Program Overview

---

Criminology and Sociology

Overview

Criminology focuses on the causes and consequences of crime, as well as how the criminal justice system responds to crime. Criminologists are interested in how activities come to be defined as criminal, and why definitions of crime vary across countries and over time. The subject includes a wide range of sociological and psychological theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour, the harms associated with offending and how the criminal justice system operates.

Sociology is a discipline concerned with the explanation of social life and human behaviour of all kinds. It equips students with the skills to understand the breadth of social experience, ranging from the global (including power and politics, norms, religion, conflict and peace, the digital world, climate change, racism, sexism and other forms of social inequality) to the personal (including family life, intimacy, emotions, beliefs and mental health).

Course Structure

The programme is taught on Queen's historic campus in the heart of Belfast, which has been ranked one of the most affordable Universities in the UK. In addition to being located beside the Botanic Gardens, students have access to the award winning McClay Library.

Core Modules

• Crime and Society (20 credits)
• Rethinking Society (20 credits)
• Introducing Criminology (20 credits)
• The Sociological Imagination (20 credits)
• Digital Society (20 credits)

Optional Modules

• Introducing Social Policy (20 credits)
• Visualising the Social World (20 credits)

Entry Requirements

• ABB
• A maximum of one BTEC/OCR Single Award or AQA Extended Certificate will be accepted as part of an applicant's portfolio of qualifications with a Distinction* being equated to grade A at A-Level and a Distinction being equated to a grade B at A-level.
• H3H3H3H3H3H3/H2H3H3H3H3
• Successful completion of Access Course with an average of 70%.
• 33 points overall, including 6,5,5 at Higher Level.
• QCF BTEC Extended Diploma (180 credits at Level 3) with overall grades of D*DD
• RQF BTEC National Extended Diploma (1080 GLH at Level 3) with overall grades of D*DD
• A minimum of a 2:2 Honours Degree

Career Prospects

• Victim Support/Advice Worker
• Crime Analyst
• Working with people in conflict with the law (e.g. offender management, rehabilitation, etc.)
• Researcher
• Civil Servant (e.g. Police Officer, Prison Officer, etc.)
• Policy Analyst (e.g. working to shape criminal justice policy and practice)
• Charity Worker (e.g. working with the families of victims and/or offenders)
• Journalist or media worker
• Statistics Analyst
• Teacher
• Voluntary Sector Worker
• Private Sector career, e.g. management, market researcher, etc.
• Youth and Community Worker
• Housing Manager
• Journalist
• International Aid Worker

Tuition Fees

• Northern Ireland (NI) £4,855
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) £4,855
• England, Scotland or Wales (GB) £9,535
• EU Other £22,400
• International £22,400

Additional Course Costs

• There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.

How to Apply

• Application for admission to full-time undergraduate and sandwich courses at the University should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
• The advisory closing date for the receipt of applications for entry in 2026 is Wednesday 14 January 2026 (18:00).
• Applications from UK and EU (Republic of Ireland) students after this date are, in practice, considered by Queen’s for entry to this course throughout the remainder of the application cycle (30 June 2026) subject to the availability of places.
• Applications from International and EU (Other) students are normally considered by Queen's for entry to this course until 30 June 2026.

Modules

Year 1

• Crime and Society (20 credits)
• Rethinking Society (20 credits)
• Introducing Criminology (20 credits)
• The Sociological Imagination (20 credits)
• Digital Society (20 credits)

Year 2

• Policing and Society (20 credits)
• Qualitative Research Skills (20 credits)
• Quantitative Research Skills (20 credits)
• Justice and Conflict (20 credits)
• Exploring Harm & Victimisation (20 credits)
• State Violence, Resistance and Justice (20 credits)
• Sociology of Conflict and Peace Processes (20 credits)
• Theory Counts (20 credits)
• Crime and the Media (20 credits)
• The Power of Social Theory (20 credits)
• Social Inequalities and Diversity (20 credits)
• Criminological Theory (20 credits)

Year 3

• Punishment, Penal Policy and Prison (20 credits)
• Modelling the Social World (0 credits)
• Social Identity: Differences and Inequalities (20 credits)
• The cultural politics of memory in a global perspective (20 credits)
• The sociology of protest and revolution (20 credits)
• Trauma Informed Justice (20 credits)
• Emotion, Power, and Politics: The Political Sociology of Emotions, Trump, Brexit, and Populism (20 credits)
• Criminology Across Borders (20 credits)
• Youth, Crime and Criminal Justice (20 credits)
• Modern Families: Intimate and Personal Relationships (20 credits)
• Psychological Perspectives on Crime (20 credits)
• Norms and Social Change (20 credits)
• Issues in Contemporary Irish Society (20 credits)