Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 240 credits by this date.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
Is there a link between poverty and crime? Are inequality and injustice factors in anti-social behaviour? What can be done to tackle the breakdown of social cohesion that resulted in rioting and looting in Britain’s inner cities? Can early childhood intervention and other crime prevention schemes provide an effective alternative to punishment through the criminal justice system? The Diploma of Higher Education in Social Policy and Criminology explores the debates that lie behind these key questions. You’ll examine contemporary controversies about how to deal with the apparent rise in crime and disorder at a time of recession, rising unemployment and deepening public sector austerity; and investigate issues of crime and social policy in local, national and international contexts. This wide-ranging diploma course will equip you with concepts and theories that underpin contemporary criminology and social policy, and develop the skills you need to evaluate the range of policy alternatives.
It is designed to follow on from the Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences (C95) and if you have completed the certificate, you will already be half way towards this diploma.
Your study experience for this diploma course will be equivalent to the first two years of a full-time degree and will provide both the subject knowledge and the study skills you need to progress to Level 3 study.
Planning your studies
Whether or not you’re new to study with the OU we recommend that you start with a module at Level 1 and that you complete your Level 1 study before going on to Level 2.
As this diploma follows on from the Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences (C95) we strongly recommend that you complete your Level 1 study and claim the certificate before going on to study at Level 2.
The modules listed can count towards this diploma after we have stopped presenting them for a maximum of twenty years for Level 1 modules and ten years for Level 2 modules. Because of the demands that the modules in the diploma will make on you we recommend that you study only one module at a time.
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 80 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you. Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your diploma of higher education.
Career relevance and employability
This diploma offers a comprehensive introduction to the worlds of criminology and social policy. It will open up employment opportunities in health, education and social care as well as in the criminal and youth justice systems, in both the public and the voluntary sectors.
The Diploma of Higher Education in Social Policy and Criminology develops skills that are relevant to a wide range of careers in social policy and criminology and beyond. It will enhance your capacity for critical thinking and analysis, problem solving and written communication, and improve your time management and basic numerical skills.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this 240-credit diploma you require:
60 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 1 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Introducing the social sciences (DD102)
|
60 |
|
- You and your money: personal finance in context (DB123)*
|
30 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued 60-credit modules D103, DD100, DD101, the discontinued 30-credit modules DD121, DD122, DD131, DD132, DSE141
*Can only be studied if you have already studied one of the discontinued 30-credit modules
And an additional 60 credits from the modules listed above or from the following optional modules:
Level 1 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- An introduction to health and social care (K101)
|
60 |
|
- Discovering mathematics (MU123)
|
30 |
|
- English for academic purposes online (L185)
|
15 |
|
- Environment: journeys through a changing world (U116)
|
60 |
|
- Essential mathematics 1 (MST124)
|
30 |
|
- Introducing statistics (M140)
|
30 |
|
- Investigating the social world (DD103)
|
60 |
|
- The arts past and present (AA100)
|
60 |
|
- Understanding the autism spectrum (SK124)
|
15 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules: A103, AZX103, A173*, A181*, B120, D103, D170*, D171*, K100*, KZX100, MST121, MU120, SDK125, SK183*, T172, T175, TU100, U122, W100, Y151*, Y156*, Y157*, Y158*, Y159*, Y160*, Y161*, Y162*, Y163*, Y164*, Y166*, Y176*, Y177*, Y178*, Y179*, Y180*, Y181*, Y182*, Y183*, Y186*
And 60 credits from the following compulsory module:
Level 2 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- Welfare, crime and society (DD208)
|
60 |
|
And 60 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Adult health, social care and wellbeing (K217)
|
60 |
|
- The uses of social science (DD206)
|
60 |
|
- Youth justice: theory, research and practice (K209)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules: D218, DD201, K202, K204
*You cannot count more than 30 credits of short 10- or 15-credit modules towards this qualification
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of courses so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
On completion
On successful completion of the required modules you will be awarded a Diploma of Higher Education in Social Policy and Criminology, and will be entitled to use the letters DipHE (Open) after your name.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
How to register
If you want to study for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of
our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the
module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.
During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification