Case Study

During my time as a student at Durham Sixth Form, I realised that criminology was my favourite subject that I was studying, and I was keen to learn more about it and how to put it into practice in real life.

I spent my first year at a different university, however, the course didn’t live up to my expectations, so I made the decision to move closer to home and transferred to the University of Sunderland. The BSc (Hons) Criminology course really appealed to me as it was clear I’d be given a lot of academic support where needed and have the opportunity to interact with other students. My favourite part of the course was my dissertation. I received so much guidance, and choosing my own topic to focus on was exciting, allowing me to write about what interested me in depth.

Once I graduated, I was lucky enough to get a job I’d always wanted – I worked in the prison service as a guard. During my course, I learnt all about the theory of prisons in my lectures and seminars, so getting to experience it all in person was really interesting. My degree also enhances my prospects when it comes to promotions or if I decide to move into policing later in my career. I then moved on from this role into a job as a residential worker, working within a secure unit for children for Durham County Council, and I love every second of it.

Studying at Sunderland was a lot of fun. I loved my classes – my lecturers had so much knowledge and it was obvious that they were passionate about teaching their own subject, so it felt easy to talk to them about it. This made learning easier as they were always happy to elaborate on anything and provide support if people were struggling when it came to essays or exams. It was such a positive experience and my advice to anyone thinking of coming to study here would be to make the most of it, as the three years go by much faster than you’d expect!”

Published 6 April 2022