Course overview
Study criminology and sociology
Hear from Professor Anthony Lloyd and Teesside student Isobel McDonagh about our criminology and sociology courses.
If you have an enquiring mind, are interested in the psychological application in response to these questions and being part of the solution, then criminology and psychology is for you.
You explore criminological issues alongside a psychological focus. Studying psychology gives you a deeper understanding of behaviour and how it is influenced. Psychology’s applications are found everywhere, from half-time team talks to the lighting, music and layout of supermarkets and shopping centres.
You link criminological and sociological approaches to crime and justice to more psychologically-focused perspectives on these issues. You gain research and study skills and can explore other aspects of psychology with your option choices. You graduate with a thorough grounding in theoretical criminology with psychology, and specialist knowledge gained in your module choices, which can be as diverse as drugs and domestic violence.
Top reasons to study this course
- Staff are research active which underpins their teaching, and means you gain a contemporary, authentic learning experience.
- Our Inside Out programme sees undergraduates and those in custody apply to work on the same module together – it’s real-life experience.
- Guest speakers from within the criminal justice system share lived experiences and case studies.
- Build up your general interest in criminology to specialise in your final year on your own piece of research.
- Opportunities for work experience or a work-related learning project, including Volun-tees, across criminal justice areas such as drug projects, probation and victim support.
Course details
Course structure
Year 1 core modules
Develop academic skills, knowledge and understanding to support successful study within a criminology and sociology higher education learning environment. You learn personal and transferable skills, such as searching for and retrieving information, evaluating evidence, critical thinking, note-taking and summarising, presenting, group work and digital learning.
This is a 40-credit module.
Study the foundational elements and key questions in sociology and criminology. Explore essential questions related to crime, harm and deviance, gaining wider understanding of society, individuals and institutions.
This is a 40-credit module.
Criminal Law for Criminologists
Criminal law, perhaps the best-known aspect of the legal system, presents an interesting and challenging area of study. You are introduced to the English legal system, gaining an understanding of the nature and purpose of criminal law, the principles of criminalisation and the basic elements of a crime. Examine some controversial aspects of criminal law, including problematic criminal offences and defences, and the way in which criminal law responds to particular social problems.
This is a 20-credit module.
You study the criminal justice system and a range of agencies and institutions that operate within it. Explore the origins and purposes of the system to understand criminal justice within a broader historical, political, social, and economic context. You examine specific issues related to contemporary criminal justice including probation, prisons, restorative justice, race and gender.
This is a 20-credit module.
Year 2 core modules
Criminological Theory in Practice
You develop your understanding of the major developments in criminological theory from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Appraise contemporary crime theories and apply them to real-life problems of crime, deviance and harm.
This is a 20-credit module.
Future Directions and Research for Social Scientists
Develop an understanding of employment pathways, opportunities, reflective practice, experiential learning, and social research methods in criminology and sociology, ready for employment. Explore employability issues and skills with our Student Futures team, external professionals and alumni. Gain an understanding of the philosophy of social science, relevant research designs, strategies and methods, equipping you with the knowledge to make reasoned, informed and evaluative decisions in both research design and practice. Develop an understanding of ethical and practical issues in research and engage in practical activities to develop your skills in designing, conducting and analysing research.
This is a 40-credit module.
Explore the development, organisation and practice of policing in modern society. You are introduced to key concepts, theories and debates in the sociology of the police. Situating policing within the wider institutional configuration of security and social control, you gain an understanding of how economic, political and ideological factors shape these institutions. Examine a range of historical and comparative issues in police organisation, deployment and practice from a British and comparative perspective. You contemplate the implications of these dimensions of policing for democratic government, civil liberties and human rights.
This is a 20-credit module.
You cover three themes - biological psychology, lifespan psychology and social psychology. You explore the scientific approach to the study of our social behaviour and the biological, neurological and social explanations for a series of identified psychological topics. Applied topics within lifespan psychology are also be studied using a lifespan perspective.
This is a 40-credit module.
Final-year core modules
Criminology and Sociology Dissertation
Your dissertation provides the platform to produce a piece of independent research, with academic supervision. Define your own research questions and design, and plan your research to work on over the course of the semester. You choose a desk-based dissertation, an empirical study or a piece of active research which may involve student negotiated collaboration with an organisation (public or third sector). If conducting fieldwork, you are required to gain university ethical approval prior to any data collection.
This is a 40-credit module.
You study the relationship between philosophies of punishment, methods and strategies of penal intervention, including sentencing, imprisonment, community sentences and community supervision. You also explore the ethical conflicts and dilemmas that emerge because of society’s response to criminal behaviour. Focusing on the key principles of security, control and justice, you investigate issues of differential treatment, the response and adaptation of prison populations to penal practices and regimes, the internal culture of the prison and the role of probation services. Examine the impact of social and economic change on penal policy and practice, questioning the influence of human rights law on the treatment of offenders.
This is a 20-credit module.
Understanding Criminal Behaviour
Examine psychological research aimed at understanding criminality and offending behaviours. You explore the application of psychological literature to areas of the criminal justice system, such as in jury decision making, eyewitness testimony and the use of expert witnesses.
This is a 40-credit module.
and one optional module
Focus on the application of psychological research and theory to practice in the criminal justice system. Explore the contribution made by psychology to the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences. Using a holistic approach, you gain an understanding of how parts of the system interface with each other. TYou cover areas of psychological work relating to aspects of the justice system, with a specific focus on the application of psychology to investigative interviews, victim and witness testimony, and courtroom procedures. You also explore relevant legal information to increase an understanding of psychological decision making in a legal context.
This is a 20-credit module.
Originating at Temple University in 1996, the Inside-Out model of prisoner education aims to promote learning through collaboration and dialogue around issues of crime and social concern. Alongside serving prisoners, you undertake a 14-week module within the prison setting, facilitated by academic staff.
Each student has equality of status, and an equal stake in the learning. The Inside-Out module is demanding and intensive, requiring a high degree of self-reflection, maturity and adherence to the strict ground rules of the programme, as well as the requirements of the prison regime.
A willingness to engage openly with others, a non-judgmental attitude and preparedness to learn within a prison environment are all essential. Places are limited due to the sensitive and intensive nature of this module, and are offered on the basis of application and interview. If successful, you are required to undertake mandatory prison training and security clearance.
This is a 20-credit module.
Study one of the most intriguing and misunderstood aspects of psychological experience – that of selfhood. The module brings together a number of sub-disciplines that throw light on selfhood and subjective experience. Perspectives from social, developmental, and clinical psychology are combined, allowing you to explore what selfhood means to you and how different constructs of selfhood can be enriching to the human experience.
This is a 20-credit module.
Examine key issues and debates in the field of social movements, collective action and activism. Critically examine societal changes through the lens of social movements, highlighting how changing attitudes and policy are affected by broader socio-economic, political and cultural changes. You draw upon a range of historical and current examples of social movements, linking theory and practice.
This is a 20-credit module.
Understanding Drugs in Society
The study of drugs and drug use is at an important stage. Changing attitudes and a more relaxed approached to control in some quarters means the way in which drug use is viewed is changing. You are introduced to key issues and debates in the field of drugs use and misuse. Critically examine the changing status of drug use in the past and present, and the various ways that drug use is conceived as problematic for individuals and societies. Explore how changing attitudes and policy towards drug use reflect broader socio-economic and cultural changes. You consider the ways in which successive drug policies have attempted to control and regulate intoxication in society by different health and crime prevention strategies. You cover a range of key themes including the changing patterns of drug use and the implications of this change for drug users, the representation of drugs and drug use in popular culture and the nature of care provision for 'problem' drug users. You also look at the conflicting nature of drugs education and the dichotomy between harm reduction, and 'just say no' and crime prevention strategies.
This is a 20-credit module.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
Modules are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars workshops and online learning. In lectures specific information is delivered to larger groups while, in the smaller seminar groups, you can explore issues in more depth supported by independent study. Examples of seminar and workshop activities include case study work, media analysis, poster presentations, discussions and debates. You learn how to use all our extensive facilities such as electronic journals, virtual learning environments and computer programs. You also have access to our computer suites and specialist laboratories where you develop practical skills in the investigation of human behaviour. You are encouraged to use the world on the doorstep as a research laboratory for contextualising learning.
How you are assessed
Our varied assessments develop the skills most valued by employers. They include essays, exams, group and individual presentations, poster presentations, portfolios and a dissertation. There is even opportunity to write a psychological expert witness report.
Our Disability Services team provide an inclusive and empowering learning environment and have specialist staff to support disabled students access any additional tailored resources needed. If you have a specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism, sensory impairment, chronic health condition or any other disability please contact a Disability Services as early as possible.
Find out more about our disability services
Find out more about financial support
Find out more about our course related costs
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
A typical offer is 80-104 tariff points from at least two A levels, T level or equivalent. You must have GCSE English at grade 4 (grade C) or equivalent.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
You can gain considerable knowledge from work, volunteering and life. Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credit for this which can be credited towards the course you want to study.
Find out more about RPL
Employability
Career opportunities
You can enter a broad range of careers including the probation service, the prison service, the police, voluntary organisations, the public sector and postgraduate training or study.
All programmes are designed to incorporate employability skills development alongside your degree course. Our staff utilise their extensive connections to provide many and varied opportunities to engage with potential employers through fairs, guest lecture sessions, live projects and site visits. In addition we offer a series of workshops and events in the first, second and third year that ensure all students are equipped with both degree level subject knowledge PLUS the practical skills that employers are looking for in new graduate recruits.
Our award winning careers service works with regional and national employers to advertise graduate positions, in addition to providing post-graduation support for all Teesside University alumni.
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
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Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.