Undergraduate

Criminology

Are you fascinated by crime and the human mind? Crime, psychology, ethics and law are just some of the areas you will explore as you seek to better understand people and the criminal justice system.
75
ATAR

Contact us

Address

Student Central

The University of Western Australia (M355), 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009

Telephone

131 UWA (131 892)

International

(+61 8) 6488 1000

Hours

8.30am - 5pm AWST, Monday - Friday

Frequently asked questions

Careers and further study

This course opens up a world of future study pathways and career opportunities.

Career Pathways

Our Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and single Criminology major in the Bachelor of Arts or Philosophy (Honours) have been designed to maximise your employability by focussing on the specific, practical skills that employers in industry are looking for.

You'll be encouraged to question current practices and find ways for improvement while developing a broad range of policy and practice-relevant skills, including the capacity to think critically, integrate theory and research into practice, and communicate effectively in written and oral forms, which will maximise your employability in the criminal justice and government sector.

Career opportunities include: 

  • Criminologist
  • Community development worker
  • Police / correctional services officer (sworn or unsworn member)
  • Policy adviser at the local, State, or Commonwealth level
  • Health / justice researcher
  • Criminal / social justice advocate
  • Youth worker
  • Working in loss-prevention and risk management in the private sector

Our Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and single Criminology major in the Bachelor of Arts or Philosophy (Honours) have been designed to maximise your employability by focussing on the specific, practical skills that employers in industry are looking for.

You'll be encouraged to question current practices and find ways for improvement while developing a broad range of policy and practice-relevant skills, including the capacity to think critically, integrate theory and research into practice, and communicate effectively in written and oral forms, which will maximise your employability in the criminal justice and government sector.

Career opportunities include: 

  • Criminologist
  • Community development worker
  • Police / correctional services officer (sworn or unsworn member)
  • Policy adviser at the local, State, or Commonwealth level
  • Health / justice researcher
  • Criminal / social justice advocate
  • Youth worker
  • Working in loss-prevention and risk management in the private sector

4 reasons to do Honours

  • Boosts analytical, critical, problem solving skills and project management.
  • Regarded highly by future employers in wide range of sectors: business, law, government, semi-government.
  • Leads to higher earnings and better career advances.
  • Increases admission chances of highly-sought graduate degrees domestically and internationally, including the Juris Doctor and the Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Further Study

A major in Criminology can lead to further study at honours and/or postgraduate level. You could choose to apply for courses such as the Juris Doctor, Graduate Diploma in Law, Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology or Master of Social Work.

A major in Criminology can lead to further study at honours and/or postgraduate level. You could choose to apply for courses such as the Juris Doctor, Graduate Diploma in Law, Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology or Master of Social Work.

Fees and scholarships

Learn more about the fees that apply to you for this course. For fee type definitions and further assistance, see the Fee Calculator Help page. You can also search our database for scholarships that are relevant to you or this course

Domestic Student Fees

Indicative annual course fee
2025
Commonwealth Supported Place $10,248.76

Eligible Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) students can use the HECS-HELP loan program to pay their tuition fees. For Full-Fee Paying (FFP) places, students are charged an annual course fee.

Find out more information about tuition fees, or visit the fee calculator for a more accurate cost.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.

Cost of living

There are a few things to consider before applying to study at university. One could be your cost of living. This can depend on factors such as lifestyle, accommodation, tuition fees, medical insurance, textbooks and more. For an indication of expenses and average costs, see our Cost of living page.

International Student Fees

Indicative first year fee
2024
$45,800.00
2025
$48,300.00

Find out more about tuition fees or visit the fee calculator for the estimated total course fee.

Note, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are subject to increase up to 7.5 per cent per annum.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.

Cost of living

There are a few things to consider before applying to study at university. One could be your cost of living. This can depend on factors such as lifestyle, accommodation, tuition fees, medical insurance, textbooks and more. For an indication of expenses and average costs, see our Cost of living page.

Admission requirements

The University of Western Australia welcomes applications from international and domestic school-leavers. If you’re interested in studying this major, find out the admission details below.

Minimum entry requirements

Below you’ll find a list of admission equivalencies for this course's Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR).

Admission requirements

For applicants with recent secondary education, information on admission criteria is available on our entry requirements page or on the UWA Handbook for course specific requirements and prerequisites.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENT

English competency

English is the language of instruction and assessment at UWA and you will need to meet the English language requirements of the University to be eligible for a place.

Minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5, with no band less than 6.0.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENT

How to apply

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Ready for the next step?

Find out how to apply through our simple online application process. 

We'll guide you through our entry requirements, admission pathways available to you and application deadlines for your chosen course. 

We can’t wait for you to join us!  

Apply now

Course details

Our single Criminology major is offered in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours), or as a second major in most other bachelor's degrees. This major gives you the opportunity to learn about core aspects of the role that criminology plays in understanding and responding to crime, including developing a critical understanding of current criminal justice practices in Australia.

About the course

Relative to the bachelor’s degree, our Criminology major provides a more concentrated coverage of knowledge and perspectives relating to crime, focusing on criminology, psychology and history.
Criminology

Quick details

Status
  • Available
Locations
  • Perth (Crawley campus)
  • Albany (Regional campus)
Attendance
  • Full-time
  • Part-time
Delivery
  • On-campus
Starting dates
  • Semester 1, Semester 2
Level of study
  • Undergraduate
Course Code
  • MJD-CRIMN
Full time/part time duration
  • 3 years (BA);4 years (BPhil [Hons])
Criminology
Status
  • Available
Locations
  • Perth (Crawley campus)
  • Albany (Regional campus)
Attendance
  • Full-time
  • Part-time
Delivery
  • On-campus
Starting dates
  • Semester 1, Semester 2
Level of study
  • Undergraduate
Course Code
  • MJD-CRIMN
Full time/part time duration
  • 3 years (BA);4 years (BPhil [Hons])
Honours Available
  • Yes
Degrees course is available in
  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

4 reasons to do Honours

  • Boosts analytical, critical, problem solving skills and project management.
  • Regarded highly by future employers in wide range of sectors: business, law, government, semi-government.
  • Leads to higher earnings and better career advances.
  • Increases admission chances of highly-sought graduate degrees domestically and internationally, including the Juris Doctor and the Master of Business Administration (MBA).

You may also be interested in these courses

Hear from our distinguished staff

Senior Lecturer Jade Lindley

Dr Jade Lindley is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the UWA Law School whose research focuses on transnational crimes and their intersection with international law. Jade is particularly interested in transnational organised crime, with a focus on the criminal motivations to offend and the responses to control these crimes.  Jade has worked in state and federal level government in Australia and as a consultant for various international organisations around the world.  

“My research intersects with pertinent global issues relating to human, border, environmental and food security, several of which are within the scope of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”
– Jade

 
Hear from our distinguished staff
CRIMINOLOGY

What you'll learn

  • An understanding of the breadth of issues in contemporary criminology and the criminal justice system.
  • How to critique crime and criminal law.
  • Transferable creative thinking, teamwork and problem-solving skills.
 
CRIMINOLOGY

Western Australia's premier Law School

The UWA Law School is ranked in the top 150 law schools in the world for Law and Legal Studies (QS 2024). You will join and contribute to 90 years of excellence: we are the first law school established in WA and the fifth oldest in Australia.

Our graduates include a Prime Minister, a Governor of Western Australia, State Ministers, Justices of the Supreme Court of WA, a Young Australian of the Year, Rhodes Scholars, and more.

While we have a long and proud history, we're also a closely-knit, creative and progressive Law School, fostering critical thought, ethical scholarship and practice, a deep connection to our Indigenous past and present, and supportive student culture based upon wellbeing and inclusion.

Course Structure

Our undergraduate degrees offer you a broad range of options allowing you to combine subjects in a way that matches your career goals and personal interests. 

 

Popular combinations

Course information video

Criminology

Dr Joe Clare speaking about criminology
Hear from our distinguished staff

Associate Professor Hilde Tubex

 

Associate Professor Hilde Tubex is the Director of Criminology at UWA. Her areas of expertise are comparative criminology, Indigenous peoples and the criminal justice system and criminalised women. Prior to joining UWA in 2011, Hilde worked at the Department of Corrective Services in WA as the Team Leader of Research and Evaluation. Before migrating to Australia, Hilde was an adviser to the Belgian Minister of Justice and the Council of Europe.

"Being a Criminologist is still the job of my dreams. It is challenging because there are no simple solutions to complex problems in crime and punishment but trying to explain and do something about it is what gets me out of my bed in the morning!"
– Hilde

 
Hear from our distinguished staff
CRIMINOLOGY

4 reasons to study Criminology

1. It's interdisciplinary and varied: in the Criminology major you'll take units from a wide range of areas, including Law, Psychology, Finance, Anthropology and Sociology, Geography and History.

2. It's fascinating: learning about crime and criminal law is interesting. From understanding the criminal justice system to tracking the history of crime and punishment in Britain, you'll be constantly surprised and intrigued along the way.

3. It's practical: whether you're majoring in Criminology itself, or taking it as a second major, it works well in combination with Psychology, Law and Society and History in particular.

4. It's well regarded by employers: you'll develop the capacity to think critically, integrate theory and research to practice, and communicate effectively in written and oral forms, all of which are excellent skills to have upon graduation.

CRIMINOLOGY

Your degree options

This major is offered as a degree-specific, or first, major for these degrees. It is also offered as a second major in our other bachelor's degrees.

Hear from our distinguished staff

Associate Professor Joe Clare

Dr Joe Clare

Associate Professor Joe Clare is the Deputy Head of Research at the UWA Law School. He is a Criminologist, award-winning lecturer and researcher. He has worked in applied research roles for universities and governments in Australia and Canada, utilising his quantitative research expertise to contribute to policy and practice decisions in a range of criminal justice contexts. His research interests include applied evaluations, crime statistics, policing, crime prevention, and academic misconduct.

"I’m committed to evidence-based decision-making for emergency first responders and focused on using administrative data to make prevention-focused policy and practice decisions."
– Joe

Hear from our distinguished staff
CRIMINOLOGY

Take a second major

Employers seek graduates with a breadth of knowledge from multiple complementary areas. Have you considered taking a second major to increase your skills and experience?

Criminology pairs well with these other majors:

CRIMINOLOGY
Hear from our distinguished staff

Dr Hayley Passmore

Dr Hayley Passmore is a lecturer in Criminology at the UWA Law School and has qualifications in child health, criminology and psychology. Hayley is dedicated to supporting the health of those in adult corrections and youth justice facilities, particularly those who are neurodiverse. Hayley has received international recognition for her research and its impact, including receiving a 2020 Churchill Fellowship, and was a 2022 WA Finalist for Young Australian of the Year.

“I’m passionate about using evidence to improve the health and wellbeing of people who are involved in the justice system – because prison health is public health.”
– Hayley


Hear from our distinguished staff