UNISA Criminology
UNISA Criminology: Understanding Crime and Criminal Behavior
The University of South Africa (UNISA) Criminology is the scientific study of crime, including its causes, responses by law enforcement, and methods of prevention. Criminology is a multi-disciplinary field and includes concepts from sociology, biology, statistics, psychology, economics, and anthropology.
Criminology encompasses the study of crime typologies, offenders and criminal behaviour, victimology, strategies for reducing and reacting to crime, crime risk perspectives, child and youth misbehaviour, dealing with young offenders, and criminological evaluation and assessment.
You will also be trained in research methods and social policy analysis, so you will have the practical research and critical skills to make your observations as accurate and as meaningful as possible. Due to the pervasive nature of crimes in all societies, the discipline of criminology plays an important role in terms of understanding the causes of crimes, the nature of criminal behaviour, the support of victims, and strategies to reduce and minimize crime. Understanding these issues can help communities to be safe, and improve the wellbeing of the community.
Skills and Qualities Needed for Criminology at UNISA 2025
Some of the skills and qualities needed by an individual in this field include:
- Problem-solving
- Clear communication skills (in writing and person)
- A natural curiosity
- The ability to make connections
- Analytical and logical thinking
- An interest in working with large amounts of information (including statistical data)
- An interest in social justice and contributing to society in general
Careers Opportunities in Criminology At UNISA 2025
Opportunities for UNISA students studying criminology include the following:
- The South African Police Service, SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory, SAPS Crime Information Analysis Centre
- In the legal system to provide expert opinion, victim impact statements, and offender assessments
- The Department of Correctional Services for placement in prisons, sentencing and parole
- The South African National Defence Force
- The National Intelligence Agency
- Non-government and community-based organizations related to victim empowerment, youth work, prisoners’ or victims’ rights, and rehabilitation,
- Private security industry
- Financial institutions (in forensic units)
- Universities (as lecturers and researchers)
- Research organizations(independent or affiliated with a University, for example, Institute for Security Studies, Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention, Human Science Research Council, and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research).
READ: UNISA Application Online 2025 Fees
Contact UNISA
University of South Africa
P O Box 392
0003
Ethics Hotline: 0800 075 278
unisa@thehotline.co.za
For more details visit the official website of the University of South Africa. Hope the provided information is helpful, share your thoughts below in the comment section.
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