Criminology and Sociology

Criminology and sociology together offer a powerful framework for understanding crime, deviance, social control, and the structures of inequality that shape them. Criminology examines crime as a social phenomenon, asking who commits it, why, how it is defined and measured, and how the criminal justice system responds to it. Sociology provides the broader analytical tools needed to understand these questions in their full context, examining social structures, institutions, inequalities of class, race and gender, and the cultural processes through which norms and deviance are defined.

Together, the two subjects illuminate both the specific dynamics of crime and punishment and the wider social forces from which they cannot be separated.

The Open University offers this programme through part-time distance learning, which makes it accessible to students who cannot study full-time or who need the flexibility to learn around work and other commitments. Distance learning at the OU is a well-established and rigorous mode of study, supported by online materials, tutors, and a community of students. You engage with the curriculum in your own time, developing the self-management and independent study skills that employers consistently value, while still benefiting from academic guidance and structured assessment.

The OU's commitment to open access means that you do not need specific prior qualifications to apply, and the university has a long tradition of supporting students from a wide range of backgrounds into higher education.

You will explore theories of crime and deviance, the history and practice of policing and punishment, social inequalities and their relationship to criminal justice, and the research methods used to study both crime and social life.

Graduates work in probation, the prison service, social work, the police, victim support, policy research, education, and community organisations. The combination of criminological and sociological expertise, gained alongside the discipline of distance learning, is valued across the public and voluntary sectors. Postgraduate study in criminology, social policy, or criminal justice is also a common next step.