Introduction

The bachelor's degree in Criminology is focused on analysing crime as part of social reality. It trains professionals with scientific knowledge of the various actors involved in crime (offender, victim and community), its social and economic context, and forms of prevention and intervention with offenders and victims.
The bachelor's degree in Criminology at the University of Barcelona trains professionals capable of responding to the social needs of security and crime prevention and control. It provides the theoretical and practical tools needed to analyse the criminal reality from an interdisciplinary but integrative perspective, combining specifically criminological content with content from the fields of law, psychology, sociology, medicine, statistics, methodology, history and social work. It thus provides the tools to contribute to the fight against crime in accordance with the established legal framework and based on trust in the social policies aimed at preventing crime and minimizing its effects. The theoretical and practical approach of the bachelor's degree ensures that students learn about the social context of crime and gain the professional skills required of a criminologist. As well as a general pathway, the bachelor's degree offers specializations in Safety and Prevention and in Forensic Criminology and Criminal Enforcement.

Basic information

TypeBachelor's degrees
Faculty or schoolFaculty of Law
Branch of knowledge
  • Social Sciences
Mode of delivery

face-to-face

Credits240
Number of places available

70

 

Length of course4 academic years
Language(s) of instructionCatalan 38,6%, Spanish 54,4%, English 7%
Admission grade

9,540 (July 2024, start of process, via official entrance examinations/vocational training)

The grade may vary substantially for the 25/26 academic year because 70 places are offered instead of 140

Approximate price per credit17,69 €
Compulsory placementsNo
CoordinatorANA MARIA SANZ LEON
Course detailsIndicators
SpecializationsYes

Objectives and competences

Objectives

  • To learn how to carry out a systematic analysis and scientifically describe various criminal phenomena in current society.
  • To develop in-depth knowledge of the main objectives of criminological analysis: crime, victims and social control.
  • To train students in the scientific explanation of crime, based on knowledge and the use of criminological theories drawn from empirical evidence and scientific consensus.
  • To train students to apply the knowledge they have gained in the analysis and prediction of crime risks in specific social situations and contexts.
  • To train in the use of scientific information to make effective proposals on the prevention, control and reduction of crime.
     

Competences

Generic Competences

  • Commitment to ethical practice (critical and self-critical capabilities/capacity to demonstrate attitudes consistent with accepted notions of ethical practice).
  • Capacity for learning and responsibility (capacity for analysis and synthesis, to adopt global perspectives and to apply the knowledge acquired/capacity to take decisions and adapt to new situations).
  • Ability to work in a team (capacity to collaborate with others and contribute to a common project/capacity to work in cross-disciplinary and multicultural teams).
  • Creative and entrepreneurial skills (capacity to conceive, design and manage projects/capacity to research and integrate new knowledge and approaches).
  • Concern for sustainability (capacity to assess the social and environmental impact of actions taken in a particular setting/capacity to adopt integrated and systemic approaches).
  • Appreciation of the importance of gender equality.


Specific competences

  • Theoretical and practical understanding of the principal scientific theories on the human psyche and human behaviour and their relevance to the analysis of criminal behaviour.
  • Understanding of the fundamental rights of individuals involved in criminal proceedings, particularly with respect to privacy, security and freedom.
  • Understanding of the basic concepts of public law, the structural principles of the State and the structure and foundations of political systems and institutions.
  • Basic theoretical and practical knowledge of legal medicine and forensic science.
  • Understanding of the basic concepts of sociology, the main sociological theories and the principal aspects and processes of Spanish and Catalan society.
  • Sociological and analytical understanding of deviance, delinquency and control, legal changes and social problems.
  • Knowledge of the structure and operation of the sentence enforcement system in Spain and alternative measures, including those applicable to minors.
  • Understanding of the structure of the criminal justice system and the agents involved, including the structure of powers held by security forces and bodies.
  • Knowledge of current and historical theories on criminality, the phenomenology of criminal behaviour and types of crime.
  • Understanding of the fundamental scientific and methodological principles of criminology and capacity to apply the data collection and analysis techniques commonly used in this discipline.
  • Knowledge of the principal psychological factors involved in career criminality and capacity to apply techniques for predicting the risk of violent and criminal behaviour.
  • Critical understanding of the scientific, ethical and legal aspects of the means-end relationship in the prevention and processing of criminal behaviour.
  • Understanding of the legal framework applicable to public and private security, the connections between society, the police and private security, and the planning and management of security activity.
  • Capacity to conceive, design and manage legislative projects in the area of social intervention and action.
  • Ability to review and synthesize criminological information for the expert analysis of a specific situation of case, and understanding of the possible influence of this analysis on the decision-making process.
  • Up to date understanding of organized crime (terrorism, state crime, professional crime, drugs and sects).
     

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Applicants for the bachelor's degree in Criminology at the University of Barcelona should be concerned about social issues, democracy, the rule of law, coexistence and diversity, and collective well-being. They should be broad-minded, innovative people who can adopt a scientific approach. Applicants must be clearly motivated to learn and take on new ideas, and have a certain degree of altruism.

The ideal criminology student is a person who wants to obtain professional training on the concepts of security, justice and well-being; someone who has understood that people's safety, the modernization of institutions, or plurality and coexistence are essential issues in the risk society, with implications for security and for the economic and social development of the country; someone who wants to build a professional career in these areas.

Access requirements and conditions

Admission for students with studies completed outside Spain.

Applicants holding higher educational qualifications from a university outside Spain should consult the page Admission with foreign qualifications to find out about specific admission requirements.
 

Pre-enrolment

Students that have studied abroad and who wish to study at the University of Barcelona may be admitted to EHEA bachelor's degree courses. Procedures for gaining admission will depend on the qualifications held by each applicant.

For further information about admission, consult the page Admission with foreign qualifications.
 

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online via the Món UB portal. To find out the date and time you have been assigned, check the specific information for your course. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned.

Academic information

Schedules

Welcome

Support and guidance

Pre-enrolment information and events

 

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

Type ECTS
Basic training 60
Compulsory 132
Optional 42
Compulsory placements 0
Compulsory final project 6
TOTAL 240

List of subjects

Pathways and specializations

Specialization in Safety and Prevention (2009)
Specialization in Forensic Criminology and Application of Criminal Law (2009)
Check the planning of the different pathways of the degree

Previous years

Placements

Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment.They are therefore included in the academic record.  There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 500 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.
 

Institutional information

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

The main career opportunities for graduates in criminology are in the following areas.

  • Police and security forces: victimology, criminal science and police science.
  • Prisons: rehabilitation programme design, technical teams, reports.
  • Prison supervision: inmate monitoring, procedures and reports, advisors to supervising judges, technical team for observation centres.
  • Victimology: management of victim care units, primary care for victims, reports and surveys, field work, prevention strategies.
  • Private security: managers of security companies, training of security staff, consultancy.
  • Law: criminal databases, writing and monitoring reports and statistics, forensic criminology.
  • Justice for minors: control of probation and imprisonment, reports on measures and the development of the minor, processes of conciliation or reparation, treatment programmes, assessment and action in situations of risk.
  • Marginality: studies, field work, preventive strategies.
  • Criminal policy: diverse strategies and techniques.
     

Access to the labour market

Data from the university system in Catalonia

Contact us

Faculty of Law

Diagonal, 684 - 08034 Barcelona

Secretary: 934 020 127
sec.dret@ub.edu

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