Browse Skills criminology

criminology

🏛️ Enduring ESCO reuse: cross-sector

The study of criminal behaviour, such as its causes and nature, its consequences, and control and prevention methods.

criminology — the study of criminal behaviour, such as its causes and nature, its consequences, and control and prevention methods. McKinsey's Skill Change Index places it in the enduring band (SCI 45.55/100) — a human-connection anchor whose value is projected to hold or grow through 2030. ESCO classifies it as a cross-sector (useful across many industries) skill within knowledge. It is currently listed by 4 occupations in our catalogue, including police commissioner, police detective, police inspector, and criminologist.

Category: knowledge › sociology and cultural studies SCI: 45.55/100 Also known as: investigation of law breaking behaviour, investigation of criminal behaviour, research into criminal behaviour, study of criminal behaviour, research into law breaking behaviour, study of law breaking behaviour

Occupations that require criminology

Showing top 4 of 4 occupations · ranked by India employment volume, then AI-durability.

police commissioner · 🤖 4.5/10
police detective · 🤖 4.5/10
police inspector · 🤖 4.5/10
criminologist · 🤖 5.0/10

Frequently asked questions

What is criminology?

The study of criminal behaviour, such as its causes and nature, its consequences, and control and prevention methods.

What category of skill is criminology?

ESCO classifies criminology under the knowledge category, specifically in the sociology and cultural studies subcategory.

Is criminology an AI-durable skill?

McKinsey's Skill Change Index places it in the enduring band (SCI 45.55/100) — a human-connection anchor whose value is projected to hold or grow through 2030. This is a durable skill to invest in — high human-connection skills consistently resist automation.

Which jobs require criminology?

In our catalogue, 4 occupations list criminology as a required or important skill. The top occupations by employment volume include police commissioner, police detective, police inspector, criminologist.

How transferable is criminology between industries?

ESCO tags criminology as a cross-sector (useful across many industries) skill — a signal of how portable it is when you change field.

Is criminology the same as investigation of law breaking behaviour?

Yes — criminology is also known as investigation of law breaking behaviour, investigation of criminal behaviour, research into criminal behaviour, study of criminal behaviour, research into law breaking behaviour, or study of law breaking behaviour. They refer to the same underlying capability in the ESCO taxonomy.

How can I learn criminology?

The most reliable path is to pick a job or project that demands criminology and learn through delivery. Complement that with role-specific roadmaps and short courses. Explore the occupations below to see where this skill is used in practice.

Data: ESCO v1.2.1 (CC-BY-4.0). Durability framework informed by McKinsey Global Institute (Nov 2025). See our methodology.