Criminology with International Study

Criminology is the social-scientific study of crime, its causes, its consequences, and the institutions that respond to it. It draws on sociology, psychology, law, philosophy, and political science to ask some of the most difficult and urgent questions in public life: why do some people commit crimes while others do not, how do social inequalities shape patterns of offending and victimisation, how effective are prisons and other forms of punishment, and what does a just response to harm look like? Criminology does not treat crime as self-evident but asks how it is defined, by whom, and in whose interests.

At the University of Manchester, this four-year programme develops your criminological knowledge and analytical skills alongside a period of international study that forms an integral part of the degree. The main programme covers the theories, methods, and empirical debates of criminology, from classical accounts of crime and punishment to contemporary concerns about policing, cybercrime, organised crime, terrorism, and restorative justice. You will develop strong skills in social research methods, critical reading, and analytical writing.

The international study component adds a genuinely comparative dimension, allowing you to encounter different national approaches to crime and justice, to engage with international scholarship, and to broaden your intellectual and personal horizons in ways that a purely domestic programme cannot offer.

Graduates from criminology programmes go on to careers in the criminal justice system, including probation, youth justice, the prison service, and victim support. Others work in policing, social work, policy research, academic research, law, journalism, and the third sector. The broad analytical training and social-scientific understanding that criminology develops is valued across many professional fields.

Further study at postgraduate level, including penology, criminal justice policy, and forensic psychology, is also a well-established route for graduates who want to develop specialist expertise.