Criminology

Criminology brings the tools of social science to bear on some of the most challenging questions in contemporary society, asking why people commit crimes, how the justice system responds, and whether its outcomes are fair and effective. It is a discipline that refuses simple answers, drawing on sociology, psychology, law, and history to examine the social conditions that shape offending, the institutions through which crime is defined and policed, and the experiences of both those who commit offences and those who are harmed by them. At its best it combines intellectual rigour with a commitment to understanding how real systems affect real people.

At Abertay University, you will study Criminology over four years, full time, with a year abroad built into the programme. Abertay's setting in Dundee, a city with its own complex economic and social history, gives the programme a grounded quality, and the year abroad adds international comparative perspective that enriches your understanding of how different societies approach crime and justice. You will engage with the major theoretical traditions in criminology, from classical and positivist approaches to critical and cultural perspectives, and examine specific crime types, criminal justice institutions, victimology, and the social and policy debates surrounding punishment, rehabilitation, and prevention.

Research methods and data literacy are central throughout, building skills that are essential for professional work in criminal justice and related fields.

Graduates pursue careers in probation, police, prison service, youth justice, victim support, social work, community development, policy, research, and journalism. The year abroad adds an international dimension to your profile that can open doors in organisations with European or global criminal justice remits. Many graduates continue into postgraduate study in criminology, law, social work, or criminal justice policy.