Criminology and International Security

Why study this course?

Our Criminology and International Security BSc (Hons) degree will allow you to gain a wider understanding of criminology in an international context. Working with academics who are specialists in their field, you’ll examine the origins and responses to criminal behaviour.

This course differs from other criminology programmes in the School of Social Sciences as it focuses on criminology on an international scale. Our international links will provide you with opportunities to spend your second year semester abroad in Europe, USA or Japan.

More about this course

This undergraduate degree is taught by specialists in international relations, criminology and security, many of whom are internationally recognised for the quality of their work. Their teaching will be enriched by lectures from visiting practitioners, who will talk about their experience of working in the international security field and provide valuable career insight.

On our course you’ll critically assess current policies and practices related to national, as well as international crime control. You’ll also investigate how they affect international relations and politics. Optional modules will allow you to develop specialisms in fields that interest you, including international law and order, conflict resolution and contemporary issues in criminology.

Your employment prospects are central to every module, therefore in your second and final years, you’ll have the opportunity to complete a work placement module. In the past our students have completed placements within a wide range of institutions, such as aid agencies, think-tanks and embassies.

The University’s London location will afford you the opportunity to access a range of social and political institutions that will inform your study, such as the Royal Courts of Justice and the British Library. We’ll also organise a number of trips to non-governmental organisations, embassies and relevant government bodies, where you’ll learn how international security and diplomacy work in practice.

Course Modules

Example Year 1 modules include: Introduction to Criminological Theory (core, 30 credits); Introduction to International Relations (core, 30 credits); Peace, Conflict and Diplomacy since 1945 (core, 30 credits); Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (core, 30 credits).
Example Year 2 modules include: Approaches to International Relations and Foreign Policy (core, 30 credits); Crime in Context (core, 30 credits); Peace and Conflict in Theory and Practice (core, 30 credits); American Foreign Policy (option, 15 credits); Crime, Media and Technology (option, 15 credits); Diplomacy Old and New (option, 30 credits); Perspectives on Policing (option, 30 credits); Politics of the Middle East (option, 15 credits); The Politics of the European Union (option, 15 credits); Measuring and Interpreting Crime (option, 30 credits); Extension of Knowledge Module (option, 15 credits).
Example Year 3 modules include: International Security in an Era of Globalisation (core, 30 credits); Criminology Work Experience (core, 15 credits); Dissertation 1 Year (alt core, 30 credits); Criminology Project (alt core, 30 credits); Dissertation 1 Semester (alt core, 15 credits); Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism (core, 15 credits); Conflict Resolution and Peace-building (option, 30 credits); Human Rights and Conflict (option, 15 credits); Victims and Crime (option, 15 credits); Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (option, 30 credits); Social Control, Drugs and Organised Crime (option, 30 credits); Extension of Knowledge (option, 15 credits).