Criminology BSc (Hons)

**This is a Connected Degree**<br/>Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after youve started your course.<br/><br/>**Overview**<br/><br/>Why do people commit crimes? And what should we do about it? From offender to victim, punishment to rehabilitation, this BSc (Hons) Criminology degree asks questions about the causes and consequences of crime. The answers may surprise you. They’ll certainly help you choose the right career path.<br/><br/>As you become an expert on the criminal justice system in England and Wales, you’ll develop skills for a range of careers – from policing and prisons, to probation and rehabilitation, as well as roles fighting fraud in the private sector or influencing Government policy. And because crime doesn’t respect borders, this course also gives you a uniquely international perspective.<br/><br/>**Course highlights**<br/><br/><br/>- Explore the latest national and international debates and research in topics as varied as hate crime, state crime, terrorism, gang crime and victimology<br/><br/><br/>- Get career-ready with an emphasis on skills and employability, including volunteering opportunities with organisations such as Hampshire Constabulary and local charities like Aurora New Dawn (supporting victims of crime) and Read and Grow Society (helping ex-offenders learn to read)<br/><br/><br/>- Learn from an international team whose experience spans law and criminal justice, policing, probation and more – including a former private detective doing important research into missing persons and an expert in European responses to domestic violence<br/><br/><br/>- Join lively debates in one of the country’s largest criminology departments and contribute your own ideas on how we should respond to crime as a society<br/><br/><br/>- Build a professional network by meeting practitioners from criminal justice agencies, businesses and charities<br/><br/><br/>- Customise your degree to match your ambitions: some modules reduce the amount to time you’d need to train for a policing career or as a probation officer ​<br/><br/><br/>**Careers and opportunities**<br/>You’ll complete this course with a range of different professional routes open to you in the public, private and charitable sectors.<br/><br/>There is demand for jobs in the criminal justice and penal sector. Her Majestys Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has developed a Probation Workforce Strategy to recruit skilled people to probation officer roles and invest in ongoing professional development.<br/><br/>Youll graduate with the skills and knowledge you need to work in the police, probation and prison services in areas such as:<br/><br/><br/>- community safety<br/><br/><br/>- crime prevention<br/><br/><br/>- fraud investigation<br/><br/><br/>- youth offending teams<br/><br/><br/>Youll also have relevant skills or knowledge to progress into other areas such as:<br/><br/><br/>- counter fraud roles in banking, the NHS or the DWP<br/><br/><br/>- economic crime investigation<br/><br/><br/>- policy analysis and formulation for councils or the Government<br/><br/><br/>- community rehabilitation<br/><br/><br/>- postgraduate study and research<br/><br/><br/>Graduate destinations<br/><br/>Our graduates have worked for organisations including:<br/><br/><br/>- Hampshire Constabulary, Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Metropolitan Police, Thames Valley Police, South Wales Police, Kent Police<br/><br/><br/>- National Probation Service<br/><br/><br/>- G4S<br/><br/><br/>- Financial service companies<br/><br/><br/>Roles our previous graduates have gone onto include:<br/><br/><br/>- investigative data analyst<br/><br/><br/>- police officer<br/><br/><br/>- probation service officer<br/><br/><br/>- youth offending support officer<br/><br/><br/>- offender case administrator<br/><br/><br/>- detective<br/><br/><br/>- personnel security analyst<br/><br/><br/>- private investigator<br/><br/><br/>- witness service team leader<br/><br/><br/>Ongoing careers support<br/><br/>Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role

If you apply through Clearing, you'll be offered a guaranteed room in halls if you accept your offer within 24 hours of receiving it and apply for accommodation as a new full-time undergraduate student by 9am on 20 August 2025.<br/><br/>Sign up for Priority Clearing to get accommodation information straight to your inbox as well as access to Portsmouth's Clearing Visit Day on Thursday 7th August. Priority Clearing applicants will jump the queue on Results Day, get exclusive Clearing updates, invites to Portsmouth Prepare for Clearing Webinars and one-to-one application support.<br/><br/>Through the open day, students can get a feel for Portsmouth's welcoming campus and community before joining the university. With guaranteed accommodation, they can rest easy and ensure they are in the heart of the student community.