Ready to see the world of crime and criminal justice differently? Interested in how crime impacts communities and individuals differently depending on where they live or who they are? Join us to unpick theories and perspectives that explain today’s most pressing social and crime-related issues.

This is a thought-provoking degree that covers complex, challenging topics from criminal justice and youth crime to social justice and climate change, racism and hate, power and inequalities. Your lecturers are experts in their field, supportive and encouraging, and the course is enriched by input from professionals working in NGOs, charities, the police, and more.

Why Lancaster?

• Critically explore crime and society: A stimulating degree that examines important issues through a social justice lens.
• Exceptional academic support: Work closely with engaged lecturers who value your ideas and are committed to helping you grow as a criminologist and social scientist
• Explore today’s challenges: on topics such as social control, racism and hate, poverty stigma, drug-related crimes, sex offences, organised crime, and human rights violations.
• Unlock your career potential: Access tailored career advice to discover diverse pathways and practical steps you can take to achieve your goals for a rewarding career in the criminal justice system, the public sector, and beyond.
• Build connections: Network with experts from NGOs, charities, law enforcement, and other criminal justice organisations.
• Take a path towards action and impact: Explore today’s issues, become part of a better tomorrow.
• Work with leading experts: Our academics advise the United Nations and the EU, influence drug policies in the UK and overseas and work with national and local criminal justice agencies

Crime, inequality and injustice

Rapid change. Rising crime. Public rage against society’s systems and inequalities. Get ready to unravel the big issues affecting our society with a combined degree in Sociology and Criminology. From anti-migrant movements and hate crime to sex work, social control and climate change, you’ll look at the cultural, political and economic contexts of crime and criminal justice and explore the social circumstances that influence people’s actions.

We will encourage you to understand the bigger picture of criminality. Why do some communities have higher rates of crime than others? Why do well-intended preventative campaigns fail to reach many people? You will build the skills to understand criminal justice and respond to social challenges in meaningful, creative ways.

Questions of justice

Our definitions and relationship with crime is shaped by our sense of who we are as a society. Who decides what counts as ‘wrong’? Why is ‘justice’ such a contested word? What does it mean to ‘police’?

You will engage with questions of morality, explore philosophical debates, and undertake deep self-reflection to focus on the meanings, values and judgements that frame crime. In doing so you will learn to ask and answer such difficult questions with evidence and confidence.

Combining Sociology and Criminology gives you the opportunity to engage with the crucial societal questions in today’s world. Topics may include:

• Theorising crime and deviance
• Policing and the criminal justice system
• Organised crime and cyber crime
• Inequality and social justice
• Migration, race and hate crime
• Youth justice
• Crime and power
• Green criminology
• Gendered harm

Engage with experts

Sociology and Criminology at Lancaster has a long and distinguished history and is extremely well respected. This intellectually challenging and exciting programme will enable you to explore and understand the social problems and challenges that national governments, local organisations, and the criminal justice system tackle.

Our course is grounded in contemporary debates and developments, and you will be taught by our internationally renowned team who have a reputation for influencing national and international policy and practice. You’ll be informed and inspired by our research and our passionate commitment to our subject areas and to social change. Together we will untangle the complex relationship between society, crime, and the criminal justice system and give you an insight into the ways policies and laws are influenced and changed.

You will also gain insights directly from visiting speakers. Previously students have listened to talks from Victim Support, a Restorative Justice coordinator from Lancashire Constabulary, a Detective Inspector working in domestic abuse and a 'professional burglar' who turned his life around and now advocates for crime prevention and community support.

Great student experience

At Lancaster we pride ourselves on providing the best student experience and support. It is at university that you will build up not only your professional networks, but equally important your confidence, and your social group. For example, you can join the Criminology Society and take part in a wide variety of events, ranging from academic and career-informed activities that complement existing criminological knowledge, to fun and social nights designed to help foster a strong sense of community.

The supportive and personalised experience we offer is designed to make your time with us memorable, enjoyable and successful.

A rewarding career awaits

Our Sociology and Criminology degree at Lancaster provides a comprehensive knowledge of crime and criminal justice in a range of contexts alongside the professional skills that are valued by employers across a wide range of sectors.

You will be a strong communicator with the confidence to speak in public, put forward an argument and make sound decisions. You’ll have the ability to think critically, work in teams, carry out your own research and analyse data. Our specialist careers advisors will work with you and help you plan your future in the criminal justice system and beyond.