Criminology with Forensics

Criminology with forensics brings together the social scientific study of crime with the natural science techniques used to gather and interpret physical evidence in criminal investigations. Criminology asks why crime happens, who commits it, how societies respond to it, and whether those responses are just and effective. Forensic science provides a complementary set of methods: the tools of chemistry, biology, and physics applied to trace evidence, DNA, toxicology, and other physical material that can establish or refute what occurred at a crime scene.

At the University of St Mark and St John, this three-year full-time programme looks behind the headlines to explore the complexity of a subject that fascinates and worries us in equal measure. Crime is everywhere in our culture, in the news, at the cinema, on television, and in the books we read, and this programme gives you the critical tools to move beyond surface representations and engage seriously with both the social reality of crime and the scientific processes through which it is investigated. You will study criminological theory, criminal justice policy, the sociology of deviance and social control, and the ethics of criminal justice alongside the laboratory sciences and analytical methods of forensic investigation.

The typical entry tariff is 88 UCAS points, and the degree is studied full time.

Graduates go on to careers in forensic science, police services, probation, victim support, social work, research, and the broader criminal justice system. Many also progress to postgraduate study in criminology, forensic science, or social policy. The combination of social and scientific understanding makes graduates well suited to roles that require both analytical rigour and contextual awareness.