What do criminology graduates do?

From social work to research, a criminology degree equips graduates for careers beyond the traditional law enforcement route

This article is part of a series exploring the outcomes of graduates from subjects that are not included in What do graduates do?

Criminology graduates pursue a variety of career paths. Full-time work was the most common destination (57.5%), while 11.6% found work in part-time roles - according to the latest Graduate Outcomes data, which records the activities of 2022/23 graduates 15 months after graduation.

They found employment in various sectors, such as:

• Police officers
• Sales and retail assistants
• Welfare and housing associate professionals
• National government administrative occupations
• Care workers and home carers
• Educational support assistants
• Bar staff
• Other administrative occupations
• Prison service officers
• Youth and community workers.

Unemployment among criminology graduates stood at 7%, which is slightly above the average for all graduates (6.2%).

Activity,Percentage of graduates
Full-time employment,57.5
Part-time employment,11.6
Employment and further study,10.8
Unemployment,7
Other including travel caring for someone or retired,6.9
Full-time further study,4.4
Voluntary or unpaid work,1.5
Part-time further study,0.3

Further study

Some (4.7%) criminology graduates chose to pursue further study, with a further 10.8% reporting that they were working while studying. Two fifths (55.7%) reported that they were doing a Masters course, 16.9% were doing a Postgraduate diploma, and 2.9% said that they were doing a Doctorate course when surveyed.

Type of qualification,Percentage of graduates
Higher degree mainly by taught course (e.g. MA MSc MBA LLM),55.7
Other Professional qualification,17
Postgraduate diploma or certificate (e.g. PGCE/PGDE GDL),16.9
Undergraduate degree including integrated master's degrees (e.g. BA BSc MBChB MEng),5
Higher degree mainly by research (e.g. PhD DPhil MPhil MRes),2.9
Foundation degree HND or other undergraduate diploma (E.g. DipHE),1.3
HNC CertEd or other undergraduate certificate (e.g. Higher Certificate),1.1

Several of these graduates studied for professional qualifications (17%), such as the Legal Practice Course (LPC), which expands their opportunity for employment in the legal sector.

Occupations

Retail, waiting, and other customer service roles were a common destination for criminology graduates (19.9%), alongside other professional roles (18.7%) such as police officers, prison service officers, and protective service associate professionals.

Clerical, secretarial, and administrative positions were also popular, with 15.2% of this cohort working in these roles. Although not directly related to their degree, these graduates often acquire valuable skills including customer service and communication, which are highly sought after in this field.

Many also worked in legal, social and welfare positions (14.6%).

Just over half of criminology graduates (54.4%) found themselves in professional-level employment, a figure below the overall graduate average of 71.9%, However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that success is subjective and graduates in non-professional roles may still be fulfilling their aspirations, be content with their salaries, and feel like they are making meaningful contributions. In fact, 79.8% of criminology graduates who answered the Graduate voice questions indicated that their work is meaningful, and of those who were not in a professional-level role, 67.5% said the same.

Location of employment

Criminology graduates were working in various locations across the UK, with the North West accounting for the largest proportion at 15.8%, with areas like Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Manchester being particularly popular. London was the second most common location at 15.6%. A few individuals found work in Hampshire, Kent, and Surrey, making the South East an appealing location.

Salaries

Among criminology graduates who did not pursue further study, average salaries were £26,579 for women and £29,103 for men.

For those who undertook substantial further study, average earnings increased for women to £28,088, while remaining broadly similar for men at £28,478. However, salaries for both groups were below the overall graduate averages of £30,031 for those entering employment without further study and £29,778 for those who completed additional qualifications.

The difference in salaries could be partially explained by the higher proportion of criminology graduates finding employment in retail and customer service sectors, where salaries tend to be comparatively lower.

Written by

Laura Greaves

Senior information analyst

Prospects Luminate