Course summary

Our degree prepares you for a variety of careers in criminal justice, whether as a legal professional or public servant focused on criminal justice or supporting prosecution, defence, rehabilitation or law and penal reform. You’ll benefit from dual perspectives; working with experts in both legal and criminology disciplines. You will develop skills in legal and academic reasoning and research, and an appreciation of social policy and the principles of justice, underlying the fundamental principles of law and the criminal justice system. You will study modules from both Leicester Law School and the School of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy which examine the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behaviour in both the individual and wider society in addition to the essential foundations required for an LLB degree. You will also explore the factors that underscore processes of law-making, law-breaking and law enforcement. - Leicester ranks 6th in the UK for teaching Criminology (The Guardian University Guide 2025), and you'll benefit from our expertise at every step. You can broaden your perspective with a year studying overseas, or make a difference by giving free legal advice to real clients through our Pro-Bono group. We will also encourage you to build practical skills through our award-winning extracurricular activities. Law and Criminology are inseparable. Each discipline informs the other - changes in law inevitably lead to criminologists adapting their understanding, and vice versa. This course is ideal if you are interested in criminal law and want to broaden your knowledge to include what goes on outside the courtroom, in prison and working on offender behaviour. Topics that are typically explored in criminology include:

• What is the nature of criminal behaviour?

• Why do individuals commit crime?

• How and why do definitions of crime change over time and between societies?

• How should society deal with criminal activity?