Law and Criminology

Law and criminology is a combination that takes the formal study of legal rules and principles and places it alongside the sociological and criminological analysis of crime, punishment, and criminal justice. Law develops your understanding of legal doctrine, legal reasoning, and the institutions through which law is made and applied. Criminology asks different questions: why do people commit crimes, how does society construct and respond to criminal behaviour, what does the criminal justice system actually achieve, and whose interests does it serve?

Together they produce graduates with a genuinely critical perspective on both the law and the social context in which it operates.

At the University of York this LLB offers a three-year full-time programme, with a sandwich year for professional experience, a year abroad for international study, and work placement integrated throughout. The degree is designed for students who want to tackle social injustice and contribute to positive societal change, combining the technical rigour of legal study with the sociological and critical perspective of criminology. You will study law, policy, and the social construction of crime, developing the ability to move between doctrinal legal analysis and the broader empirical and theoretical questions that criminology raises.

York's law school is research-active across areas including criminal law, human rights, and socio-legal studies, and the degree reflects the institution's commitment to critical and engaged legal education.

Graduates of law and criminology who wish to qualify as solicitors or barristers can proceed to the Solicitors Qualifying Examination or Bar Training Course. Many also enter the criminal justice system in roles in probation, prison and rehabilitation services, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and legal advice. Social work, policy research, journalism, and roles in NGOs working on human rights and criminal justice reform are further common directions.

Postgraduate study in law, criminology, social policy, or criminal justice is a well-supported next step for those who wish to specialise or pursue research careers.