Masters Degrees (Penology)

The MSt in Applied Criminology, Penology and Management has traditionally been intended for prison and probation practitioners. In addition to such applicants, we now also welcome candidates working elsewhere in the Criminal Justice System, both in the UK and overseas. In recent years, in addition to large cohorts of staff from the prison and probation services, we have welcomed onto the course immigration officals, magistrates and lawyers.

See the website http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/mst-applied-criminology-penology-and-management

Course detail

Course aims:

- To offer an up-to-date high-quality course which introduces senior persons working within the field of criminal justice as well as others with relevant experience and interests (e.g. senior personnel working with public sector organisations concerned with penology related operations) to some of the most important theory and research in applied criminology, penology and management.
- To develop the skills necessary to locate, read, interpret and analyse relevant research and other source materials.
- To develop the conceptual understanding necessary to evaluate research methods and findings.
- To facilitate course members in communicating the results of their ideas, research and its conclusions in a written form, as well as orally.
- To enhance the capacity of course members to apply up-to-date research in applied criminology, penology and management to aspects of their work.

Format

The programme is a part-time course that takes place over two years starting in the spring. There are normally three two-week residential teaching blocks in the first year: Block A (March/April), Block B (June/July) and Block C (September).

The residential teaching blocks incorporate key modules:

- Management in Criminal Justice
- Prisons and Imprisonment
- Criminological Theory and Criminological Research
- Criminal Justice and Community Justice
- Sentencing, the Legal Context and Court Issues

The modules cover a range of topics and use a range of delivery styles including seminars, lectures, symposia, practical exercises and project work. Reading lists are provided for each session, giving required and suggested further reading.

- Lectures, seminars and classes: 47 hours per term (first year)
- Small group teaching: 3 hours per term
- Supervision: 3 hours per week during residential blocks (both years)
- Practical sessions: as required - optional research methods surgeries and workshops for attendance depending on research methods being used.

Supervision and learning support

Students are allocated a Personal Supervisor with whom they can discuss any aspect of the course (essay choice, thesis topic, time management, sources of information, academic development and support) on a one-to-one basis.

Independent study time is incorporated into the teaching blocks. Students have access to college library facilities as well as the Radzinowicz (Institute of Criminology), Squire (Faculty of Law), Cambridge Judge Business School and University Libraries.

In the second year, supervision may pass to another member of staff who is better suited to supervise the thesis topic and in some cases a separate subject specific thesis advisor may also be allocated to work alongside the supervisor. Student support materials are also available via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Assessment

- Dissertation: 18,000 words maximum (including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography). The dissertation requires a literature review.
- Four essays: 3,000 words maximum each
- A research proposal: 4,000 words maximum

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding

Sources of government funding and financial support - including Professional and Career Development Loans: https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance

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A multidisciplinary, critical, and comparative perspective on criminology

There is a growing demand for qualified researchers, legal practitioners and policy makers who can address these and comparable issues. Are you a multidisciplinary expert or criminologist who wants to make a significant contribution to the field? Are you someone who wants to work in the field of law and social reform – or any sector dealing with growing forms of local and global crime control? Do you want to be part of a Master's programme with students from different continents? Then the MA in Global Criminology at Utrecht University is the right choice for you!

As a graduate with an MA in Global Criminology, you could conduct further research at a university, or at research institutes (NGOs, commercial research offices, etc.)
Additional career opportunities exist in the areas of law and social reform, policy making, law enforcement, and research, particularly for positions within international organisations or organisations with significant international scope.

Tracks

*Global Criminology
*Penology and Forensic Criminology

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About the course

This course is directed at students seeking a short, tailored programme in criminology, criminal justice and restorative justice as well as practitioners and policy-makers in these fields who may wish to deepen their knowledge and understanding of recent domestic and international developments. The Certificate will suit people who wish to gain expert, relevant and up-to-date information about contemporary and emergent theoretical, empirical and policy-related developments in these fields, with a particular emphasis on the comparative aspects of these developments

As a student on the Certificate you’ll take fewer modules than classmates studying toward the MA in International Criminology. The PG Certificate allows you to choose four taught modules from the MA programme, with the option to study on a full or part 
time basis.

Upon successful completion, you also have the option to apply for transfer to the MA in International Criminology, with the completed modules counted towards the masters degree.

Who we are

We’re a forward-thinking, innovative law school. Our research helps shape global policy. We do what we do to empower people, to protect people and improve people’s lives.

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) ranks us joint tenth in the UK, with Oxford and Warwick. Ninety per cent of our research was judged world-leading or internationally excellent.

We offer a wide range of law and criminology courses. Our leading criminology courses are delivered by internationally-renowned academics within our Centre for Criminological Research; one of the four original criminological centres of excellence in the UK.

Uniquely among English Russell Group law schools, we also offer the opportunity for you to complete both the academic and vocational stages of qualifying as a solicitor in our Centre for Professional Legal Education.

Your career

Our graduates include CEOs, lawyers, partners in big corporate firms, judges and barristers. Others are solicitors, academics, politicians and policy makers or work in criminal justice or at the Home Office.

Many of our graduates become legal practitioners. But you can use your postgraduate training in different ways, including business, policy development, teaching or research. Our staff can support you in whichever path you choose, having a wealth and variety of experience across all these areas.

Your course will give you the opportunity to meet and engage with professional organisations. And our excellent careers service will support you from the outset, helping you to identify your strengths and plan your next move. At the School of Law we also have an in-house careers adviser, offering specialised advice to Legal Practice Course, Graduate Diploma in Law and other postgraduate students who wish to pursue a career in the legal profession.

How we teach

Many of our academics are internationally respected for their research. Their groundbreaking work informs what we teach.

Our research groups cover a lot of ground, including criminology, commercial law and law in its international context. You’ll benefit from their expertise and that of their professional contacts. Your course will equip you with an in-depth knowledge of your chosen area of law or criminology. Our Legal Practice Course is highly regarded. It will provide you with all the skills and knowledge you need to enter the legal profession in England or Wales.

We have our own courtroom, a dedicated postgraduate computer room and quiet study space. Wi-Fi is available throughout the building so you can easily access the library’s online collections. Our students can also access our e-resources from anywhere in the world.

Module options

Students will choose four from the following: Policing and Society; International Criminal Law; Responding to Crime in Europe; Restorative Justice; Crime and Globalisation; Issues in Comparative Penology; The Cultures of Criminology; Gender and Violence

Teaching and assessment

Teaching in each module takes place through fortnightly seminars. Modules will be assessed by 3000 words of written work, normally in the form of an essay.

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Research supervision is available across the range of the department's subjects, with examples of current students' interests being Sino-Soviet relations in the 1940s, the politics of direct action, war crimes, refugees and asylum seekers, Syrian politics, international relations in the Maghreb, the social exclusion of older people and the policing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gendered people.

Staff have expertise for postgraduate supervision in Criminology including: crime control, policing, the penal system, comparative criminology, penology, philosophy of punishment, miscarriages of justice, sex work, domestic violence and sadomasochism.

How You Study

The School aims to provide considerable support to enable you to become an independent researcher. You are required to follow a structured pattern of activity during which your progress can be monitored and encouraged. You are allocated two supervisors and the emphasis is on providing whatever training you may require.

As a research student you usually have two internal supervisors with specialist knowledge of their subject areas and you can attend regular meetings with them for advice, monitoring and other support. Where appropriate, additional advisors may also be utilised. You also have the opportunity to contribute to the School’s internal seminar series and may also be able to contribute to teaching.

Due to the nature of postgraduate research programmes, the vast majority of your time will be spent in independent study and research. You will have meetings with your academic supervisors, however the regularity of these will vary depending on your own individual requirements, subject area, staff availability and the stage of your programme.

How You Are Assessed

A PhD is awarded based on the quality of your thesis and your ability in an oral examination (viva voce) to successfully defend that thesis to your examiners.

Career and Personal Development

Graduates may go on to take positions as researchers or academics in institutes of higher education. Others may choose to use the experience for personal development and go on to careers in related sectors.

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About the course

This course is distinctive because it includes elements of international criminology, restorative justice and research training. The strong focus on restorative justice reflects a view of criminal justice found on several continents.

The course is flexible. You can choose the taught path, the restorative justice path or the research route.

Who we are

We’re a forward-thinking, innovative law school. Our research helps shape global policy. We do what we do to empower people, to protect people and improve people’s lives.

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) ranks us joint tenth in the UK, with Oxford and Warwick. Ninety per cent of our research was judged world-leading or internationally excellent.

We offer a wide range of law and criminology courses. Our leading criminology courses are delivered by internationally-renowned academics within our Centre for Criminological Research; one of the four original criminological centres of excellence in the UK.

Uniquely among English Russell Group law schools, we also offer the opportunity for you to complete both the academic and vocational stages of qualifying as a solicitor in our Centre for Professional Legal Education.

Your career

Our graduates include CEOs, lawyers, partners in big corporate firms, judges and barristers. Others are solicitors, academics, politicians and policy makers or work in criminal justice or at the Home Office.

Many of our graduates become legal practitioners. But you can use your postgraduate training in different ways, including business, policy development, teaching or research. Our staff can support you in whichever path you choose, having a wealth and variety of experience across all these areas.

Your course will give you the opportunity to meet and engage with professional organisations. And our excellent careers service will support you from the outset, helping you to identify your strengths and plan your next move. At the School of Law we also have an in-house careers adviser, offering specialised advice to Legal Practice Course, Graduate Diploma in Law and other postgraduate students who wish to pursue a career in the legal profession.

How we teach

Many of our academics are internationally respected for their research. Their groundbreaking work informs what we teach.

Our research groups cover a lot of ground, including criminology, commercial law and law in its international context. You’ll benefit from their expertise and that of their professional contacts. Your course will equip you with an in-depth knowledge of your chosen area of law or criminology. Our Legal Practice Course is highly regarded. It will provide you with all the skills and knowledge you need to enter the legal profession in England or Wales.

We have our own courtroom, a dedicated postgraduate computer room and quiet study space. Wi-Fi is available throughout the building so you can easily access the library’s online collections. Our students can also access our e-resources from anywhere in the world.

Core modules

Taught path: Responding to Crime in Europe; Issues in Comparative Penology; The Cultures of Criminology; The Research Process; Dissertation.

Examples of optional modules

A choice of several modules including: International Criminal Justice; Policing and Society; Quantitative Methods; Methods of Criminological Research. For details of our Restorative Justice Pathway and Research Pathway please see http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/law

Teaching and assessment

Teaching takes place through seminars. You’ll be assessed on your essays and a dissertation.

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Recognising the challenge for politicians, policy makers and practitioners in the criminal justice, and criminal law fields, this programme addresses the complex problems that crime poses for contemporary societies.

Why this programme

-The programme provides you with the key attributes for professions related to criminal justice.
-You will be benefit from the combined strengths of staff from the Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research who are based at the University.
-You will develop analytic and research skills, an interdisciplinary knowledge base, and a practical understanding of the settings in which crime and justice policies are devised and implemented.
-There will be a number of guest lectures, presentations and seminars throughout, with high-calibre speakers from the UK and abroad.
-You will have the opportunity to link up with a criminal justice organisation for your dissertation work.
-This degree is taught alongside the MSc in Transnational Crime, Justice & Security, which provides more focus on the international aspects of crime. An MRes in Criminology is also available, combining a study of the subject with greater focus on research methods training.

Programme structure

You will take core courses in criminological theory; criminal justice systems and processes; and research design and methodology. You also have the opportunity to take optional courses from a range of subject areas. In addition, the MSc programme requires you to produce a dissertation on a subject of your choice.

Core courses
-Understanding and explaining crime
-Research and enquiry in crime and criminal justice

Optional courses include:
-Punishment and penology
-Crime, media and popular culture
-Rehabilitation and desistance from crime
-The global criminal economy
-Managing and controlling crime
-Women and girls in crime and justice
-International trafficking in cultural objects

Career prospects

You will be well equipped for careers in public, private and third sector agencies concerned with crime prevention and community safety. The programme provides an excellent professional development choice for social workers and social work managers, prison governors or officers, police officers and lawyers.

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Overview

Are you fascinated by criminology? Hoping to increase your suitability for higher level positions within the criminal justice sector? Southampton Solent University’s postgraduate criminology and criminal justice programme will help you to develop an advanced understanding of the contemporary issues and debates surrounding criminal justice institutions, crime and criminal punishment.

- The course is delivered by an experienced course team with established links to criminal justice agencies, private businesses and charities.
- The teaching team are active researchers and have contributed internationally renowned research projects.
- Students study contemporary and comparative criminology, criminal justice and essential human science research skills.
- Students can also tailor the degree to their own unique career ambitions, picking from optional units in penology, international policing, historic crime, drugs and terror security.
- Optional study trips are available throughout the year, including an unfunded visit to the USA.
- The course concludes with a final research project, where students will research and write a unique dissertation under the guidance of a specialist supervisor.
- Many students focus their dissertation on the area of criminology in which they would like to work, using it to demonstrate their knowledge to employers after graduation.
- Students benefit from small class sizes and regular one-to-one support.

The industry -

Whether you want to work in the social support and welfare sector, in the justice system or with relevant charities - your understanding of criminology and criminal justice will give you the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

This is an essential degree for many careers in these sectors, but can also help with a range of roles in other industries. These include various applied and research-based roles that focus on helping people with social or personal issues and supporting the rehabilitation of offenders.

The programme -

Students on Southampton Solent University’s postgraduate criminology and criminal justice programme study the core curriculum alongside a choice of two specialist units. This chance to specialise is important, helping students to orient their knowledge towards specific roles in the criminal justice sector.

This programme also encourages students to develop a range of transferable interpersonal and verbal communication skills through presentations, role-plays, debates, interviews and group work. These competencies are valued in a wide range of industries.

To find out more about the content of each specific unit, please see the ‘course content’ tab.
Enrichment activities and learning opportunities are available alongside the core curriculum, giving students the chance to learn from guest speakers, visit criminal justice organisations and network at industry events. These additional activities help to provide detailed insights into the criminal justice system and the careers it offers. Past speakers have come from the police, courts, prisons, probation services, youth justice services and cyber security firms.

The course team themselves have had extensive experience of the criminal justice system and its related disciplines, providing students with unique personal insights. The ties they have with the professional world have helped past students secure volunteer placements, temporary paid work, work shadowing weeks and internships.

Course Content

Programme specification document - http://mycourse.solent.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6152

Teaching, learning and assessment -

The course is taught through lectures, group work and projects, and supervision for independent writing and research.

You will be allocated a personal tutor and a dissertation research supervisor.

Work experience -

Past students have completed a wide range of interesting and informative placements with:

- the Association of Chief Police Officers Criminal Records Office
- the criminal justice sector (paid work)
- witness and victim services
- probation services
- youth offending teams
- voluntary positions in the criminal justice field.

Assessment -

You will participate in group work, independent writing and research, group projects and discussions. You will be assessed via a number of 3,500-word assignments and individual and group presentations, in addition to a 20,000-word dissertation.
Study abroad
We run an optional ten-day study trip to the USA during the Christmas break, with visits to the FBI and New Jersey State Police.

There will be opportunities to attend lectures and share views and ideas with students at Ocean County College and Monmouth University. Please note this trip is not included in your tuition fees, and you’ll need to cover your travel and living costs.

Other study trip opportunities may also be available.

Web-based learning -

Solent’s virtual learning environment provides quick online access to assignments, lecture notes, suggested reading and other course information.

Why Solent?

What do we offer?

From a vibrant city centre campus to our first class facilities, this is where you can find out why you should choose Solent.

Facilities - http://www.solent.ac.uk/about/facilities/facilities.aspx

City living - http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/southampton/living-in-southampton.aspx

Accommodation - http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/accommodation/accommodation.aspx

Career Potential

With this internationally respected qualification, you’ll be well placed to pursue a variety of career opportunities.

Past graduates have pursued careers in police management, international law enforcement, the National Offender Management Service, financial security and academia.

Suitable roles for graduates include:

- Prison service
- Police
- Probation
- Courts
- Drugs services
- Security
- Public and private sector security and investigation
- Local government community safety

Links with industry -

We welcome regular guest lecturers who provide a detailed insight into working in the criminal justice sector and prospective career opportunities.

Recent speakers have included:

- serving and former police detectives in the Metropolitan and Hampshire Police
- serving chief officers from Hampshire and Dorset Police
- judges and magistrates
- staff from the National Crime Agency, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the National Offender Management Service and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Transferable skills -

You will gain a detailed understanding of criminological issues, which can be applied to many different careers. You will also develop your research and critical analysis skills and gain experience in communication, teamwork and leadership.

Further study -

The MSc provides a solid foundation for subsequent research at MPhil and PhD level.

Tuition fees

The tuition fees for the 2016/2017 academic year are:

UK and EU full-time fees: £5,665

International full-time fees: £12,380

UK and EU part-time fees, year one: £1,895

UK and EU part-time fees, year two: £3,790

International part-time fees: £6,190 per year

Graduation costs -

Graduation is the ceremony to celebrate the achievements of your studies. For graduates in 2015, there is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £42 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost.
For more details, please visit: http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/graduation/home.aspx

Next steps

Would you like to improve your career prospects within the criminal justice sector? With an expert teaching team, strong links with industry and a curriculum, tailored to suit your ambitions, Southampton Solent University’s postgraduate criminology and criminal justice programme could be the ideal next step towards your dream career.

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This programme introduces the theoretical and conceptual resources relevant to the study of crime, criminal justice and crime policy. It provides advanced training in social research methods.

Why this programme

-This MRes will prepare you for a career as a researcher or for undertaking a PhD in criminological or criminal justice research. It is recognised for an Economic and Social Research Council 1+3 award through the Scottish Doctoral Training Centre.
-You will be benefit from the combined strengths of staff from the Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research who are based at the University.
-The breadth and diversity of expertise represented within the teaching team is a key strength of the programme.
-There will be a number of guest lectures, presentations and seminars throughout, with high-calibre speakers from the UK and abroad.
-You will have the opportunity to link up with a criminal justice organisation for your dissertation work.
-This degree is taught alongside two MSc degrees: Criminology & Criminal Justice and Transnational Crime, Justice & Security. They have a stronger subject focus and less emphasis on research training.

Programme structure

The four core courses and two optional courses provide you with in-depth knowledge of current criminological issues and refine your social research abilities. For the MRes you will apply your analytical and research skills to a specialised topic and produce a dissertation.

Core courses
-Understanding and explaining crime and social control
-Research and enquiry in crime and criminal justice
-Social science statistics 1
-Qualitative research methods

Optional courses - At least one must be taken from the following:
-Criminal justice: global challenges
-Rehabilitation and desistance from crime
-Penology and punishment
-Crime, media and popular culture
-Crime and community safety
-Criminological perspectives on security
-The global criminal economy

Career prospects

The MRes is an ideal pathway towards a PhD and a career in academia. It will also prepare you for a career in research or policy development; especially with those public agencies and voluntary organisations concerned with crime prevention and community safety.

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