Sociology with Criminology

Sociology and criminology are disciplines that illuminate the structural and institutional forces shaping human behaviour, asking not just what people do but why social conditions make certain actions more likely, who gets labelled as deviant or criminal, and how institutions of justice respond. Sociology provides the conceptual tools to understand society itself, examining class, inequality, race, gender, power and culture. Criminology applies related thinking to crime, punishment and criminal justice, questioning how laws are made, what the prison system does and does not achieve, and how victimisation, policing and policy intersect with broader social inequalities.

At the University of Chester this four-year, full-time programme includes a foundation year, giving you a carefully structured entry point into degree-level study before you progress to the full honours content. The foundation year is designed to build the academic and analytical skills you will need to engage confidently with sociological and criminological ideas at university level. As you move through the degree you will examine society through a range of theoretical lenses, study the social context of crime and deviance, and develop research skills in both qualitative and quantitative methods.

The programme also includes a year abroad, offering the opportunity to engage with how other societies and criminal justice systems operate, broadening your comparative perspective significantly.

Graduates of sociology with criminology programmes enter careers in social work, probation and offender management, the prison service, youth justice, community development, policy research, local government, policing, the voluntary sector and education. The analytical and research skills the degree develops are also valued in journalism, public relations and human resources. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in sociology, criminology, social work, public policy or law, and the foundation year route makes this progression accessible to students who might not otherwise have considered a university degree.