Crime and Investigative Studies

Crime and investigative studies is a discipline that combines the academic analysis of crime as a social phenomenon with a practical focus on how criminal investigations are actually conducted. Criminology asks why crime happens, who is affected by it, and how society responds, drawing on sociology, psychology, and law to build a critical understanding of crime and criminal justice. Investigative studies focuses on the processes, methods, and technologies through which crimes are detected and prosecuted, including the work of police, forensic scientists, intelligence agencies, and other investigative bodies.

At Anglia Ruskin University, this four-year full-time programme gives you a thorough grounding in both dimensions. You will learn about different types of crime and how they are investigated, including the collaborative working between police and other agencies such as fire and rescue, developing an understanding of how investigations are structured and how evidence is gathered and used. Criminological theory gives you the analytical context to situate these practices within a broader understanding of crime causation, criminal justice policy, and the social conditions that shape both crime and the response to it.

The four-year structure gives you time to develop genuine depth in both the theoretical and applied dimensions of the programme, and to engage with investigative methods and forensic science techniques that are relevant to professional practice.

Graduates move into careers in policing, intelligence, probation, prison, and youth offending services, as well as in community safety, victim support, and related roles in the criminal justice system. The investigative focus also prepares graduates for roles in private security, fraud investigation, and financial crime prevention. Some pursue postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, forensic science, or policing.

The broad analytical and research skills developed on the programme are also valued in policy, research, and advocacy settings concerned with crime and justice.