Criminology

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Overview

Hear from one of our tutors about studying Criminology at Liverpool Hope.

Criminology is a way of studying how crime is socially defined, why some people commit crime, what is the impact of those crimes and what happens to offenders if they are caught. It is also a study of the various processes of law enforcement and criminal justice; in particular, it examines the police and policing, the courts and sentencing and the various forms of punishment.

Criminology enables you to focus on questions such as ‘is criminal behaviour learned or inherited?’ and ‘why are some actions defined as criminal and not others?’; ‘what is the purpose of punishment and to what extent does it deter criminal behaviour?’

Criminology considers these and other issues by examining the relationship between theory, practice and policy; it explores the crimes of the powerful as well as the powerless and does so within a framework of human rights.

The programme specifications for this subject can be downloaded below.

Criminology

Why choose this subject?

• The taught programme provides a strong academic focus on philosophical and theoretical approaches to understanding crime and criminal justice.
• Opportunities are provided for putting theory into practice through work-based learning and applied social research projects available at Level 3.
• Course staff have a long-established reputation as writers of major texts in the field (including most recently, Crime and Criminal Justice, Routledge 2011).
• Practitioners in the main areas of criminal justice, including police officers, prison service staff and judges, contribute to the taught course.
• The dissertation provides an opportunity for undertaking an independent piece of research under the supervision of a research active tutor.

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Curriculum

Level 1

For half of your time you will study the introductory course, Making Sense of Crime and Society, which focuses on the ways in which the Social Sciences, and particularly Sociology, can help us understand crime and criminal justice. You will also take one other course – in and the history of social and criminal justice policy, if following a Single Honours Criminology degree, or as part of your second subject if following a Combined Honours degree.

Level 2

The course provides a more detailed introduction to the criminal justice system (including the police, courts and prisons), explores theories of crime and deviance, examines the many different forms of criminal behaviour (including, for example, corporate crime,  hooliganism, cybercrime and domestic violence) and provides an overview of research methods in the applied social sciences.  

Level 3

The course provides the opportunity to explore issue of crime and criminal justice in greater depth. Topics covered might include crime, justice and the role of the media, youth justice, theories and philosophies of punishment and victims and offenders. You will also have the opportunity to do a dissertation or undertake a supervised social research project or pursue a work-based learning option.

Across the three levels of our degree course you will be assessed in a variety of ways. Written work in the form of essays and reports is the most usual assessment method used, however, there will also be end-of-year examinations, occasional presentations and, finally, an extended piece of work for your dissertation, based on your own supervised research.

You may also be interested in...

Law

Psychology

Social Policy

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Entry Requirements

2013-14 Entry Requirements

The standard offer level is a minimum of 300 UCAS points, including a minimum of two A/A2 levels or equivalent. In addition, applicants should have a minimum of GCSE grade C (or equivalent) in Mathematics.

Useful Links

How to apply

Admissions Policy 

UCAS

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Course Combinations

Criminology is available as a BA Single Honours degree, UCAS code M990

It can be studied as a combined honours degree with the following subjects:

All course combinations result in a BA Hons degree.

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Employability

As a graduate in Criminology, you will have a firm grounding for entry to a range of criminal justice and related careers.

While the police, prison and probation services are the most obvious career paths, the knowledge, awareness and experience of studying Criminology is valuable in a range of related services, as are the capacities for imaginative and critical thinking that are developed throughout the degree programme.

In addition, some graduates will use their degree as a stepping stone to pursue more formal legal training.