Find the criminology and forensic studies course for you
Prepare for a career in law enforcement, probation, security or counter-fraud
What can you do with a Criminology and Forensic Studies degree?
Crime affects everyone in society, and a Criminology and Forensic Studies degree is the perfect way to get the skills and knowledge needed to play your part in understanding and tackling one of the most enduring issues facing society.
When you study a Criminology and Forensic Studies degree, you'll explore why criminals behave the way they do and consider ways of identifying and preventing crime using techniques from forensics to cyber technology.
Depending on the course you choose, you'll also gain the sociological, psychological and forensic skills required to follow our previous students into graduate jobs in the fields of law enforcement, probation, crime rehabilitation, cybercrime, counter fraud and crime prevention.
We have excellent links with key bodies in the industry – such as the National Crime Squad and the National Cyber Security Centre, and the Cabinet Office – and you'll have the option of doing a placement year in industry as part of your degree, to gain valuable experience before you graduate.
Undergraduate Criminology and Forensic studies courses
- Criminology and Criminal Justice BSc (Hons)
- Criminology and Criminal Justice (Distance Learning) BSc (Hons)
- Criminology and Cybercrime BSc (Hons)
- Criminology and Forensic Studies BSc (Hons)
- Criminology with Psychology BSc (Hons)
- Counter Terrorism, Intelligence and Cybercrime (Dual Degree) BSc (Hons)
- Policing and Investigation (Distance Learning) BSc (Hons)
- Professional Policing BSc (Hons)
- Risk and Security Management (Distance Learning) BSc (Hons)
- Sociology with Criminology BSc (Hons)
Related courses
Postgraduate Criminology and Forensic studies courses
- Corporate Governance and Law/Grad ICSA LLM
- Criminal Psychology MSc
- Criminal Psychology and Victimology (Distance Learning) MSc
- Cybercrime (Distance Learning) MSc
- Cybercrime, Terrorism and Security MSc
- Cyber Security and Digital Forensics (Distance Learning) MSc
- Economic Crime MSc
- Forensic Accounting MSc
- Forensic Information Technology MSc
- Forensic Investigation MSc
- Forensic Psychology MSc
- International Criminal Justice and Intelligence MSc
- Law LLM
- Professional Studies (Learning at Work) MA/MSc
- Terrorism and Security Management (Distance Learning) MSc
Postgraduate research Criminology and Forensic studies courses
Since graduating from this course, I've worked for Surrey Police, the Metropolitan Police and Hampshire Police, and now I'm training as a detective. Having visited a number of other universities, it's clear that Portsmouth is committed to leading the way in Criminology.
What kind of careers can a criminology degree lead to?
Studying a degree in criminology will open you up to a wide variety of career opportunities. From policing and cyber security, to NGOs and charities, discover some of the roles you could take on, and learn how we'll support you to achieve your goals.
Simona Ciobotaru: Studying a degree here at the University of Portsmouth in our School of Criminology and Criminal Justice will open you up to a wide variety of career options.
Alexandra Hemingway: It's not always really obvious exactly what kind of job you might want to do. A lot of students do need some help or inspiration, and a lot of that comes from directly inside their course.
If they're studying forensics, they've got really good simulations where they're doing practical examples of working with a scene of crime and stuff where they're going outdoors and really taking the science outside.
Laura Haggar: We have some students who might go into the prison service. We might have students who are interested in economic crime.
Simona Ciobotaru: A lot of students can go either into cyber security, NGOs and charities. They can work for the police.
Dr Richard John: One of the great attractive measures of policing today is actually you could join with this degree as a detective or an investigator.
Becky Milne: We have a big partnership with Hampshire Police, but also police right across the country and across the globe.
Dr Craig Collie: We tend to recommend that students do a placement or some work experience so they can put some of those skills to use.
Alexandra Hemingway: For example, working with Hampshire Constabulary as well as with charities or victim support. Another option is study abroad. You could go and do potentially a semester or a year in another university and you could also pick a work placement abroad. And there have also been opportunities to work right here in the university.
Michela Scalpello: Students can move into other areas in terms of analysis, data or government.
Dr Richard John: The sky really is your limit. The university of Portsmouth gives you the skills, it gives you the confidence and it gives you that academic ability to negotiate complex and difficult issues.
Dr Craig Collie: Learning how people think and behave and understanding how you yourself react to those things work into how those jobs would work. We've just got a wonderful team who are very experienced. Our team is one of the biggest criminology provisions in the country. You can nurture that interest here with us at Portsmouth.
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