Criminology

Criminology is the systematic study of crime, deviance, and the social responses to both. It asks why people offend, how crime is defined and measured, who is most likely to be victimised, and whether the institutions of the criminal justice system, from policing and prosecution to imprisonment and rehabilitation, actually achieve what they claim to. The discipline draws on sociology, psychology, law, and political science, and it situates crime not as an individual aberration but as something deeply shaped by social structures, inequalities, and the exercise of power.

At Leeds Beckett University, this part-time programme takes those questions seriously, developing your ability to engage with evidence, construct arguments, and think critically about justice, inequality, and social change. You will study theories of crime and deviance, the sociology of the criminal justice system, research methods, victimology, and the specific contexts of policing, courts, prisons, and community justice. A year abroad is part of the programme, broadening your perspective by giving you experience of how different societies define crime, organise justice, and respond to offending.

The part-time mode allows you to study while managing other commitments, spreading the degree over a longer period than full-time study would require.

Criminology graduates work in probation services, youth offending teams, the police service, the Crown Prosecution Service, victim support, prison service, policy analysis, social research, community development, and the charity sector. The research and analytical skills the degree develops are valued across any role that requires understanding social problems and evaluating responses to them. Postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, social policy, and law is a common progression for those who wish to specialise or move into research.