Welcome to the School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences

About the School

At the School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences, we are committed to providing a world-class education that nurtures critical thinkers and empathetic leaders. Through innovative research and inclusive teaching, we inspire our students to understand and shape diverse human behaviours and societal structures, fostering positive change in local and global communities, armed with the theoretical and methodological tools necessary to understand individual and social group behaviours.

Hear from our School of Law and Social and Behavioural Sciences staff as they explain why Kingston University stands out as the premier choice for academic pursuits.

Who Do You Want To Be?

Featuring heartfelt accounts from both staff and students, this inspiring clip showcases the transformative academic experiences that define our community.

Our vision: empowering minds to transform society

To cultivate a global perspective, promoting cross-cultural understanding and preparing students to be active global citizens.

Our mission: led by research-informed teaching

To create the best possible learning environment for students which is diverse, inclusive, and research-informed, remaining responsive to the evolving needs of our community and the wider world.

Our values: positive learning and research experience

We value the wellbeing of our students, nurturing their potential and providing a supportive learning environment; we value high standards of academic excellence to foster a culture of continuous learning, discovery, and intellectual growth; and we value research that addresses real-world challenges, striving to create a positive impact on society and the world.

Prepare for global impact: our departments and courses

All four departments in the School are dynamic centres for teaching, embracing innovation and seeking novel solutions to complex societal issues. Each department designs its courses to ensure they align to the issues, challenges and needs of today's society, giving students the understanding, insight and skills for real-world opportunities after graduation. Explore the departments below to see the courses they each offer.

Department of Criminology and Social Sciences

A dynamic department dedicated to high-quality research and teaching.

Department of Economics

A well-established centre of excellence for the teaching of economics, with an active research culture.

Department of Law

Our law degrees give an excellent start for a career in law and in many other legal aspects of business.

Department of Psychology

A range of stimulating, research-informed courses with an emphasis on both the practical and theoretical aspects of psychology.

What sets us apart?

The School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences has three distinctive features that combine to set it apart from other universities:

Research, impact and social enterprise

The department is proud to be research active. It responds innovatively to market demands as they emerge, supports its mission for real-world impact, and enriches undergraduate and postgraduate study.

Our partners include governmental departments, policing and criminal justice institutions, community groups, voluntary sector organisations, and homelessness, social care and health agencies. Our research has been funded by the European Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the European Commission (including COST, European Cooperation in Science and Technology), the National Lottery Commission, the Home Office, Spurgeon's and the Royal United Services Institute, amongst others.

Our portfolio of programmes is underpinned by this vibrant research culture, informed by the Centre for Research in Communities, Identities and Difference (CResCID).

Diversity and inclusion

Over half of Kingston students identify as BAME and around 28% are from overseas, joining us from over 140 different countries. They also differ by gender, class, sexual orientation, disability, faith and age – almost 50% are mature students.

As a school, we recognise the inherent value of this diversity and build it into our teaching environment and our courses. As a Kingston student your course will reflect you and your cultural capital.

We celebrate diversity and promote inclusivity, valuing the unique perspectives and experiences that enrich our community. By maintaining the highest levels of integrity and ethics, we are able to foster a climate of trust, honesty, and responsibility in all our activities, encouraging teamwork, interdisciplinary cooperation, and partnership with external stakeholders.

Facilities

The School is located on the Penrhyn Road campus, a five-minute walk to both Kingston Riverside and historic town centre. It is the home of the University's award-winning Town House building, which won the 2021 Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize, confirming it as Britain's best new building, and the 2022 Mies van der Rohe Award, recognised as the highest accolade in European architecture.

We have made substantial investments in cutting-edge equipment and state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate ground-breaking psychological research. Over the past five years, our commitment to advancing the field of psychology has led to the establishment of comprehensive research facilities that empower our faculty and students to explore the complexities of human behaviour, cognition, and emotion.

These dedicated laboratories and specialised tools have been strategically chosen to support a diverse range of research areas, from neurophysiological investigations to psychopharmacology studies, decision-making and visual cognition, to our dedicated Baby Lab exploring infant behaviour. Our dedication to providing an enriched research environment underscores our mission to unlock new insights into the human mind and drive meaningful progress in the realm of psychological exploration.

Learn more about our psychology research facilities

Why choose the School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences?

Our students are sought-after, future-focused leaders who actively challenge, change, create and collaborate in order to contribute to society.

Challenge

We encourage our students to challenge perceptions and perspectives. We aim for our students to actively analyse, question, interpret and innovate.

Change

We are continually looking ahead to interpret the future and support people to meet emerging societal challenges. We motivate students to be problem solvers and influencers, who can get the best out of themselves and others.

Collaborate

We equip students to develop their creative capacity and a collaborative attitude to work successfully within multidisciplinary teams and environments.

Conservation

We are committed to environmental conservation and social sustainability, integrating principles of responsible practices into our operations and curriculum.