Criminology

Entry requirements

Applying with prior qualifications

• An undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK undergraduate honours degree (normally a 2.2 or above)

Applying with non-standard entry qualifications/experience

• Applicants without such qualifications will be considered on an individual basis but will be required to demonstrate how their experiences and knowledge would enable them to study this course at Masters level in their Personal Statement.

No references are required when applying for this course.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Our master's course draws upon the expertise of staff with established reputations in the field. Tutors have a wide range of research interests and they are actively involved with the Nottingham Crime Research Unit and the Centre for the Study and Reduction of Hate Crimes. These specialist units are located within the division and conduct high quality applied criminological and criminal justice research.

The course offers a distinctive theoretical and policy-orientation of criminology. The emphasis on policy is specifically designed to offer a more vocationally relevant programme of Masters level study that will be more pertinent to students seeking a policy-orientated career in the Home Office, government office of the regions, local government and crime and disorder reduction partnerships.

The Criminology team regularly invites renowned industry experts and professionals to the University to provide an insight into their specialist knowledge and experiences. Past speakers have included Superintendent Paul Giannasi, Programme Manager of the Cross-Governmental Hate Crime Strategy and Len Jackson, OBE Interim Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Why choose the MA Criminology?
Our innovative MA Criminology course draws upon the expertise of our staff and reflects current developments in criminology. It also offers a distinctive theoretical and policy aspect of criminology. The policy emphasis is specifically designed to offer a more vocationally relevant course that will be more pertinent to students seeking a policy-orientated career in the Home Office, government office of the regions, local government and crime and disorder reduction partnerships.

• Gain a critical and informed analysis of criminology, criminal justice and crime reduction.
• Graduate with an extensive vocationally relevant, and policy-orientated, knowledge of crime and responses to crime, drawing on examples from across the world.
• Hear from invited experts and professionals who provide an insight into their specialist knowledge and experiences.
• Develop a critical awareness of the current philosophical, theoretical and methodological problems, debates, and insights that shape the discipline.
• Enhances life long learning skills and personal development in a manner that enables graduates to adopt an independent and reflective approach to their learning and to contribute to crime reduction and community safety.

Modules
On this course, modules may include:

• Contemporary and Classical Theoretical Explanations of Crime and Criminal Behaviour
• Current Issues in Social Deviance
• Contemporary Criminal Justice Practice
• Comprehensive Research Methods Training
• Crime, Community and Neighbourhood
• Offender Management and Crime Reduction
• Dissertation.

For more detailed information about the modules you may study on this course, please visit our website.

Delivery and assessment
The teaching and learning will involved a mixture of lectures, workshops, enquiry based learning and an individual dissertation / project. Your personal tutor will provide both pastoral and academic support throughout your study. This role will switch to their dissertation supervisor during this final module.

Assessment will be carried out through a combination of Assessed essays (including reports, reflective reports), Policy papers, presentations, case studies and a dissertation.

Career opportunities

This course will prepare students to go on to pursue a range of professional careers in criminal justice related work in either the statutory, commercial or community voluntary sectors. The acquisition of specific criminological knowledge, along with a wide range of transferable skills such as the ability to conduct and evaluate research, will be invaluable for those seeking employment in the fast-expanding field of policy evaluation.

The course will also enhance the career opportunities of those currently working in the field and will be particularly valuable to students seeking employment in criminal justice agencies operating at central, regional and local government levels, for example:

• Home Office
• police forces
• local government
• crime and disorder reduction partnerships and their equivalencies throughout the world.

Other graduates may pursue opportunities to become researchers or academics working in the subject area of criminology in higher education. The course will also serve as an effective launching pad for those students wishing to study for a doctorate.

Careers and job application advice is available to all our postgraduate students and is provided on a one-to-one basis by our School employability team, supported by the university-wide careers service.

Information for international students

As an international school, we are committed to enhancing our cultural and intellectual diversity. We therefore like to encourage applications from students across the world who feel we can offer them the educational opportunities they are seeking at postgraduate level.

Fees and funding

The School of Social Sciences is delighted to announce the availability of a number of competitive Scholarships for our Masters courses. Please visit our website to find out more.