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Criminology and Criminal Justice (Bachelor)
2026/2027

General

Academic degree:
  • Bachelor (Bologna 1st cycle degree)
ECTS:
180
Duration:
6 curricular semesters
Regime:
Daytime
Place:
Gualtar Campus, Braga (UM)
Main Scientific area:
  • Law

Contacts

    School of Law
    Campus de Gualtar
    4710-057 Braga
    Tel: +351 253601800 Fax:
    E-Mail: sec@direito.uminho.pt
    URL: http://www.direito.uminho.pt

Description

The course of study is designed in order to provide graduates with an overall understanding of crime - in all its dimensions - and to develop a critical and reflective attitude towards this. Thus, these graduates will be an effective asset in the work that they will come to develop in the police force, in prisons, in official bodies involved in monitoring the different levels of the phenomenon of crime in its multiple facets.

Key learning outcomes

With the degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, the main objective is to achieve the following objectives:
1. First of all, it seeks to provide the Licensee with a solid perspective of the criminal phenomenon, broadly understood, in terms of understanding the factors inherent to it.
2. Understanding the legal phenomenology linked to crime is naturally an essential objective, thus seeking to understand the background and specific reasons linked to this domain.
3. Equally fundamental is the penetration of criminal reality by the area of ??psychology (widely considered), where aspects such as the domains of evidence, neuropsychological bases of crime, processes of social reintegration, among others, prove to be of extreme importance, both on a theoretical level , both in the practical and professional scope.
4. The sociological perspective is also very important, not only in theoretical terms but also in practical terms, as a largely conditioning aspect of criminal phenomenology and for which the student must be properly trained.
5. Victimology is also fundamental in the course in question, with a view to understanding this phenomenon in all its dynamics.
6. The methodological aspects (quantitative and qualitative) are naturally key objectives for the students' understanding of the course as well.
7. On the other hand, it is intended to provide graduates with broad intervention skills, namely at the professional level, through the development of their skills in the sense of preventing risks inherent to criminal phenomenology, supporting social reintegration, helping the victim, development of security strategies, etc.
8. The development of students' communicative skills is presented as a fundamental factor, along with investment in their continuous training.

Access to higher education

This course firstly provides students with the technical-scientific ability to access 2nd-cycle (Masters) courses, as well as 3rd-cycle Courses (Doctorate) at a more advances stage.

Careers

Graduates of this course are qualified to perform preventive and reactive duties within the scope of police action (GNR, PSP, PJ, SEF, ASAE, etc.); within the framework of the functioning of public bodies in terms of diagnosis and prevention of crime; within ministerial offices, in particular in the prevention and study of crime in the broad sense; in the field of private organizations, especially in the definition of security and crime prevention strategies; in the context of social reintegration, promoting the social integration of prisoners and assisting in the management of prisons; in the area of victim support, contributing to their protection, both in a reactive and purely preventive field.

Access

50

Vacancies

0

Minimum

Access forms

The access to this Cycle of Studies can be done through the following ways:
- Application for National Access to Higher Education Admissions;
- Application for Special Access to Higher Education Admissions;
- Application for Local Access to Higher Education Admissions;
- Application for Special Access to Higher Education Admissions;
- Application for Access to Higher Education Admissions through Re-Entry, Change and Transfer of Course.

Formal requirements

Entrance Testing 

One of the following sets:
18 Portuguese
or
02 Biology and Geology
or
11 History
18 Portuguese
or
02 Biology and Geology
18 Portuguese
or
19 Mathematics A
18 Portuguese 

This information must be verified on
http://www.dges.gov.pt/guias/detcursopi.asp?codc=L078&code=1000

Aditional Information

Study Plan

Regime Curricular Unit Scientific Area ECTS
Year 1 60
S1 Constitutional Law in Criminology CJP 5
S1 Criminal Law I in Criminology CJP 5
S1 Introduction to Criminology Psi 5
S1 Introduction to Law Theory CJG 5
S1 Quantitative and Qualitative Methods M; SOC 5
S1 Sociology of Crime SOC 5
S2 Applied Research in Criminology SOC; Psi 5
S2 Criminal Law II in Criminology CJP 5
S2 Criminal Psychology and the Offender Psi 5
S2 Introdução à Cibercriminologia CJP 5
S2 Neuro-Psychological Bases of Crime Psi 5
S2 Opção UMinho 5
Year 2 60
S1 Child and Family Law CJPri 5
S1 Criminal Procedure Law I CJP 5
S1 Environmental Criminology Psi 5
S1 Juvenile Delinquency Psi 5
S1 Sexual Criminality CJP 5
S1 Theory of Evidence CJG 5
S2 Criminal Law III in Criminology CJP 5
S2 Criminal Procedure Law II CJP 5
S2 Critical Criminology Psi 5
S2 Fundamental Rights in Criminology CJP 5
S2 Psychology of Memory and of Testimony Psi 5
S2 Victimology Psi 5
Year 3 60
S1 Crime and Media Representations CCom 5
S1 Criminal Prevention Psi 5
S1 Criminal Profiles and Scenes of the Crime Psi 5
S1 Economic and Financial Criminal Law CJP 5
S1 Law, Crime and Literature CJG 5
S1 Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences ML 5
S2 Penitentiary Psychology Psi 5
S2 Police Psychology and Security Forces Psi 5
S2 Prison Studies and Reintegration Policies SOC 5
S2 Psychopathology, Addiction and Crime Psi 5
S2 Restorative Justice Topics CJG; CJP 5
S2 Opção 5
Criminal Politics CJP 5
International Criminal and Humanitarian Law CJP 5
Introduction to Criminal Investigation Techniques CJP 5
Legal Anthropology SOC; CJG 5
Organized Crime CJP 5
Participatory Methodologies and of Intervention SOC 5
Penetenciary Law CJP 5
Philosophy of Law Concepts CJG 5
Social Inequalities and Public Policy SOC 5

Assessment/Accreditation

A3ES Accreditation status:
Accredited
Resolution publication date:
27-03-2026
A3ES deliberation:
https://si.a3es.pt/sia3es/page?stage=ConsultaPublicaProcesso&processID=28010
Registry number at Ministry:
R/A-Cr 146/2013/AL02
Registry Date:
08-05-2026
Accreditation validity:
31-07-2032