Philosophy & Criminology

Philosophy and criminology at the University of Manchester is a combination that approaches questions about crime, justice, and punishment from two directions that complement each other in important ways. Criminology is an empirically grounded social science, concerned with understanding crime and criminal behaviour, how the criminal justice system works, and what the social consequences of crime and punishment are. Philosophy brings rigorous analytical and normative tools: what do we mean by responsibility, guilt, and free will?

What justifies punishment? What does a just criminal justice system look like? How should we balance individual rights against public safety?

These are philosophical questions that sit at the heart of criminological inquiry, and studying both together allows you to address them with greater depth and rigour than either discipline alone affords.

At Manchester, you will study over three years of full-time study. The philosophy strand covers the major areas of the discipline, including ethics, political philosophy, the philosophy of mind, epistemology, and metaphysics, with the opportunity to develop particular depth in practical and applied philosophy relevant to criminal justice questions. The criminology strand examines crime through sociological and psychological lenses, covering the operation of policing, courts, prisons, and community justice, as well as critical perspectives on race, gender, and class in the criminal justice system.

Manchester is one of the UK's leading research universities in both philosophy and the social sciences, and the academic environment is intellectually serious and stimulating.

Graduates from this combination go on to diverse careers. Law, particularly criminal law and advocacy, is a natural destination for those who want to engage with the justice system directly. Roles in probation, youth justice, victim support, and other criminal justice services draw on the criminological knowledge developed in the degree.

Policy work in criminal justice reform, human rights advocacy, and roles in organisations working on penal reform and the rights of people in the justice system are further options. Journalism, public affairs, and the civil service benefit from graduates with the combination of analytical skill and substantive knowledge this degree provides. Academic research in philosophy, criminology, or criminal law is a common route for those who want to pursue the intellectual questions further.