Law with Criminology

Law with Criminology brings together two disciplines that each ask fundamental questions about justice, authority, and the way society responds to harm. Law examines the rules that govern behaviour, the institutions that create and enforce them, and the processes through which disputes are resolved. Criminology asks why crime occurs, how it is defined and measured, and what can be done about it, drawing on sociology, psychology, and policy analysis to interrogate the criminal justice system from the outside as well as from within.

At the University of Bedfordshire, this three-year full-time programme develops your understanding of both legal doctrine and criminological theory. On the law side, you will study the core areas of English law, developing your ability to analyse statutes and case law, construct legal arguments, and understand how the courts interpret and apply rules. Criminology introduces you to the study of offending behaviour, victimisation, policing, sentencing, and penal policy, equipping you to evaluate how well the legal system actually serves the goals of justice, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Together, the two subjects give you a more complete picture of crime and justice than either would provide alone.

Graduates of law with criminology programmes go on to careers in soliciting and the bar, the police service, probation, the prison service, social work, policy research, journalism, and NGO advocacy. The combination is particularly well suited to students interested in criminal law practice, criminal justice reform, or policy roles in the public sector. For those wishing to become solicitors or barristers, further professional training will be required after graduating.

Postgraduate study in law, criminology, social policy, or public administration is another well-established route.