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BSc Criminology
About this course
Crime, punishment, and justice are not simply technical problems for lawyers and policymakers; they are among the most revealing windows into how societies are organised, what they value, and who has power. Criminology approaches these questions with the full toolkit of social science, asking how crime is defined and constructed, what social conditions generate it, how criminal justice systems decide who gets punished and how severely, and whether the systems we have are effective, fair, and humane. At Southampton you will study criminology as a rigorous intellectual discipline that draws on sociology, psychology, law, and political science. The programme explores how crime and punishment change across societies and over time, covering criminological theory, the sociology of policing, the psychology of offending, penal systems, victimology, organised crime, and the global dimensions of crime and justice. Specialist modules allow you to steer your studies toward the areas that most interest you, whether that is terrorism and security, environmental crime, cybercrime, or the sociology of punishment. The three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich placement year with a work placement, giving you direct professional experience in a criminal justice, research, or public policy organisation. Graduates go on to careers in the police, probation, prison and court services, social work, policy research, journalism, NGOs, victim services, and the voluntary sector. The analytical skills criminology develops are also valuable in law, public administration, and a wide range of other professional contexts. Many students continue to postgraduate study in criminology, criminal justice, law, or social policy.
Syllabus & Modules
Typical curriculumStudent Satisfaction
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