Law with Criminology

Law and criminology together offer a particularly searching account of how societies respond to wrongdoing. Where law examines the rules, institutions and reasoning that govern conduct, criminology asks deeper questions: why do people break those rules, which behaviours get labelled as criminal, how does the justice system actually operate in practice, and what does punishment achieve? At Hull you will study both disciplines together over four years of full-time study, gaining the legal knowledge required of a qualifying degree while also developing the sociological, psychological and philosophical perspectives that criminology brings.

Your legal studies will take you through the core areas of English law, including contract, tort, criminal law, public law, land law and equity. The criminological strand runs alongside this, introducing you to theories of crime causation, the sociology of deviance, the workings of the police and courts, penology, and questions of justice and human rights. You will learn to read cases and statutes with precision, construct legal arguments, evaluate competing theories of punishment and analyse empirical research on crime and the criminal justice system.

The course title notes that this is a four-year programme, consistent with the structural data, giving you time to develop real depth across both disciplines.

The combination is particularly strong preparation for careers within the criminal justice system itself, whether that means qualifying as a solicitor or barrister, working as a probation officer, pursuing a role in the prison service, policing, social work, victim support or policy development. Criminology also opens paths into research, journalism and the voluntary sector. Those who wish to continue academically are well placed for postgraduate study in criminal law, criminology, socio-legal studies or penology, and the analytical skills developed across both subjects transfer readily to a wide range of graduate-level careers.