Career Prospects
Introduction
The diversity of interests and topics covered in the discipline, plus the wide range of skills it equips you with, means that our students enter a wide range of careers on graduation. Public and private sector organisations involved in the criminal justice system continue to expand and the demand for criminology graduates is strong. The number and variety of career opportunities related to the criminal justice system has increased in recent years.
As well as the traditional criminal justice agencies such as the police, probation service and the prison service, criminology graduates work in a range of occupations, including the media, civil service, research, teaching, business, voluntary organisations and management. Criminology graduates also work in victim support organisations and in other social care agencies. Some graduates build on the degree by undertaking further post-graduate training in fields such as policing, probation work, prison service, social work, law, human rights, social science research and teaching. The School has a strong post-graduate programme, offering both Master's and PhD degrees.
Studying for a Criminology degree at Queen’s will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from this degree at Queen’s are well regarded by many employers (local, national and international) and over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline.
You should also take a look at www.prospects.ac.uk for further information concerning the types of jobs that attract Criminology graduates.
Further study is also an option open to Criminology graduates. You can choose from a wide range of Master's programmes as well as a comprehensive list of research topics
http://www.prospects.ac.uk
Employment after the Course
Typical career destinations of graduates include:
Researcher
Civil Servant
Policy Analyst
Charity Fundraiser
Market Researcher
Youth and Community Worker
Employment Links
Graduate employers include:
Northern Ireland Civil Service
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
National Health Service
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
PWC
Ulster Bank
Santander
Belfast City Council
Ipos Mori
Commission for Victims and Survivors NI
Professional Opportunities
Utilising Q-Step resources Criminology, students can apply (on a competitive basis) for placement opportunities. Recent placements have been with the NI Assembly, and Praxis Care.
Additional Awards Gained
There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.
Prizes and Awards
The highest achieving graduates are awarded the Lockheed Prize annually.
Top performing students are regularly awarded prizes and scholarships. One of our BA students was a Global Winner of the Undergraduate Awards (2017), the world’s leading undergraduate awards programme which recognises top undergraduate work.
Degree plus award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Degree Plus. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.