Department of Sociology and Criminology

Sociology is a fascinating subject that touches on every aspect of modern life, helping us understand society and our roles within it.

We are one of the oldest and most well-established Sociology Departments in London, with a long-tradition of engagement with public policy around important social issues.

Our students receive a first-class education that is consistently informed by cutting-edge research and delivered by internationally recognised leaders in their fields.

Our range of courses teach students about the local and global forces which define our lives. They involve a mixture of hands-on and theoretical learning which help students develop the sociological imagination, knowledge and research skills to engage with the key challenges and debates that are shaping policy formation and professional practice in a rapidly changing world.

City’s location in the heart of one of the world’s great cities provides a stimulating real-world environment in which to explore issues including criminology and criminal justice, class, gender, ethnicity, migration, and the sociology of race and racism.

We have particular expertise in quantitative sociology (including survey methods and data analysis), enabling students to develop highly sought-after data literacy and quantitative skills.

At the end of their studies, our students graduate with a highly marketable degree from an institution with an outstanding track record for student employability.

The department offers a range of courses at undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research degree level.

See which course is right for you:

Undergraduate

• BSc (Hons) Sociology*
• BSc (Hons) Criminology*
• BSc (Hons) Criminology and Sociology*
• BSc (Hons) Sociology with Psychology*.

* All students enrolling on these undergraduate courses will have the option to apply to join a prestigious Quantitative Methods (QM) pathway at the end of their first year of study. See ‘City Q-Step Centre’ tab for more information.

Postgraduate

• MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice
• MSc Research Methods.

Research degrees

• PhD/MPhil Sociology.

Studentships

The South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) consortium of 10 leading UK universities offers fully funded doctoral studentships, post-doctoral fellowships and placements.

Find out more and apply for SeNSS Studentships.

Related subjects

• Sociology.

The Department is home to world-class quality research which has a direct and positive impact on policymakers, business and the professions.

In the recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, which measures the quality and impact of research in universities across the UK, 88% of our research was rated as being of world-leading (4*) and internationally excellent (3*) quality.

This places us 6^th in the UK for Sociology research and 1^st in London.

We have an internationally recognised tradition of theoretically informed, empirical research that engages critically with defining societal transformations and policy challenges.

Our research centres work to improve knowledge and understanding, and influence policy and practice. Learn more about their activities below.

• Centre for City Criminology
• Centre for Crime and Justice Research (co-directed with City Law School)
• European Social Survey (ESS)
• Gender and Sexualities Research Centre
• Jeremy Tunstall Global Media Research Centre
• The Centre for Research on Work and Society
• Violence and Society Centre

A number of international peer-reviewed journals are based in the department:

• Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal
• International Journal of Digital Television
• Journal of Classical Sociology
• City Culture and Society

The City Q-Step Centre is based in the Department of Sociology and Criminology.

Q-Step is a national programme aimed at achieving step-changes in undergraduate quantitative social science training in the UK.

Q-step is motivated by the UK’s shortage of social science graduates with quantitative skills. City is one of seventeen Q-step Centres located in different universities across the UK.

The objective of these centres is to support the development and delivery of specialist undergraduate quantitative programmes, through the development of new courses, work experience opportunities and pathways to postgraduate study.

We are working with the following undergraduate programmes:

• BSc (Hons) Sociology*
• BSc (Hons) Criminology*
• BSc (Hons) Criminology and Sociology*
• BSc (Hons) Media, Communication and Sociology*
• BSc (Hons) Sociology with Psychology*

All students enrolling on a course will have the option to apply to join one of the following QM pathways at the end of their first year of study.

• Sociology with Quantitative Methods
• Criminology with Quantitative Methods
• Criminology and Sociology with Quantitative Methods
• Media, Communication and Sociology with Quantitative Methods
• Sociology with Psychology with Quantitative Methods

Students on a QM Pathway will, alongside their substantive modules, study quantitative analysis of social research data, data visualisation, comparative survey analysis and advanced quantitative methods.

All pathway students will undertake a graded research placement in a partner institution and will have the opportunity to apply for an international placement in the summer between their second and third years of study.

Partner organisations

Part of the training for the quantitative methods pathway in year 2 involves the students taking a compulsory quantitative placement module. The placement module gives students the opportunity to apply their quantitative skills in the real world. The placement is an accredited module and part of the students’ degree course.

The students do ‘quantitative work’ on the placement which could involve producing, analysing or reporting quantitative data or statistics.

Some of the organisations involved in hosting our students have included:

• NatCen Social Research
• Kantar
• Full Fact
• Which? policy
• Islington Council – children’s services
• British Transport Police
• BBC Media Action
• European Social Survey (City, University of London)

City Q-Step co-Directors

• Dr Eric Harrison, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Sociology and Deputy Director, European Social Survey HQ.
• Dr Matt Barnes, Senior Lecturer in Sociology (Quantitative Data Resources).

Centre Members

• Professor Rachel Cohen, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Head of Department
• Professor Jason Dykes, Professor of Visualisation
• Dr Vanessa Gash, Reader in Sociology
• Dr Katrin Hohl, Reader in Criminology
• Dr Sally Stares, Senior Lecturer in Sociology (Quantitative Methods)
• Nhlanhla Ndebele, Q-Step Teaching Fellow.