Criminal Law and Criminal Justice
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above in law, the humanities or social sciences; other honours degrees will be considered.
Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.
Months of entry
January, October
Course content
Why choose this course?
- This course is ideal if you have a keen interest in criminal law and criminal justice and want to learn in a stimulating, flexible, learning environment.
- It brings together students from a range of backgrounds, including those with pre-existing knowledge or experience, who wish to advance their existing career and specialise in this area, as well as those with a desire to carve out a new career path.
- You will be taught by leading academics in criminology, criminal justice and law and active researchers at the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research (ICPR), who are at the forefront of generating new knowledge on contemporary criminal justice issues, including in policing and the policed, courts and the judicial process, prisons and the use of imprisonment, and fraud and digital technologies.
What you will learn
Compulsory modules on this course will provide you with:
- an introduction to theoretical perspectives on the relationship between criminal law and criminal justice
- deep insights into cutting-edge debates and a range of contemporary issues in criminal law and criminal justice
- advanced knowledge of modern criminal law.
You will also have the chance to choose option modules from a diverse list spanning law, criminology, social policy and the humanities, so you can tailor your studies to your interests and future career goals.
How you will learn
Learning is through lectures, seminars and tutorials, alongside your independent work. Throughout the course, you will have various opportunities to develop skills relevant to your career, such as through conducting an independent research project with support from a specialist supervisor.
You will be able to choose between full- and part-time study. This course has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening, allowing you to pursue other activities and commitments during the day.
- You can look forward to a stimulating, flexible learning environment, alongside students with diverse backgrounds and professional experiences.
- You will be taught by staff who are part of a proud tradition of critical scholarship in criminology and criminal justice, who address issues of crime through power and inequality, and are led by principles of social and racial justice.
- We are home to the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research. The outstanding team of academics and researchers at ICPR bring a wealth of knowledge to this Master's course, leading compulsory and specialist modules and providing research project supervision.
- Students can attend specialist research seminars, such as the Criminology Seminar Series, which feature national and international scholars speaking on current issues and groundbreaking interdisciplinary research.
- We use electronic learning environments to enhance our teaching and learning. Birkbeck Library has an extensive teaching collection of books, journals and electronic resources in law and related disciplines, such as economics, politics and sociology. For example, it provides access to over 17,000 electronic journals, which are available online 24 hours a day. You can also take advantage of the rich research collections nearby, including those of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Senate House Library, the British Library of Political and Economic Science (LSE Library) and the British Library.
Postgraduate studies in criminal law and criminal justice offer you a range of career opportunities, giving you a pathway to promotion within an existing career, helping you transition into a new career, or giving you the chance to pursue a specialist area of knowledge.
You will find criminal law and criminal justice graduates in the following kinds of roles and fields:
- legal practitioners
- positions within the third sector including non-government organisations (NGOs) and voluntary organisations
- positions within criminal justice agencies, such as the police, prisons and the youth justice system
- local government or civil service roles
- education, research and academia.
As well as honing their research skills, Birkbeck’s MA/LLM Criminal Law and Criminal Justice graduates complete the degree with a set of valuable transferable attributes, for example:
- the ability to critically evaluate and assess a range of sources
- the ability to present persuasive arguments
- the ability to work effectively as part of a team
- high-level oral and written communication skills in English.
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.
Information for international students
If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.
If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MA
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- LLM
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Student Advice Service
- studentadvice@bbk.ac.uk
- Phone
- +44 (0)20 3907 0700