Criminology

Criminology examines crime and the responses to it as social phenomena, drawing on sociology, law, psychology, and political theory to ask why crime occurs, how it is defined and measured, how the criminal justice system operates, and what effects punishment and rehabilitation have on individuals and communities. It is a discipline with urgent contemporary relevance, engaging with questions about policing, sentencing, prisons, youth justice, organised crime, terrorism, and the relationship between inequality and offending. At the University of Lincoln, this three-year full-time degree develops both the theoretical frameworks and the analytical skills needed to approach these questions with rigour and nuance.

You will study criminological theory from its classical origins through to contemporary perspectives, and you will examine how criminal justice agencies, including the police, courts, probation services, and prisons, respond to different types of offending. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are taught throughout, and you will develop the ability to handle and interpret data, conduct interviews and surveys, and evaluate existing research critically. A sandwich year provides the opportunity to undertake an extended professional placement, and work placements are woven through the broader programme, giving you direct experience of the sectors where criminologists work.

A year abroad is also available for students who wish to gain international perspective on crime and justice. The typical entry tariff is 104 UCAS points.

Criminology graduates pursue careers in probation, the prison service, social work, the police, youth justice, policy research, victim support services, and the voluntary sector, among other areas. The analytical and research skills the degree develops are also valued in roles in public administration, journalism, law, and management. Many students continue to postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, law, or social policy, and Lincoln's links with regional and national criminal justice agencies support graduates in finding their footing in the profession.