Criminology

Criminology is the academic study of crime: its causes, its patterns, its distribution across society, and the ways in which institutions respond to it through policing, prosecution, sentencing, and rehabilitation. It is a discipline that draws on sociology, psychology, law, and philosophy, and it raises fundamental questions about justice, punishment, inequality, and the relationship between the individual and the state.

At Roehampton University, this programme combines serious intellectual engagement with those questions with practical preparation for careers in criminal justice and related fields. You will explore theories of crime and deviance, examining why crime is concentrated in particular social groups and places and how labelling, social exclusion, and structural inequality shape both offending and the response to it. You will engage with the politics of criminal justice policy, the sociology of policing and imprisonment, restorative justice, and the experiences of victims, offenders, and communities.

Research methods training gives you the skills to evaluate evidence critically and to understand what the available data on crime can and cannot tell us.

The programme includes a foundation year, which supports your transition into higher education and university-level study. A sandwich placement year and work placement are built into the programme, giving you extended professional experience in settings such as probation services, victim support organisations, courts, prisons, or community justice programmes. The typical entry tariff is 88 UCAS points, and the degree is studied full time.

Graduates from criminology programmes go on to careers in probation, the prison service, police, community justice, victim support, social work, policy research, and the charity sector. Many also progress to postgraduate study in criminology, social policy, law, social work, or related areas.