Criminology and Policing

Criminology and policing brings together the academic study of crime and its social contexts with a focused engagement with policing as an institution, a practice, and a set of contested policy choices. Criminology examines why crime occurs, who commits it, how it is distributed across society, and how legal systems and communities respond to it. Policing studies asks how the police as an institution is organised, how officers make decisions in complex and ambiguous situations, how police culture shapes practice, and how policing should be held accountable in a democratic society.

Together, the two subjects prepare you for careers in criminal justice and for the intellectual challenge of thinking critically about institutions that exercise significant power over people's lives.

At Nottingham Trent University, this three-year full-time programme benefits from NTU's strong track record in criminal justice education and its connections with policing and criminal justice organisations in the East Midlands and beyond. The curriculum engages with the major theories of crime and deviance, the history and sociology of policing, restorative justice, criminal justice policy, and the contemporary challenges facing UK policing, including public trust, the use of technology, and the management of serious and organised crime. You will develop research skills in both quantitative and qualitative methods, learning to evaluate evidence about what works in crime prevention and policing.

Nottingham is a city with a complex criminal justice landscape, and the university's location gives the programme a practical relevance that enriches the academic content.

Graduates pursue careers in policing, the probation service, prison work, youth justice, crime analysis, social work, community safety, and research. NTU has a well-established relationship with police forces, and many graduates move directly into policing careers. The degree also provides a strong foundation for postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, or social policy.