Criminology

Crime and society's response to it are among the most pressing issues of our time, touching on questions of justice, inequality, public safety, and the nature of the state. Criminology brings together sociology, psychology, law, and politics to examine why crime happens, who is most affected by it, how it is defined and policed, and what the criminal justice system actually achieves. These are not only academic questions; they have direct implications for how we design policy, allocate resources, and think about fairness.

At Liverpool Hope University, you will explore how crime is defined, who makes these definitions and why, and what drives people to offend. You will study the criminal justice system in depth, examining the roles of the police, courts, prisons, and probation service, and you will develop your capacity for evidence-based analysis using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The programme runs over three years full-time and includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad, and a work placement, offering substantial professional and international experience as part of the degree.

Graduates of criminology programmes pursue careers in policing, probation, the prison service, victim support, social work, community safety, policy research, and the wider public and voluntary sectors. The research and analytical skills developed on the programme are valued in journalism, the civil service, charities, and consultancy. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, social policy, or law, where a strong undergraduate grounding in the causes and consequences of crime provides a solid foundation for more specialised work.