Sociology with Criminology

Sociology with criminology is a degree that explores the social dimensions of crime and justice through the combined lenses of two closely related disciplines. Sociology provides the theoretical tools to understand how societies are structured, how inequalities are produced and how institutions shape people's lives, while criminology applies those tools specifically to questions about crime, offending, victimisation and the responses of the criminal justice system. Together they develop a critical, empirically grounded understanding of crime as a social phenomenon rather than simply a legal or biological one.

At Middlesex University, this part-time programme includes a foundation year, which gives students who need additional preparation the opportunity to build the academic skills and contextual knowledge needed before progressing into the full degree. A placement year is built in, and work placement opportunities are integrated throughout, giving you practical professional experience alongside your academic formation. You will engage with critical sociological thinking and criminological expertise, developing the knowledge and skills to make a genuine contribution in fields including social research, policy development, criminal justice and advocacy.

Graduates of sociology with criminology programmes move into careers across the criminal and social justice sectors and beyond. Probation, the prison service, youth offending services, victim support, the police, community development organisations and social research institutes all employ graduates with this combination of skills. The analytical, research and communication competencies the degree develops also transfer well into human resources, journalism, education, public health and the civil service.

Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in criminology, social policy, social work or sociology, where the intellectual foundations of the undergraduate degree provide a strong basis for more specialist and applied advanced work.