Access to Higher Education Diploma (Law and Criminology)

Part 1: Academic study techniques

• Understand personal learning strengths and weaknesses.
• Understand how to plan and organise study.
• Be able to assess the reliability of sources of information.
• Understand how to use reading strategies.
• Understand note-taking methods.
• Understand how to plan written work.
• Understand how sources are referenced.

Part 2: Academic research

• Be able to plan a piece of research on an approved subject area.
• Be able to collect research material from different sources.
• Be able to use data to substantiate an argument.
• Be able to record sources of information.
• Be able to present research findings.

Part 3: Progressing to higher education

• Understand potential next steps in education.
• Understand key sources of information relevant to HE application.
• Be able to recognise the range and variety of opportunities available in HE.
• Understand the importance of work-related activities to enhance progression in HE.
• Understand the financial implications of further study.
• Know how to apply for a course.

• Understand the development of criminology in Britain.
• Understand the different models of criminology.

• Be able to analyse what crimes are and the reliability of recorded data.
• Understand the causes of crime and the related contemporary criminological theories.
• Understand the historical development of crime and sentencing.
• Be able to evaluate the role of the media in relation to the reporting of crime.
• Understand the effects of crime on the victim.

• Understand different theories on the causes of crime.
• Understand theories of violence and aggression.

• Understand explanations of crime and deviance.
• Understand theories or crime and deviance.
• Understand perceptions of crime and deviance.

• Understand the link between public perceptions of crime and criminality, and the news media, film and television media and social media.
• Understand the criminological research into the links between crime and media.

• Understand the roles of the forensic psychologist.
• Understand how psychologists have contributed to jury behaviour and eyewitness memory.
• Understand offender profiling.
• Be able to apply an offender profile technique.

• Understand health and safety legislation.
• Understand the employment contract.
• Understand legislation relating to the termination of employment.
• Understand equal opportunities.

• Understand consumer protection legislation.
• Understand the function of regulatory bodies in relation to consumer protection.

• Understand the background of the youth justice system.
• Understand the impact of legislation on practice.
• Understand the principles and value of inter-agency work.

• Understand the criminal court process and its personnel.
• Understand sentencing policy and procedures.

• Understand the English legal system with particular reference to Judicial Precedent and legal legislative process.
• Understand the charging relationship between EU law and English Law.
• Understand funding for legal advice and assistance and representation.
• Understand the structure and personnel of the English legal system.

• You must be at least 19 years old to enrol on this course.
• You will need to have a minimum of a grade C or 4 in GCSE English Language and GCSE Maths. Copies of your official certificates will be requested as part of the enrolment process before your place is confirmed. Functional Skills Level 2 Maths and English will also be considered.
• You will need to have access to a laptop or computer and the Internet to complete this course.
• If there is a particular university course you wish to study after completing this diploma, it is your responsibility to ensure it meets the entry requirements.

It will take two years to complete this course. The minimum number of independent study hours you are required to do each week is 20 hours. It is crucial to ensure that you are able to allocate this study time around your other commitments.

Please note, you will be provided with an assessment timetable which will detail your assignment release and deadline dates.

This Access to Higher Education course doesn’t include any exams. Your will be assessed through assignments including essays, presentations, and reports.

Your assessments will be distributed on set dates according to the course timetable, with each having a fixed deadline which you must meet.

Your qualification will not be assigned an overall grade. Instead, grading will be based on graded units, with a maximum of 60 credits available to achieve. These grades will correspond to a specific number of UCAS points based on the credit value:

• Non-graded units will be graded as ‘achieved’ or ‘unachieved’.
• For graded units, you will receive a pass, merit, distinction, or fail.

Find out more about unit credits, and which units are graded and ungraded here.

You will study this course via distance learning, offering you the flexibility to study whenever and wherever you choose. Whether it’s from the comfort of your home or any other location of your preference, the choice is entirely yours.

However, you must ensure that you submit your assignments by the dates outlined in your assessment timetable. Rest assured, tutor support is readily available via email, so help is only a click away. Additionally, you will have access to video mentoring sessions with your tutor for graded units.

The study method you choose depends on your personal learning style. Your options are:

Study pack: if you choose the study pack option, you will be sent a set of printed course materials. 

Study online: if you choose this option, you will be sent your login details to our online portal through which you will access your course materials digitally. You can access your course via a desktop/laptop computer.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded an Access to Higher Education Diploma in Law & Criminology. AIM Group serve as an access validating agency for the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

With this law and criminology diploma, you can achieve up to 144 UCAS points depending on the grade you achieve. Find out more about UCAS points here.

Once you’ve completed the Access to Higher Education Diploma, you’ll have several options to consider. You could continue your education by pursuing bachelor’s degrees, foundation degrees, higher national certificates/diplomas, or even higher degree apprenticeships. Alternatively, the diploma can open doors to employment opportunities in sectors that require evidence of achievement at level 3.

This qualification will also prepare you for progression into higher education subjects including, but not limited to:

• Criminology
• Community justice
• Criminal justice
• Law
• Policing
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Forensic psychology

Please note, it is strongly suggested you contact your prospective universities before beginning the Access to Higher Education Diploma to confirm their specific entry requirements.