Criminology and Sociology

Explore pressing crime and social issues and prepare for careers including policing, probation, youth offending and government.

On this degree you'll discover the most recent ideas, issues and debates in criminology and sociology. These could include the media and moral panics; sexual violence and offender profiling; youth offending; war, terror and genocide – giving you a specialist perspective on crime and society.

You can tailor your degree to your interests and career goals through a range of optional modules. For example, you could focus on issues of corporate crime or human rights, or examine the link between intoxicants or religion and crime.

Learn from staff with real-world experience, with modules delivered by policing and criminal justice practitioners.

Build a portfolio and CV, hear from key criminal justice professionals, and attend employment fairs.

Use our links to local and national organisations, including police forces, to find work placements and engage with professionals.

Attend events organised by our International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute.

Join a university at the forefront of shaping cultural change in uniformed services, with our record £11million research grant.

Careers

Prepare for your career from the first semester: build a portfolio and CV, attend volunteer and employment fairs, take part in our annual Criminology conference, and hear from key figures in criminal justice including authors of important criminology texts.

Specialist modules in years 2 and 3 and our excellent links with employers such as Cambridgeshire Police, the National Crime Agency and the Probation Service will help you tailor your degree towards your career goals.

As well as developing your knowledge of sociology and criminology, this degree will equip you with skills in independent, creative, critical and analytical thinking. These are valued in industries as wide-ranging as:

journalism and the media
business administration and management
health management
the Civil Service
teaching
social care
social research
the police, prison and probation services.

You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a Masters, such as MA Sociology or MA Criminology. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Teaching

In Year 1 you’ll discover key ideas in sociology and criminology. These include the relations that connect individuals, groups and institutions within societies, and the inner workings, strengths and weaknesses of the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

In Year 2 you’ll explore how migration shapes societies and lives, how schooling systems and strategies shape individual and collective identities, and how you how can make a difference in the world.

Finally, you’ll consider issues of race and racism and how agencies use criminological theories, before pooling your learning in a Major Project.

*=optional

Year 1: Introduction to Contemporary Issues in Criminology (30 credits); Criminal Justice in England and Wales; Sociology in Action; Into ARU; Media, Society and Crime *; Global Affairs *

Year 2: Mobilities and Migration; Sociology of Education; Researching Society and Culture; Ruskin Module; Cybercrime and Policing *; Intoxicants and Intoxication *; Revolving Doors: Punishment and Rehabilitation *; Spirituality, Religion and the Secular *; Sociology of Health Inequalities *; Violence and Confrontation *; Violence, Gender and Victimisation *; Lessons Learned: Inquests, Tribunals and Truth *; Dark Web Policing and Control *; Hanging, Prisons and Community Service: Crime and Punishment in Britain throughout the Ages *; Introduction to Youth Work and Safeguarding ; Anglia Language Programme

Year 3: Undergraduate Major Project; Race, Racism and Ethnic Identity; Criminology and Policing in Policy and Practice; Comparative and Global Criminal Justice *; Investigative Psychology *; Organised Crime *; Police and Counter-terrorism *; Global Feminisms *; Concepts of Good and Evil *; Sexuality and Social Control *; Environment, Nature and Society *; Youth, Crime and Aggression *; Exploitation, Trafficking and Sexual Violence *; Politics and Social Media *; Sport, Globalisation and International politics *; Anglia Language Programme *; Crime and Data Science *

You’ll show your progress through a combination of case studies, presentations, essays, patchwork texts (short pieces of writing, or ‘patches’, built up week-by-week), portfolios, poster presentations, data analysis exercises, exams and group projects.