Students study on Pathways and are managed by Fields. The other pathways are Investigative Studies, Forensic Science and Forensic Care Studies. Criminology is sited in the Law School. By its very nature, Criminology is a cross-culture discipline and contribution to the programme will come from not only the area of Law, but also Sociology, Social Policy, Psychology and Forensic Science. All these are tied together to differing degrees in terms of the study of crime.
Criminology also exists at the interstice between theory and practice.
There are major theoretical issues concerning social order and social control. However they can only be understood when viewed in the context of strategies and policies developed to engage crime. The program aims to produce graduates with the knowledge and skills to understand and make sense of the concept of crime at the end of the twentieth century, who are open-minded and critical but also pragmatic in the ability to connect theory with social policy practice. Towards the end of year 1 students choose whether to continue to study their two pathways on an equal basis or to major or minor in Criminology. The first year is a qualifying year - it is only your achievements in years 2 and 3 that form the basis of the final degree classification.