Criminology and Social Policy

Criminology and social policy are disciplines that examine the same social landscape from complementary angles. Criminology asks why crime occurs, how it is defined, how criminal justice systems respond, and what works in preventing harm and rehabilitating offenders. Social policy examines how governments and other bodies design and deliver the services, protections and interventions, from welfare and housing to health and education, that shape the conditions in which people live and crime rates emerge.

Together they give you both a critical framework for understanding social problems and an analytical toolkit for evaluating the responses to them.

At the University of Stirling you will study this combined degree over four years, reflecting the depth and breadth of the Scottish Honours programme. You will explore criminological theory, from classical and positivist traditions through to critical and feminist perspectives, alongside the analysis of criminal justice institutions, sentencing, policing, prisons and community justice. Your social policy studies will examine welfare state theory, comparative policy systems, social inequality, and the politics of reform.

The programme includes a year abroad, extending your comparative perspective and giving you experience of different criminal justice and social policy systems. You will develop strong skills in critical analysis, research methods, and evidence-based argumentation.

Graduates of criminology and social policy go on to careers in probation, youth justice, social work (with further training), the prison service, policing, housing, community development, voluntary sector organisations, policy research, government, and a wide range of roles in the public and third sectors where understanding social conditions and the justice system is valuable. Postgraduate study in criminology, social policy, social work, or public administration is a common route for those seeking to specialise or enter regulated professional roles. The degree also provides a strong foundation for research careers and academic study.