understand both the behaviour and the theory.

Year 2: Diploma

You will take two units:

- From Crime Scene to Courtroom

- Crime and Punishment

How will it be delivered and assessed?

Exam - 50%

Coursework 50%

Entry requirements

Grade 4 in GCSE English Language and an average GCSE score of 5.00 or higher.

Your next steps...

The course aims to provide an understanding of crime and deviance and provide an insight into careers in criminology. It now has UCAS points attached to it and accepted at universities.

For more courses like this, check our courses page.