Geography and Criminology

Geography and criminology are disciplines that each, in their own right, ask how place, space and social conditions shape human lives and behaviour. Geography examines the physical and human forces that produce landscapes, settlements and social geographies, asking how resources, power and opportunity are distributed across space. Criminology asks why crime occurs, how it is defined and responded to, and how social, economic and environmental conditions shape patterns of offending and victimisation.

Together they offer an unusually rich framework for understanding how the places people live in affect their chances in life, and how spatial and environmental inequalities connect to crime and justice.

This part-time degree at the University of the Highlands and Islands can be studied flexibly, with different modes of engagement to suit individual circumstances. The University of the Highlands and Islands delivers learning across a network of campuses and centres in the north of Scotland, making it possible to study this combination in a regional context where the particular relationships between geography, community and crime have their own distinctive character. You will develop skills in geographical analysis, spatial thinking and social scientific inquiry alongside criminological knowledge about crime, punishment and criminal justice systems.

Graduates from this combination are well placed for careers in community safety, police support services, social work, youth offending, probation, environmental planning, local government and public health. The ability to think spatially about social problems and to apply criminological frameworks to real community contexts is valued across a wide range of public and voluntary sector organisations. Further study in criminology, geography, social policy or community development is a route for those who wish to develop specialist expertise or academic knowledge.