Prospective Students

For general enquiries details about undergraduate teaching and courses offered by staff at the Institute of Criminology, please contact the Undergraduate Director: Dr Caroline Lanskey.  

If you have any questions regarding the joint track in Sociology and Criminology please contact the Undergraduate Administrator for Sociology.

Current Undergraduate Students                 

Human, Social and Political Sciences (HSPS) Tripos

HSPS students can study towards a joint track Sociology & Criminology degree.  In this joint track degree students learn key sociological concepts and approaches to social problems alongside topics such as: 

• the understanding of patterns of crime, 
• pathways into and out of crime,
• critical issues regarding law, policy and practice in relation to criminal justice;
• and sentencing. 

All HSPS students take four papers in their second year (Part IIA) and four papers in their third year (Part IIB). For allowable paper combinations please check the Part IIA or Part IIB combination charts for this track.

The criminology courses on this joint track include:

Part IIA:

• Paper 1: Social Theory (SOC2)
• Paper 2: Global Social Problems (SOC3)
• Paper 3: An Introductory Course: Foundation in Criminology and Criminal Justice (CRIM1)
• Paper 4: Either Statistics and Methods (SOC5/CRIM2) or  two long essays on a Criminology topic (CRIM3).

Part IIB:

• Papers 1 and 2 (Two papers will be choosen from the options below):
  • Advanced social theory (SOC6);
  • Media, culture and society (SOC7);
  • Revolution, empire, and exile (SOC8);
  • Global capitalism (SOC9);
  • Gender (SOC10);
  • Racism, race and ethnicity (SOC11);
  • Empire, colonialism and imperialism (SOC12);
  • Health, medicine and society (SOC13).
  • One paper can be swapped for a dissertation in either Sociology or Criminology (DISS SOC or DISS CRIM)

• Papers 3 and 4 (Two papers will be choosen from the options below):
  • Criminology, Sentencing and the Penal System (SOC15 / CRIM4)
  • Further Topics in Criminology (CRIM5)
  • One paper can be swapped for a dissertation in either Sociology or Criminology (DISS SOC or DISS CRIM)

In their final year, HSPS students may choose to write a dissertation, which allows them to explore in greater depth a criminological topic of personal interest. 

Further details on this degree are available on the HSPS website.

Law Tripos

Criminology, Sentencing and the Penal System (Paper 34):

Law students in the second or third year of their degree can choose to take this paper, which looks at the concept of crime and punishment through a criminological lens, but also with a focus on changing laws and policies. Students study the law of sentencing in a wide socio-legal context; the philosophies/theories of punishment; and pay particular attention to the way the 'system' applies to particular groups of offenders such as BAME, women, and young offenders. It also looks at the evidence on what works to reduce re-offending. Students are encouraged to consider empirical evidence, and to develop a critical eye.

Crime and Criminal Justice (Paper 49):

Tripos Paper 49 encompasses a group of specialised papers offered by teaching members of the faculty based on their specialities and research interests. While the particular papers offered for Paper 49 vary from year to year, they allow for in-depth exploration of specific topics in law.  Part IIB Law students may opt for this popular specialist paper, which allows them to explore in greater depth a criminological topic of personal interest. 

All of these courses make use of the research and teaching expertise of the internationally renowned research community of criminologists at the Institute and provide a strong foundation for its post-graduate programmes.

Psychology and Behavioural Sciences (PBS) Tripos

Psychology and Behavioural Sciences students can choose to study Foundations in Criminology and Criminal Justice (CRIM1).

This is a borrowed paper from Part IIA of the HSPS Tripos and the Criminology, Sentencing and the Penal System (Paper 34) [Law Tripos].