Criminology and Sociology

Criminology and sociology together examine the social structures, institutions and processes that produce both crime and the responses to it. Sociology provides the analytical framework for understanding how inequality, power, class, race, gender and social institutions shape the conditions in which crime occurs and is defined. Criminology applies that broader analytical framework specifically to crime, deviance, the criminal justice system, and the social and psychological dimensions of offending and victimisation.

Together, drawing also on psychology and law, they produce a comprehensive and intellectually rigorous approach to understanding crime as a social phenomenon.

At the University of Aberdeen this four-year interdisciplinary programme combines dedicated criminology modules with sociology, psychology and law to deliver a broadly based and comprehensive joint honours degree. The four-year structure reflects the depth and breadth of the Scottish Honours curriculum, and the programme includes a year abroad, extending your comparative perspective on criminal justice systems, social structures, and the definition of crime across different national and cultural contexts. You will engage with criminological theory, research methods, the sociology of inequality, and the psychological and legal dimensions of crime, developing both analytical and practical skills.

Graduates of criminology and sociology are well placed for careers in social research and policy, probation, youth justice, the prison service, the police, community development, social care and social work (with further training), voluntary sector organisations, journalism, and the wide range of public and third-sector roles concerned with social inequalities, justice, and community safety. Postgraduate study in criminology, sociology, social work, criminal justice management, or public policy is a common route for those seeking to develop specialist expertise or enter regulated professional practice. The combination of sociological breadth and criminological focus produces graduates who can engage with the full complexity of crime and its social context.