The focus of the course is interdisciplinary and there is an emphasis on both academic and professional development. The first year of the programme will introduce the key academic areas of criminology, law, psychology, sociology and you will begin to study the policies and practices of the U.K. criminal justice system. You will also be given the chance to start exploring the kinds of careers a degree in Criminology and Law might lead to and reflect on the skills and abilities you might need to enter these professions. In the second year of the programme, you will have the opportunity to further expand your knowledge of criminology and law through topics such as psychology and crime, sociology and crime, penology, the rules and policy of criminal law in a number of areas, such as homicide, sexual and violent crime and the rules, practices and philosophy of sentencing. You will also explore legal truth, for example the role of legal rhetoric, the rules of evidence relating to identification and the extent to which previous bad character is relevant. There is a clear link on the course with disciplines such as psychology, which help to answer important questions such as - How do juries perceive witnesses? How do they arrive at decisions of guilt or innocence? How accurately do witnesses recall facts or the details of crime and suspects? In your final year there is an emphasis on independent study and there will be more opportunities for you to tailor your degree to suit your theoretical and professional interests. The final year dissertation and the module ‘Investigating Professions’, together with option modules, allows you to concentrate your interest in criminology or pursue a more specialist study of an aspect of law or criminal justice. Typical modules offered to year three students include: Human rights, Crime in modern Britain, Youth and crime, Crime and the media, The management and treatment of offenders, Advanced criminal law and Law of evidence.

This is an exciting and challenging programme designed for those who may be considering working in fields relating to crime, criminal justice and criminal law. The course gives you the opportunity to study issues of crime and the justice system from a number of disciplinary and philosophical perspectives and to explore these issues within a broad context.