2-Term Pathway - Pre-Master's in Social Sciences - Continue to Master of Arts - Sociology and Criminology

If students hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, but don’t meet the entry requirements for a master’s, a Pre-Master’s can help them gain a place on a postgraduate degree. For progression to the 1st year of a postgraduate degree at the University of Essex. Course length is determined mainly by students' English language level (UKVI IELTS score).

Students on all course lengths take a set of common or similar modules to gain a solid base of skills for university. If their course is longer than 2 terms, students will take additional modules designed to improve one or more of their English language level, academic skills, and basic knowledge of particular subjects.

There can be no crime without society. Combining the specialist study of criminology with a broad approach to sociological questions, this University of Essex course emboldens students to study crime, criminals, and criminal justice within wider social contexts. Understanding society is key to understand every other phenomenon within it, including crime.

Criminologists and sociologists engage with some of the most pressing issues, decisions and dilemmas facing societies today. In this Essex course students explore the nature of crime, criminal justice and punishment within wider social contexts. Students will also explore how society deals with the past and the present, with issues such as colonialism and post-colonialism and the future of human rights as the backbone of every analysis.

Guided by Essex's expert staff who specialize in social theory, colonial history, terrorism, organised crime, prisons, drug abuse, and crime in the media, students explore how criminal activity interlinks with age, gender, and social concepts such as power and identity. Students will study areas including: social divisions, inequality, the nature of work and commercial culture; culture identity and subjectivity; gender and sexuality; media and criminology; globalisation and various forms of crime; security and the state; new criminological theory. 

Students explore some of the most important and significant debates in contemporary social theory, learning to think analytically about theoretical questions. They discover the importance of social theory in developing a politically engaged understanding of concepts such as post-structuralism, feminism and actor-network theory.

This course provides excellent preparation for further academic study, and many of Essex's postgraduates go on to successful academic careers, both in the UK and overseas. Others have established careers in non-governmental organisations, local authorities, specialist think tanks, government departments, charities, media production, and research organisations.