Criminology

Criminology is the social scientific study of crime, deviance, and the institutions that respond to them. It asks why certain behaviours come to be labelled criminal and how those definitions change, what drives people to offend and what helps them desist, how victims experience harm, and whether the criminal justice system achieves its stated aims of punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation. The discipline sits at the intersection of sociology, law, psychology, and policy, and it engages directly with some of the most contested and consequential debates in public life.

At Liverpool Hope University this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, which is designed for students who have the potential and enthusiasm to succeed at degree level but who do not yet have the standard qualifications for direct entry. The foundation year develops core academic skills, including writing, critical thinking, independent learning, and time management, preparing you to engage fully with degree-level study from the following year. Once you progress to the main programme, you will study criminological theory, the sociology of crime and deviance, the operation of the criminal justice system, victimology, policing, punishment, and crime prevention.

The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placements integrated throughout the degree, giving you professional experience and international exposure alongside your academic development.

Graduates move into careers in probation, youth justice, social work, policing, policy, the voluntary and charity sector, journalism, and research. Many continue to postgraduate study in criminology, social work, law, or public policy, often as a route into specialist professional practice or research.