Criminology

Step into a future-focused criminology degree that equips you with the skills to question, analyse, and shape the systems that respond to crime. Our BSc (Hons) Criminology programme explores the social, legal, and ideological forces behind criminal behaviour and justice responses, blending critical thinking with real-world engagement. Learn from a diverse team of magistrates, former prison officers, police officers, and victim advocates, and choose from flexible pathways that will prepare you to lead, challenge, and innovate in the rapidly evolving justice landscape.

• Learn from lived experience with academics who've worked across criminal and social justice sector – magistrates, former criminal justice practitioners, and victim advocates.

• Shape your own path with routes including criminology with law, psychology, or sociology, plus placement or dissertation options.

• Track your growth with our unique Speed Passport system that documents your developing skills for future employers.

• Join a close-knit community where you are known by name, and supported by the same personal tutor for all three years.

• Investigate real crimes using professional software and techniques in our on-campus facilities.

• Build tomorrow's skills today through cutting-edge modules in culture and media, digital crime, crime mapping, and rehabilitation and desistance strategies that employers are seeking.

• Experience authentic learning through real world case studies, data analysis and activities mirroring professional practice.

• Graduate career-ready for roles across justice, intelligence, and policy sectors, equipped to lead, innovate, and drive reform in response to their complex and evolving challenges.

At Winchester, we believe that understanding crime means critically engaging with the wider social, legal, and ideological forces that shape it. We go beyond the textbook to explore real cases, real issues, and real solutions. You will challenge your assumptions, examine the causes of crime, confront its consequences, and investigate how justice can be made fairer, smarter, and more effective.

What makes Winchester different is our authentic approach to learning. Your lecturers aren't just academics – they're experts in their field with lived experience and contemporary real-world insight which they bring into every seminar. In our close-knit criminology community, you'll be known by name, supported by the same personal tutor for all three years, and challenged to think critically about justice, ethics, and social change.

Our contemporary curriculum tackles the issues that matter most right now, including digital and organised crime, culture and diversity, escalating violence, criminological psychology, and issues around addiction and sport. You'll develop skills in professional software, examine real-world cases, and explore how inequality shapes criminal behaviour. Every module prepares you for the rapidly evolving world of crime, criminal justice and rehabilitation where digital literacy and ethical reasoning are essential.

You'll learn through interactive workshops that mirror real professional practice, embedding you at the centre of your learning experience: building and enhancing crucial analytical, communicative, and problem-solving approaches to crime, justice and social change. Our department facilities include a Crime House and a moot courtroom, used in selected modules and student events to develop practical skills.

Guided by industry requirements, you will be taught applicable employability skills throughout your degree. You'll be supported by our innovative Speed Passport system – unique to Winchester – which tracks your personal, academic, and professional development. You'll build the skills, experience, and confidence to make a real difference in crime, justice and social sectors.

https://www.winchester.ac.uk/L370