Criminology and Sociology Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Studying our BA Criminology and Sociology degree will give you an in-depth understanding of how societies work, why actions and attitudes differ and what drives injustice. At Nottingham, your learning will be grounded in the real-world, using case studies - we’ll explore research and theories before experimenting with how they can be applied to current social issues.

At the heart of this course is what matters most to our students. We listened to the ideas and themes they wanted to explore and have woven them throughout our teaching, so your studies will connect with the real world issues that feel most relevant. Whether you’re passionate about tackling social inequalities, the role of digital technologies in shaping identity or how society understands drug use and addiction, what you learn here at Nottingham will help you to better make sense of the world.

We not only asked our students what they wanted to study, but also how they wanted to be assessed. This means you will have the opportunity to present your work in a variety of ways. Alongside traditional essays, exams and presentations, you’ll have the opportunity to create policy briefs and digital projects such as a mini-documentary, blogs, wikis or vlogs. This allows you to work in ways that best suit you while building digital and communication skills you’ll need after graduation.

Studying sociology and criminology can open careers in many different fields and recent graduates have gone on to work in research, education, marketing and criminal justice institutions. Your future matters to us and we will help you develop employability skills alongside your academic studies.  We’ve worked with employers to understand the skills they’re looking for and designed this course to help you build them, from research and presentation skills to leadership and teamwork.

You’ll also have the chance to develop your employability further through work placement and study abroad opportunities.

Why Choose this Course?

Course Highlights:

* Study abroad opportunities in locations such as the Netherlands, Singapore or the USA.

* Peer mentoring scheme to help you settle into university life and your new studies.

* Gain work experience during term-time through our Faculty Placement Programme (https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/social-sciences/study/placements/index.aspx).

Proven Results:

* We’re ranked 13th in the UK for both Criminology and Sociology (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 - https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table)

* 95.6% of sociology and criminology graduates were in sustained employment, further study or both three years after graduation, ranking Nottingham 1st in the Russell Group (LEO data from 2022/23 tax year, sociology, social policy and anthropology category, published in 2025).