Help a future student out - Criminlology

[Pablito]

Hi all,

I'm doing my application for Uni at the moment after having 18 months off, intending to finally go this September.

I did media at college which I did quite well in, but the only thing I actually learned from the course was that I definately didn't want to go into Media..

So, I'm looking at doing Criminology at the moment.

One of the main things that appeals to be about it (apart from it sounding awesome, which of course was my first attraction) is that I'm under the impression that everyone will be entering the course at the same level.

Any way, have any of you lot had any experience with Criminology?

How did you find the work load? Was it as interesting as it looks?

What was the percentage of written work to the more practical stuff?

Any bits of information would be great, thanks!

 

[semi-pro waster]

You're probably not going to like this much but criminology is a rather useless subject from what I know of it, don't get me wrong it is interesting to an extent but it means (and solves) nothing, put ten criminologists in a room and you'll be lucky to only get 9 different theories about what causes criminal behaviour. I have however only studied it somewhat indirectly as part of a law course but I really couldn't recommend it for a full university course on that basis.

That said, do what you want to do, just don't expect it to be something that will necessarily be applicable in the real world if that is any consideration.

 

[Pablito]

Thanks for the reply mate, and I have heard that a few times in the past - but where I am at the moment is I've been out of education for almost two years and I'm desperate to get back in.

I've been searching high and low for courses that appeal to me and this is about the best I've found.

I just need to get back on the educational wagon again!

 

[Liefrich]

I did a law degree and some of my mates did criminology. I think most of them went into it with delusions of a CSI exciting police drama course. It's not. It's basically sociology, but applying all the usual theories to criminals.

The people who really matter in criminal sentencing etc etc are usually ex lawyers turned professors.

Im sure it has some positive aspects, but if you want to do a social science I would recommend sticking to the classical ones of History, philosophy, English etc as they all lead to better job prospects.

 

[Dist]

Also you should note that there are not great job prospects if you learn criminology. After CSI, there are many people who went to study criminology but the places that actully hire people with that knowledge only need a small team, so chances of getting a job anything at all like CSI is very slim. Also if a job like CSI is what you are after, then potential employers would much rather have a person who is well grounded in all the sciences, to which they can then teach the more specfic things to, rather then someone who has studied criminology but doesn't have good well rounded science knowledge.

If this is what you want then by all means go for it, but dont go into education just because it sounds cool, you need to think about what you want to gain out of a course, and research if that course can give you what you are after.

 

[sbi5ar]

You're probably not going to like this much but criminology is a rather useless subject from what I know of it.

my sister did criminology

haha but its ok, there are masters or things which are equivalent which allow you to go on and do better things, my sis did some thing around law and is now a solicitor or somethign like that.

i also have reason to believe some reason use it to get a degree then go on and do a law degree if they dont have the right A-level grades etc...

 

[uknowist]

Thanks for the reply mate, and I have heard that a few times in the past - but where I am at the moment is I've been out of education for almost two years and I'm desperate to get back in.

I've been searching high and low for courses that appeal to me and this is about the best I've found.

I just need to get back on the educational wagon again!

what are you hoping to do tho? might be worth just applying to the police and working your way up when u get in, unless you want to be like a solicitor. Or if you find that there are other courses you fancy but you dont have the right qualifications, look into foundation degrees, only a year and will most of the time get you onto the course you really want to do.

 

[J.B]

I used to work for the criminal justice team at hertfordshire uni, they've just started running a BSc Criminology, and have been running the MSc for a few years. Also my brother in law did it.
As Dist said, there arent really a huge amount of jobs but it is interesting, its a lot of theory and a lot of discussions. Theres no right or wrong answers just lots of views.
However a degree is a degree and a lot of jobs will ask for a degree in any discipline.
On the course I work on, most were joining as complete new comers, but there were a few who were ex probation officers (which means they already have a degree in criminal justice or something like that)
Think you need to ask yourself what job you want at the end of it all, and if you dont have any job in mind, how interested are you in human behaviour/sociology/physcology?

 

[KiTBoH]

Didn't read a lot of this thread I will admit.
But seeing as you're on OcUK and seem to have an interest in Criminology or w/e
I chose forensic computing, and although the first year seems to be a complete waste of time the subjects we cover in years 2 and 3 seem a lot more promising.
It might be interesting to have a look into

 

[Amp34]

My sister did criminology, unless you want to be a police officer/PCSO it's only really jobs that want someone with any degree that will hire you. I doubt there is any practical stuff in it TBH, my sister had loads of reports to write and that was about it.

 

[Meridian]

Agree with most of the above: the only job which will actually care that the degree is criminology is the police, where it might help you get on the fast-track. That, and teaching criminology at ex-polytechnics. Apart from that, it's just a degree, and not a very good one. If you really want to get in that sort of work, you need a better idea of which exact area, and then find which degree you need. Lawyers need (natch) law, forensics want biology or chemistry, computer forensics want computer science, etc.

As someone has said, criminology is roughly as useful as sociology as a degree course.


M

 

[Skidder]

I will be blunt: unless you want to join the police and want to doss about in higher education a bit pointlessly, don't do criminology. If that avenue is open to you, there will be others. Think about what you want later in life and steer towards it.

 

[fini]

I would suggest doing a law degree and then picking as many legal theory based modules as possible if that's what you want to do... but legal theory is awfully awfully dull.

Why do you like the sound of Criminology? It's not a fun course and at the end of it you wont have earned anything that useful unless you plan to become a policeman.

 

[semi-pro waster]

my sister did criminology

haha but its ok, there are masters or things which are equivalent which allow you to go on and do better things, my sis did some thing around law and is now a solicitor or somethign like that.

i also have reason to believe some reason use it to get a degree then go on and do a law degree if they dont have the right A-level grades etc...

Absolutely, it's perfectly possible to use it as a platform to do something else and doing an LPC conversion course or similar after any degree is fine but criminology, in and of itself, isn't a tremendously useful course from what I know of it.

No course guarantees that you will end up, or want to end up, doing something related at the end of it but I think it might be a better plan to pick something that you think interests you and you might want to get a job doing at the end of it.

 

[=Mac=]

Criminology / Forensics etc is dangerously underpaid. Plus, it's one of those courses that lots of average people do at average universities so it's hard to shine. Especially when most credible universities don't offer the course.