BA (Hons) Criminology and Sociology

Combine the two popular disciplines of Criminology and Sociology as you study some of the most contentious issues in contemporary life. This stimulating combined degree is jointly taught by the world-leading, research-active academics based in our prestigious Law School and Sociology Department. They will encourage you to look beyond traditional views and consider how ideas about crime, justice, society and culture are shaped by history, economics, politics and ideology.

Our unique approach to your first year allows you to select modules in Law, Sociology and Criminology, tackling topics such as youth justice, sex offending, drugs, crime and the media, stigma and deviance, sociologies of help and illness and marginalised groups.

You will benefit from our excellent connections with NGOs, charities, and local criminal justice agencies such as Lancashire Police and HMP Lancashire Farm. You will be able to visit the prison and engage in collaborative learning, and analyse data from Lancashire Police; this data is then often used by the force. All of this helps you to make professional connections, learn more about criminal justice agencies, and get a head start on your career.

You will gain vital skills for a career within, and beyond, the criminal justice system as you develop your abilities to think critically, communicate, speak in public, work in teams, write for academia and carry out research and data analysis. The duality of this course also means you will be practiced at looking at issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

If you would like to take a global perspective on Criminology and Sociology, you can opt for Study Abroad - extending your degree to four years and spending your third year with one of our highly-regarded partner universities in the US and Canada.

Throughout your degree, you will gain vital skills for a career within or beyond the criminal justice system. You will develop your ability to think critically, communicate, speak in public, work in teams, write for academia, carry out your own research and competently analyse data. Assessment is through coursework, presentations and exams with options to produce media portfolios, posters and dissertations.

A dedicated careers officer is available to you, and you can access professional bodies and organisations through our links with them.

Your degree can open doors to jobs in the private, public and voluntary sectors. Our graduates have gone on to roles with Criminal Justice Agencies (the Police, the National Probation Service, GSL UK), the Home Office, the Department for Health, Social Services, NHS Trusts, Charities and the Youth Offending Service. Undergraduate study can also lead to further study options, including: LLM/MA Criminology and Criminal Justice; MSc Criminology and Social Research Methods; MSc Criminal Justice and Social Research Methods; or PhD-level study.

Careers

Your degree can lead to a wide choice of rewarding jobs in the public, private and third sectors.

Our criminology graduates are welcomed by the Police, the National Probation Service, the National Offender Management Service, and private providers within the Criminal Justice System (such as G4S). Your degree can also open doors to roles in the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Health, or with a charity linked to the Criminal Justice System, such as WomenMATTA (supporting women in prison).