What Can I Do With a Masters in Criminology?
Written by Hannah Slack
A Masters in Criminology can help open up doors to the fascinating fields of crime and social justice. Usually taken by those with a Social Science undergraduate degree, or professionals looking to advance their specialist knowledge, a Masters degree could help make you more competitive on the job market.
This page will take you through some of the career paths Criminology graduates typically take. We have also used some official data from the UK Government to look at employability statistics and average earnings of Criminology Masters graduates.
* The official data we use looks at employment outcomes and graduate earnings by discipline. As Criminology is considered a branch of Sociology this page has used figures from the category ‘Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology’. More information about our data sources can be found below.
What skills will I gain with a Masters in Criminology?
A Masters in Criminology will allow you to build on the skills and knowledge gained during a Bachelors. The focus on independent research and specialist expertise will help shape your future career prospects.
Taught content and independent research projects will enable you to build up your knowledge on a particular topic to a specialist level. Some potential topics could be:
- Capital punishment
- Crime theory
- Criminal investigative psychology
- Cultural criminology
- Cybercrime
- Policing
- Sexual violence
- Youth crime
In addition, you will build upon a broad range of soft skills, many of which are desirable by employers. Independent work and completion of a dissertation (around 15,000 words) will ensure that you’ll develop key skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and knowing how to conduct independent research.
What jobs can I get with a Masters in Criminology?
The skills and knowledge that students gain from a Criminology Masters can open up many doors. Employers not only value the core skills that a Masters will teach you but also certain fields require specialist knowledge of crime.
The most common careers that Criminology Masters graduates go on to have include:
- Criminologist
- Detective
- Forensic psychologist
- Fraud investigator
- Intelligence
- Prison officer
- Profiler
As Criminology focuses on the social implications of crime, it is also possible for you to begin a career as a social worker, specialising in adult criminals or youth crime. You could also look to develop your theoretical and research skills with a PhD, going on to work in academia as a researcher or lecturer.
How employable are Criminology Masters graduates?
Official government data suggests that 84.5% of UK Sociology postgraduates from English universities are in full-time work or further study five years after finishing their Masters.
What salary could I earn with a Masters in Criminology?
Knowing how a Masters might impact future earnings is often an important consideration when deciding on further study.
The data we use looks at employment outcomes and graduate earnings by discipline. As Criminology is considered a branch of Sociology this page has used figures from the category ‘Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology’.
According to this data, Sociology students will earn more on average if they have a Masters degree.
- The median earnings of a Sociology Masters graduate five years after finishing their course were £35,000.
- The median earnings of a Sociology first degree graduate five years after finishing their course were £25,900.
This means that on average Masters graduates in the field of Sociology earn £9,100 per year more than their Bachelors equivalents. That’s about 35% higher.
Data sources
This page uses official statistics for postgraduate salaries in the UK, based on information from HMRC that measures the earnings of UK postgraduates from English universities in the 2020-21 tax year. You should be aware that historical information doesn’t guarantee future career prospects and earnings. Many other factors also play a role in determining how well someone does with a Masters.
Search for a Masters in Criminology
Ready to begin your search for a Masters course? Browse the selection of Criminology Masters listed on our website.