Criminology with Placement Year

Criminology is the study of crime, its causes, its consequences, and the social responses developed to prevent and control it. It is a discipline that draws on sociology, psychology, law, history, and political science to ask why people commit crimes, how societies define and respond to criminal behaviour, and what the institutions of criminal justice, policing, courts, and prisons actually achieve. It is not simply a vocational pathway into the criminal justice system but a serious intellectual inquiry into some of the most pressing questions about social order, inequality, and state power.

At Brunel University London this four-year full-time programme includes a placement year, which allows you to spend time working in a relevant professional environment, whether in the criminal justice system, the voluntary sector, policy organisations, or research settings. Brunel's academic staff are actively engaged in criminological research, meaning the teaching you receive is grounded in current scholarship and real debates within the field. The typical entry tariff of 88 points provides a guide to the academic level expected on entry.

You will study the major theories of crime and deviance, the history and sociology of punishment, policing and justice, and the politics of law and order. Research methods are central to the degree, giving you the skills to investigate social problems systematically and to evaluate evidence critically. You will also develop strong written communication, analytical thinking, and the ability to engage with sensitive and complex subject matter in a thoughtful and informed way.

Graduates of criminology pursue careers in probation and offender management, the police service, prisons and secure settings, youth justice, social work, policy research, victim support, advocacy, journalism, and local government. The degree also provides a strong foundation for postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, law, social policy, or forensic psychology, and for those interested in further research in the field.