Criminology and Policing

Criminology and policing is a degree that connects the broad academic study of crime, justice, and social control with a focused examination of how policing works in practice. Criminology brings theoretical and empirical tools for understanding why crime happens, how it is distributed across society, and whether the systems designed to prevent and respond to it are effective or just. Policing studies examines one of the most visible and contested institutions in the criminal justice system, asking how police organisations operate, what values guide them, how they engage with communities, and how they are evolving in response to challenges including cybercrime, terrorism, and the demands of a diverse society.

At The University of Law, this full-time, three-year programme enables you to examine the criminal justice system across its major components, including prisons, probation, policing, cybercrime, terrorism, the media, and forensic psychology. You will explore how crime, justice, and social control are understood from different perspectives, and how factors such as gender, ethnicity, race, and culture shape both criminal behaviour and the experiences of people who encounter the justice system, as offenders, victims, or practitioners. The programme develops both critical analytical skills and an understanding of the professional contexts in which policing and criminal justice take place.

The typical entry tariff is 104 UCAS points.

Graduates from criminology and policing programmes are well placed for careers in the police service, probation, prison service, border force, intelligence agencies, youth justice, victim support, and social care. Many go directly into policing, using the degree as a foundation for a career in the service. Others move into policy research, community safety, the voluntary sector, or further study.

Postgraduate options include criminology, criminal justice, security studies, and police leadership programmes, and the degree also supports applications to graduate entry routes in a range of public service careers.