BA Criminology at Durham University 

What is Criminology? 

Criminology is concerned with understanding the nature of crime, deviance and criminal justice.  Criminologists try to explain why some people are more likely to be victims, or perpetrators, of crime than others.  They also attempt to determine how crime can best be controlled and prevented.  But taking a more critical approach, they also ask how we come to define particular activities as “criminal” or not in the first place, as well as what this tells us about the nature of power and authority in society. 

The BA Criminology programme at Durham has a particular emphasis on making sense of crime and criminal justice in a social context. As such, our Criminology degree is an ideal choice for those interested in developing a critical perspective on contemporary Criminological issues such as: gender-based violence and abuse; policing and police work; crime in the digital age; and science in the criminal justice system. On the one hand, it will equip you with conceptual tools to make sense of criminal behaviour as well as the cultural and institutional contexts within which it takes place. On the other hand, it will also equip you with a range of practical skills for producing, analysing and evaluating evidence, to facilitate your engagement with these issues in professional and political settings. 

What Will I Study?  

Our Criminology programme has three main components: 

• Criminological Theory: critical to a degree in Criminology is an understanding of the many concepts and theories which have been developed to make sense of the nature of crime and criminal behaviour. As such, in your first year you will study a number of classical Criminological texts as a framework for your degree, with particular emphasis on how crime is both socially situated and socially constructed rather than being a product of moral failure or psychological disorder. In your second year, you will build upon this by studying how the nature of crime and criminal behaviour is related to issues of power, control, inequality and more. 
• Social Research Methods: robust and rigorous methods are fundamental to producing the data and evidence on which Criminological knowledge is built. In your first year, you will learn about the key principles which underpin good knowledge in Criminology as well as the kinds of methods and practices used by Criminologists to produce and analyse data. In the second year, you will build upon this by learning about wider issues in research design and data analysis, including how to make sense of both qualitative (spoken, textual or visual) and quantitative (numerical) data, culminating in a small group-based research project of your own design. In the final year, you will design and carry out a larger research study as your dissertation project. 
• Criminological Themes and Issues: alongside your study of Criminological theory and method, you will have the opportunity to study a range of substantive topics of Criminological significance. The first year Criminal Justice Landscape module will introduce you to the core issues and institutions of criminal justice, such as the police and prison systems. In the second year, you will then have the chance to engage in detailed study of specific themes, which in the past have included topics such as Police and Policing, Violence and Abuse, and Crime and Power. The final year will offer a wider range of specialist topics. Themes from previous years include: the Sociology of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation; Cyberculture and Cybercrime; Young People, Crime and Justice; and Sex Work and the Sex Industry. We also currently offer a unique module (Inside Out) run with local prisons in the North East, which is taught inside the prisons with inmates also enrolled as students. This is a superb opportunity to learn with those who have real experience of the issues you will study elsewhere for your degree; students who take the module frequently say how it has transformed their understanding of Criminological issues and how it is the highlight of their degree. 

How Will I Learn? 

Learning will be underpinned by a mixture of lectures and seminars which support independent study.  Lectures offer an overview of the key concepts and ideas you need to know, as a starting place for engagement with relevant reading material.  Smaller seminars then afford the opportunity to discuss and debate issues you have learned about through your reading, as well as to ask questions and receive guidance on complex topics you need help with.  Some modules also have practical workshops, for example computer classes where you learn to use the statistics package SPSS. 

How Will I Be Assessed? 

Assessment comprises primarily of coursework completed across the academic year.  This coursework often takes the form of a written essay but we have a diverse range of assessment types including portfolios, research reports, wikis, oral presentations and so on.  Exams are also used for assessment but only to a limited extent: it is typical for students to have no more than two exams in any given year, accounting for roughly 1/6 of their final grade. 

What Can I Do with a Criminology Degree? 

Like most academic subjects, Criminology is not vocational and does not lead to a specific career or field.  What is valuable about a Criminology degree is therefore the skills you learn from studying for it.  Among other things, studying Criminology will teach you how to write and present effective arguments, how to find and evaluate evidence, how to handle and make sense of different kinds of data, and so on.  With these skills, our graduates go on to develop careers in business, in government and the civil service, in public services like education and the police, in non-profit organisations, as well as in academic research. 

The subject knowledge you acquire may also benefit the development of careers in areas related to specific issues you have studied on the programme. Most obviously, studying Criminology is an excellent platform for a career in policing or other parts of the criminal justice system such as probation. However, it would also be of benefit for those looking to work in government or the civil service with emphasis on issues related to criminal justice, or for those looking to work in the non-profit sector, for example supporting survivors of domestic violence or drug addiction. 

While a degree in Criminology can open the door to a wide range of different careers, there are a few key things which a degree in Criminology can offer which help graduates stand out against others: 

• Research training: understanding how to produce and make sense of empirical data is increasingly important in graduate level employment. Whether it is making sense of government statistics, collecting and analysing customer feedback, or compiling a policy report for a non-profit organisation, being able to bring order to the mess which is raw data is a valuable skill to possess. A degree in Criminology will help you learn how to produce and make sense of these kinds of data, with research skills being a key focus of the programme at Durham. 
• Dissertation project: in the final year of study, you will carry out an extensive, independent research project on a topic of your choosing. The breadth of Criminology makes it easy to develop a project around an issue of particular significance to a future career. For example, a current student plans to work supporting victims of human trafficking and her dissertation study is focused on bridging the gap between academic research on human trafficking and the practice of organisations which support victims. Through this project, she will gain detailed understanding of the topic, which will be a significant advantage when applying for jobs in the area. 
• Work placement: there is also currently the opportunity to apply for a work placement at a local community organisation as one of your study options. Not only is this an excellent opportunity to take your understanding of Criminological issues out of the classroom and into the “real world”, it is also an opportunity to get practical work experience which will be invaluable when it comes to applying for graduate jobs. 

What Qualifications do I Need? 

Our standard A-level offer is AAB.  We accept a wide range of alternatives including equivalently levelled BTECs (DDD) and the International Baccalaureate (36 overall including 665 in higher level subjects). We do sometimes make reduced offers of ABB, BBB or BBC in view of individual applicant context. 

For more information on applying to Durham, see: durham.ac.uk/study/ug/apply 

Where Can I Find More Information? 

For more information about Criminology at Durham, see: durham.ac.uk/sociology/undergraduate/criminology 

If you have any questions about the programme, please email: soccrim.admissions@durham.ac.uk 

For enquiries about applying to Durham, please use our webform: durham.ac.uk/study/ask-us 

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