Criminology and Criminal Justice

Why do crime rates rise and fall? What can authorities do to reduce criminal offending? Does prison work? How can you prepare for a successful career in criminal justice? In studying criminology at Kent, you'll discuss all these questions and more, developing the knowledge and skills to answer them.

You'll learn about criminal justice systems across the world, including our own prisons, police and courts - discovering the challenges each of them face. You'll also explore key debates around crime policy through a critical and career-driven lens.

At Kent, you'll be taught by world-leading academics and experienced criminal justice professionals - including those drawn from Kent Police, the London Metropolitan Police, HMP Prisons Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Probation Service, the legal profession and charities supporting victims and communities.

Our diverse and cutting-edge range of modules covers areas such as cybercrime, criminal psychology, drug policy, violent crime, terrorism, youth offending and hate crime, giving you the chance to expand your criminological imagination and tailor your degree to set up your own exciting career.

Your future
You’ll join our graduates realising their ambitions both in the field of criminal justice and in more diverse professions. Recently, our graduates have gone into:

• The police force

• The Probation Service

• The Home Office

• Ministry of Justice

• Non-governmental organisations and charities

• HM Prison Service

• Youth offending

• Social work

• The legal profession

• Policy analysis

Location
Our city, your time.

It has never been a better time to study in Canterbury. Our high student population creates a vibrant, diverse and student-friendly atmosphere.

We are a hub of exciting new ideas emerging from a stunning historic city - join us and get involved!

Plot your course. Discover the modules you’ll study on your Kent journey.
The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Stage 1

Compulsory modules currently include the following

Theories of Crime and Harm
Introduction to Criminology
Developing the Criminological Imagination
Making Sense of Society
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Careers in Criminology

Stage 2

Compulsory modules currently include the following
Contemporary Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Investigating Social Problems
Inequalities, Crime and Justice

Optional modules may include the following
Contemporary Sociological Theory
Inequalities
Researching Digital Society and Culture
Computational Social Science
Critical Issues in Policing Concepts, Theories and Debates
Crime and Punishment in Britain from 1750 to the Present
Prisons and Society
The Psychology of Criminal Justice
Restorative Justice : Theories and Practices
Globalisation and Development
Digital Culture
‘You think you’re better than me?’ The Sociology of Status
Race and Ethnicity in Multicultural Societies
Migration and Belonging
Education in a Global World

Year abroad (Optional)

Stage 3

Compulsory modules currently include the following
Applying Social Research
Optional modules may include the following
Analysing Data in the Real World
Philanthropy in Action
Social and Criminal Justice Practice
Drugs and Crime
Offender Rehabilitation in Prisons and Probation
Technology and Cybercrime
The Politics of Criminal Justice
Youth, Crime and Youth Justice
Violence and Society
Issues in Criminology : The Inside-Out Programme
Multispecies Sociology: Animals and Society
Protest, Activism, and Social Change
Environmental Sociology: Politics and Protest
Money and Power: Sociology of Economic Life
Science and Society
The Sociology of Urban Life
Researching Bodies and Gender
Sociology in the Global South
Research Project