Criminology and Criminal Justice with Foundation Year

Criminology and Criminal Justice is the academic study of crime as a social phenomenon and of the systems and institutions society has developed to respond to it. Criminology examines the causes, distribution and effects of crime, asking why crime occurs, who commits it, who is harmed and how communities and societies are shaped by it. Criminal justice focuses on the institutional responses, including policing, courts, prosecution, sentencing and corrections, examining how they function, where they succeed and where they fall short of their stated aims.

Together they provide a rigorous and socially engaged understanding of one of the most complex and contested areas of public policy.

At Keele University this four-year full-time degree with Foundation Year is delivered by research-active criminologists with close working connections to a range of criminal justice agencies. The foundation year gives you time to build the knowledge and academic skills you need before entering the main programme. Throughout the degree you will have opportunities to engage directly with agency representatives, applying your knowledge to real-world scenarios and developing the evidence-based analytical skills that careers in policing, probation, prisons, criminal justice and youth justice require.

Keele has pioneered undergraduate criminology in the UK, and that heritage informs a curriculum that is both academically rigorous and professionally relevant.

Graduates from Criminology and Criminal Justice degrees go on to careers in policing, probation, youth justice, prison and rehabilitation services, community safety, social work, legal services, policy research and the voluntary sector. Others find roles in journalism, public health, local government and research organisations. The analytical skills, social awareness and understanding of institutional systems the degree develops are valued across a range of professional and academic contexts.

Postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, law, social policy or social work is a natural route for those wishing to develop further expertise.