Law and Criminology
Law and criminology make a natural pairing because they approach crime and justice from complementary directions. Law provides the formal framework: the rules, procedures, and doctrines through which the state defines offences, prosecutes them, and imposes consequences. Criminology asks deeper questions about why crime occurs, how it is shaped by social structures, why punishment takes the forms it does, and whether the justice system achieves what it claims to achieve.
Studying both gives you a much richer understanding of the criminal justice process than either discipline alone can provide, and it equips you to think critically about law as a social phenomenon rather than simply as a set of rules to be memorised.
At Sheffield you will gain a thorough grounding in the Common Law of England and Wales, covering the key areas of public and private law, alongside a structured engagement with criminological theory, research methods, and the empirical study of crime and deviance. You will learn to analyse case law and statutes with precision while also engaging with sociological and psychological perspectives that complicate straightforward legal narratives. The course runs across three years full-time and includes the option of a sandwich placement year and a year abroad, as well as integrated work placement opportunities throughout.
The typical entry tariff is 152 points.
Graduates from law and criminology programmes find doors open across the legal professions and the criminal justice system, including routes towards qualification as a solicitor or barrister for those who pursue the relevant postgraduate training. Roles in the probation service, prison service, police, and third-sector organisations working in criminal justice are also common destinations. Policy and research careers, in government, think tanks, and academia, suit graduates who want to use their analytical skills to shape how the justice system develops.
Postgraduate study in law, criminology, or social policy is a natural further step.