Criminology and Policing

Why study this course?

This combined Criminology and Policing BSc degree will prepare you for a career within the criminal justice system in roles, such as policing, research or youth work.

Taught by former police officers and internationally renowned academics, this course will give you a solid foundation in criminology and policing. You’ll explore the links between criminological theory, crime and victims, while placing an emphasis on approaches to policing in the UK.

More about this course

The course explores the fundamentals of criminological theory and examines the institutions at the heart of the criminal justice system including the courts, police, prison and probation services.

This course will bring you to the forefront of the contemporary criminology and policing landscape. Our close links with organisations such as the Essex Police and Metropolitan Police allow us to invite practitioners from the criminal justice sector, who will give talks on subjects relevant to your study and include content from real cases. We also organise a Question Time style panel discussion, where you’ll get a chance to participate in a debate with a panel of course lecturers, probation officers, ex-offenders and police officers.

Our teaching is enriched by contemporary case studies and practical tasks that will provide you with skills to measure and interpret crime, including qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. In your second and third years you’ll have the opportunity to pursue areas of criminology and policing that interest you the most through a wide range of modules that cover topics including terrorism, victimology and serial offenders.

We place an emphasis on your future career prospects and there will be a work experience opportunity, allowing you to gain practical skills in a specific criminal justice area. Our staff, who have strong links with a range of key agencies, will help you explore a range of career options and offer advice.

Course Modules

Example Year 1 modules include: Introduction to Criminological Theory (core, 30 credits); Introduction to Policing (core, 30 credits); Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (core, 30 credits); Researching Crime and Deviance (core, 30 credits).
Example Year 2 modules include: Crime in Context (core, 30 credits); Measuring and Interpreting Crime (core, 30 credits); Perspectives on Policing (core, 30 credits); Knowledge in Policing (option, 30 credits); Youth, Crime and Violence (option, 15 credits); Extension of Knowledge Module (option, 15 credits); Crime, Media and Technology (15 credits).
Example Year 3 modules include: Crime Control and Penology (core, 30 credits); Criminology Project (core, 30 credits); Social Control, Drugs and Organised Crime (core, 30 credits); Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism (core, 15 credits); Serious and Serial Offenders (option, 15 credits); Religion and the State (option, 15 credits); Victims and Crime (option, 15 credits).