Criminology and Sociology

Criminology and sociology are natural partners in inquiry. All crime occurs in a social context: it is shaped by inequality, shaped by norms, and responded to by institutions that are themselves social constructs. Studying the two subjects together gives you a richer analytical toolkit than either provides in isolation, allowing you to move between the specific question of why and how crime happens and the broader question of how societies are organised and why they produce the outcomes they do.

At the University of Suffolk, this three-year full-time programme engages directly with controversial public issues and encourages the kind of open debate that good social science depends on. You will examine theories of crime and deviance, the workings of criminal justice institutions, patterns of victimisation, and the social and economic forces that shape offending. The sociology strand introduces you to the major traditions of social thought and their applications to class, race, gender, power, and culture.

You will learn research methods across both qualitative and quantitative traditions, developing the skills to design studies, gather data, and interpret evidence critically. The combination of disciplines produces graduates who can analyse social problems systematically and communicate their findings clearly.

With a typical entry tariff of 88 UCAS points, this degree is accessible to a wide range of students who are curious about the social world and want to understand it more rigorously. Graduates work in probation, youth justice, police services, the prison service, social work, community organisations, housing, and public policy. The research skills and sociological perspective developed on this programme are also valued in the voluntary and third sectors, in journalism, and in roles that involve working with vulnerable people or marginalised communities.

Postgraduate options include criminology, sociology, social work, social policy, and community development, and some graduates proceed to research careers.