Criminology and Cybercrime

Criminology and cybercrime is a degree for people who want to understand crime in the digital age, not primarily through technical counter-measures but through the human and social dimensions that make cybercrime possible and consequential. Cybercrime is one of the fastest-growing categories of criminal activity, encompassing fraud, identity theft, hacking, online abuse, child exploitation, and the activities of criminal organisations that have moved much of their operation online. Understanding it requires both the analytical tools of criminology and an awareness of how technology creates new opportunities and vulnerabilities.

At the University of Portsmouth, this three-year, full-time BSc was among the first programmes of its kind in the UK, and it approaches cybercrime through the lens of criminological understanding: who commits these offences, how criminal organisations operate online, how the criminal justice system is adapting, and how policing and prevention strategies can be made more effective. You will develop the ability to analyse cybercrime not just as a technological phenomenon but as a social and human one, understanding the motivations, contexts, and consequences that technical approaches alone cannot address. A sandwich year, year abroad option, and work placement opportunities are all available, giving you professional experience in relevant organisations before you graduate.

Graduates are well-placed for careers in law enforcement, cybercrime investigation, cybersecurity policy, digital forensics, fraud prevention, regulatory compliance, and victim support organisations. Intelligence agencies, police forces, financial institutions, and technology companies are all significant employers. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in criminology, cybersecurity, or digital forensics, building on the distinctive combination of social scientific and technical understanding the degree develops.