BA Social Policy and Criminology

Alternative offers through our Pathways to Birmingham programmes and our Contextual Offer scheme

Students who are eligible and successfully complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme will receive special consideration from admissions tutors and an alternative offer (typically two grades below the standard offer). In addition, our Contextual Offer Scheme recognises the potential of students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement in school or college. If you are eligible to benefit from the contextual offer scheme, you will receive an offer which is one grade lower than the standard offer.

Where can your social policy degree take you?

Your Birmingham Social Policy and Criminology degree is evidence of your ability to succeed in a demanding academic environment. You will graduate as a highly employable, independent global citizen with a broad range of transferable skills. In the latest Complete University Guide league table for 2025, Birmingham is ranked 13th out of 130 institutions surveyed. Studying at the University of Birmingham will boost your employability prospects - we are the first choice for leading graduate employers searching for graduate recruits (High Fliers Research 2024).

Employers target Birmingham students for their drive, diversity, communication and problem-solving skills, their team-working abilities and cultural awareness, and our graduate employment statistics have continued to climb at a rate well above national trends. If you make the most of the wide range of services available to you on this Social Policy and Criminology degree, you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Careers Network

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start your Social Policy and Criminology degree at the University of Birmingham. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham Social Policy and Criminology degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CVs and job applications will help give you the edge. In addition, our employer-endorsed, Birmingham Award recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

We also offer voluntary work which complements your studies by helping you gain practical experiences in occupational settings while contributing back to society. This can bring new skills that will be useful throughout your future and can make a positive impact on your learning whilst at university. Volunteering enables you to develop skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, self-confidence and self-discipline, all of which can be transferred into your studies.

Visit the University of Birmingham Careers pages for further information on how we are 'connecting you to your future'.

Career opportunities

There are a number of career paths for you to take after graduating from your Social Policy degree. There are graduate schemes in managing welfare services in health care, the third sector and local government which can be popular choices with our graduates. Since our Social Policy degree is based upon how policy is made it is a great degree for working in the civil service, local government or for think tanks. Our graduates also gain many transferable skills such as critical thinking, written and verbal communication, and teamworking skills, which give them the flexibility to go into a wide range of employment opportunities:

• Campaigns Manager – The Princes Trust
• Culture Change Officer – Birmingham City Council
• Domestic Violence Advocate – Women’s Aid
• Policy Manager – Social Work England
• Management Consultant – Deloitte UK
• Marketing Professional – BT
• Programme Manager – National Lottery
• Senior Policy Advisor – Cabinet Office
• Service Manager – Solihull Community Housing

Opportunities to secure a career that is right for you can be enhanced not only through experiences that are available to you on your Social Policy and Criminology degree programme, but also through our specialist Careers Network.