Degree

• BA (Honours) Criminology

  Our honours degree programme in criminology focuses on cutting edge, topical and often controversial criminological issues. You'll learn to apply research tools, and access and evaluate qualitative and quantitative data on crime, victimisation and the societal responses to them. With an appreciation of criminological theorising and evidence, you will develop the skills to comment on crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance, including policy questions, at national, international and global levels.

• BA (Honours) Criminology and Law

  Crime, justice and the workings of the law are matters that affect us all and often dominate the news. This degree takes a critical and analytical view of the role and functions of the legal system, and examines its relationship with criminal behaviour. You’ll explore issues such as anti-social behaviour, poverty, discrimination, hate crimes, child labour, as well as global threats from cyber-crime, terrorism and human rights violations, and their implications for justice.

• BA (Honours) Criminology and Psychology

  How and why do different societies define specific acts as 'crimes' and certain people as 'criminals'? Why do some people develop addictions, not others? Why do less equal societies have more crime? What is happening when a person tells a lie? Is crime best understood as the product of individual choices or social conditions? This qualification explores questions like these about how people behave and examines how governments determine what they will and won't tolerate, and why.

• BA (Honours) Criminology and Sociology

  Building on the OU’s reputation for cutting-edge criminological and sociological teaching and research, this joint degree offers you the chance to study lively, topical and sometimes controversial subject matter. You’ll investigate questions of crime, criminalisation and social harm to determine whether society’s responses to these questions are adequate and appropriate. You’ll also explore how social worlds are made and how we, as individuals, are shaped by the societies in which we live.

• BA (Honours) Social Sciences (Criminology)

  This is one of several specialist routes available in our BA (Honours) Social Sciences (R23) degree. Half of your studies will be in interdisciplinary social science and sociology, giving you a firm grounding in the knowledge and ideas that are central to the social sciences. For the other half, you’ll learn how criminology helps us make sense of a range of issues related to crime, social conflict, criminal justice and criminalisation. On completion of your degree, you’ll be able to apply criminological and social theories, analyse a variety of evidence including statistical data, present arguments, write clearly and conduct your own research – opening up employment opportunities in private, public and voluntary sector organisations.

Diploma

• Diploma of Higher Education in Criminology and Law

  If you’re fascinated by the legal system and why people engage in criminal behaviour, and would like to develop skills and knowledge relevant to a range of careers, this diploma is for you. You’ll explore issues such as antisocial behaviour, surveillance, security, social justice, social welfare and environmental degradation. In this diploma, you’ll also take a critical and analytical view of the role and functions of the legal system, and examine its relationship with criminal behaviour.

• Diploma of Higher Education in Criminology and Psychology

  How and why do different societies define specific acts as ‘crimes’ and certain people as ‘criminals’?  Why do less equal societies have more crime? What is happening when a person tells a lie? This qualification explores questions like these about how people behave and examines how governments determine what they will and won’t tolerate.

• Diploma of Higher Education in Criminology and Sociology

  This diploma offers you the chance to study topical, and at times controversial, criminological and sociological subject matter. As you’re investigating questions of crime, criminalisation and social harm, you’ll look at society’s responses to these questions to determine if they are appropriate and adequate. You’ll explore how social worlds are made and how we are shaped by the societies in which we live. You'll also consider the impact of digital technology on individuals and society, power and inequality and, people and things, drawing on your own experience of the interactions you have with technology in your daily life.

Certificate

• Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences

  This certificate provides a compelling introduction to the social sciences. You’ll gain fascinating insights into the everyday lives of people in communities, workplaces and many other social sites as you explore ideas from criminology, economics, geography, politics, psychology and sociology. You’ll also discover the ways in which social scientists understand and explain the world and how people, groups and institutions respond to change, exercise power and make decisions.

Masters

• MA in Crime and Justice

  This masters degree explores new perspectives and ways of thinking about crime, harm and justice. It is concerned with examining problematic areas of social life, transgression, ‘crime’, social harm and justice in an increasingly global world. You will consider the significance of power, social structure, and economic and social inequalities in understanding ‘crime’, processes of criminalisation, and ideas about justice.