Criminology

Criminology is the systematic study of crime, criminal behaviour, and the social responses to it. It draws on sociology, psychology, law, and social policy to examine why crime occurs, how it is distributed across different social groups, and whether the institutions built to prevent and address it actually achieve their goals. These are questions with no simple answers, and criminology trains you to think rigorously about evidence, competing theories, and the social and political contexts that shape both crime and justice.

At Teesside University, this part-time programme develops the academic skills, knowledge, and understanding needed to engage successfully with criminology and sociology at degree level. You will build personal and transferable skills alongside substantive subject knowledge, including how to search for and critically evaluate evidence, how to think analytically about complex social problems, how to take effective notes and summarise complex material, and how to collaborate and present your thinking. These skills are fundamental not only to academic success but to the professional careers that many criminology graduates pursue.

The part-time structure makes the programme accessible alongside work and other commitments.

Criminology graduates move into a wide range of careers. The criminal justice system, including the police, probation service, prison service, youth justice teams, victim support, and court services, employs many graduates. Social care, community safety, policy research, journalism, the third sector, and academic research are further paths.

The analytical and research skills developed during the programme are valued across any career where understanding social problems and evaluating evidence matters. Postgraduate study in criminology, social policy, criminal justice, or social work is a natural continuation for those who wish to deepen their expertise.