Four new undergraduate courses developed by former detective to prepare students for a rapidly changing sector

University College Birmingham (UCB) has launched four new criminology degree courses in response to the UK Government’s proposed reforms to policing and the wider justice system.

Available from September 2026, the courses were developed by senior lecturer and former Detective Sergeant Scott Banks, who has drawn on more than a decade of policing experience to embed real-life scenarios, victim-focused perspectives and professional skills into each module.

The four programmes are: Criminology BA (Hons); Criminology and Psychology BA (Hons); and foundation year versions of both.

Empowering students through lived experience

Banks said the courses were designed to reflect the sector’s shifting landscape. “The landscape and nature of the justice system in this country are changing rapidly,” he said. “These courses equip students with the highly transferable skills they need, such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication and leadership, developed against a backdrop of real-world scenarios.”

The curriculum moves away from traditional academic structures, encouraging students to explore issues through the lens of race, gender, identity and lived experience. “We’ll look at the fundamentals, but students are empowered to apply their own lived experiences,” Banks explained. “These factors shape how a person interacts with the system, and we all benefit from being exposed to these accounts.”

Students will also develop digital skills, including producing vlogs and podcasts, building a portfolio as part of their assessment. The courses align with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and are designed to open pathways into probation, youth justice, victim support and community safety, among other fields.