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Masters degrees in Criminal Law equip postgraduates with the skills to understand, define, and apply Criminal Law through methods such as investigation and litigation.
Related postgraduate specialisms include Criminal Justice and International Criminal Law. Entry requirements typically include an appropriate undergraduate Law degree.
The General Law programme at Aberdeen is one of the best programmes in terms of scope and areas of interest you can choose to study at advanced level. If your first degree was in a specific area of law there is nothing preventing you from choosing another area of law completely or a complementary area. You could study environmental law areas such as oil and gas law, energy and environmental law, low carbon energy transition with further environmental regulation. If you are more interested in criminal law you could look at Criminology, the politics of human rights, humanitarian law. If you are more interested in business you might choose international law, intellectual property law, world trade organisation or for business with a creative aspect you might think about specialist in cultural property issues or law for business and arts and museums law. There are many possible mixes of these general areas of law you might want to explore. Employment possibilities are huge from this range of areas of law and include all notable areas to practise law and careers within the legal profession to welfare sectors such as employment, business, HR and finance.
Law careers
You may become a Barrister if you wish to represent people at High Court and Magistrates court to put legal argument forward for decision. You could start off as a legal executive to later qualify as a solicitor with further training or after a number of years experience you may wish to become a judge. If you want some work experience you could become a court usher. Other careers include a Paralegal. This role undertakes much of a lawyers role in drafting documents, meetings and contracts. If you decide your law degree is useful for other areas you may look at Civil Service careers, become a politician, work in the police, city, or teach.
This programme is ideal if you want to be a generalist to an advanced level rather than a specialist in a specific area of law. You develop your analysis and research skills and you have the option of wide ranging courses to choose from which stretches your intellectual thinking capabilities in a top 10 School of Law (Complete University Guide 2018)
Courses listed for the programme
Semester 1
Compulsory
Optional (4 courses 2 in Semester 1 and 2)
Semester 2
Optional
Semester 3
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page and the latest postgraduate opportunities
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The opportunity to study Criminal Justice and Criminal Law at an advanced level is a particular strength of the LLM at the University of Leeds.
This programme will enable you to develop a sophisticated knowledge of current issues in criminal justice, criminology and criminal law in the UK, Europe and across the globe. It combines cutting-edge compulsory modules with a wide range of optional modules allowing you to tailor your degree to your own particular interests.
Throughout the course we’ll encourage you to:
This programme is offered within the dynamic Centre for Criminal Justice Studies (CCJS), an internationally-recognised research centre that provides an active and multi-disciplinary environment, whose members are committed to high-quality teaching in criminal justice, criminology and criminal law. The CCJS also excels in the production of research that is empirically rich, conceptually sophisticated and policy relevant. Research is interdisciplinary and often international in its reach. The University of Leeds recognises CCJS as one of its key 'peaks of research excellence'.
CCJS academics have conducted research for a range of external funding bodies including the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Nuffield Foundation, the Home Office, the Youth Justice Board, the Leverhulme Trust, the European Commission, the National Probation Service and others. Since 2001, CCJS members have been awarded research grants totalling over £10 million. Such projects sustain the established profile of the Centre as a pre-eminent research unit and ensure that our teaching is at the cutting edge of contemporary academic and policy debates.
The CCJS has an Advisory Board with more than twenty members who hold senior positions within local criminal justice and partner organisations, including the police, the judiciary, the probation service, prisons and the courts. Our strong links with the local criminal justice community bring valuable benefits for our students.
Compulsory modules studied throughout the year will introduce you to fundamental principles, theories, concepts and approaches in the fields of criminal law and criminal justice. You’ll also explore and examine the intricate and complex relationships and dynamics between criminological theory, research and practice, and the impact of criminal justice processes on individuals and social groups, often in the wider context of social and political change.
These modules will also enable you to hone your critical and analytical abilities and your legal research and writing skills, which you’ll be able to demonstrate in your dissertation – an independent piece of research on your chosen topic.
If you study with us, you’ll also benefit from our academic skills programme. This 10-week programme runs alongside your taught academic programme, and is specifically designed to meet the needs of home and international students in the School of Law. It allows you to refine and develop the academic and transferable skills to excel during your taught postgraduate programmes, as well as prepare for professional roles after graduation.
Our optional modules will give you the opportunity to gain specialist knowledge in topics that interest you. An indicative list of optional modules is provided below.
If you are a part-time student, you’ll take four compulsory modules in your first year. You’ll then take the compulsory dissertation module and your chosen one or two optional modules in your second year.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Our compulsory and optional modules are taught through a range of weekly seminars, lectures and workshops.
You’ll need to prepare for your seminars and lectures, undertaking any exercises that might be prescribed in advance. Independent study is integral to this programme – not just to prepare for classes but to develop research abilities and other critical skills.
The LLM Degrees Director will be your personal supervisor and will support you throughout the programme.
You’ll be assessed using a variety of methods but for most modules you’ll be required to write an essay of up to 4,500 words at the end of each module. You’ll also be expected to write a final dissertation.
This programme is particularly suited to those who wish to pursue a career in public service, the private sector, the voluntary sector, or any other arena where success is built upon higher-level skills and advanced knowledge of criminal justice, criminology and criminal law issues.
Recent graduates have gone on to do a PhD and work in academia and in research outside academia both in the UK and overseas. Other alumni hold senior positions in criminal justice organisations including police and probation services, the prison service, and youth justice services, as well as in the private and voluntary sector, both in the UK and abroad. Some graduates have been awarded promotions following successful completion of the programme.
Studying for a Master's in Law (LLM) at Kent means having the certainty of gaining an LLM in a specialist area of Law. The Kent LLM gives you the freedom to leave your choice of pathway open until after you arrive, when it will be determined by the modules you choose.
Kent Law School (KLS) is the UK's leading critical law school. A cosmopolitan centre of world-class critical legal research, it offers a supportive and intellectually stimulating place to study postgraduate taught and research degrees.
In addition to learning the detail of the law, students at Kent are taught to think about the law with regard to its history, development and relationship with wider society. This approach allows students to fully understand the law. Our critical approach not only makes the study of law more interesting, it helps to develop crucial skills and abilities required for a career in legal practice.
The Law School offers its flagship Kent LLM at the University’s Canterbury campus (and two defined LLM programmes at the University’s Brussels centre). Our programmes are open to non-law graduates with an appropriate academic or professional background who wish to develop an advanced understanding of law in their field.
You study within a close-knit, supportive and intellectually stimulating environment, working closely with academic staff. KLS uses critical research-led teaching throughout our programmes to ensure that you benefit from the Law School’s world-class research.
In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, research by Kent Law School was ranked 8th in the UK for research intensity. We were also ranked 7th for research power and in the top 20 for research output, research quality and research impact. An impressive 99% of our research was judged to be of international quality and the School’s environment was judged to be conducive to supporting the development of world-leading research.
Kent Law School is one of the leading law schools in the UK; we are ranked 14th in The Times Good University Guide 2018, 15th in The Guardian University Guide 2018 for law and 19th in The Complete University Guide 2018.
The Law School has an excellent international reputation; ranked 50th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for law 2018, it is also listed amongst the top 100 law schools in the world in both the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 and the Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2017.
You can tailor your studies to your particular needs and interests to obtain an LLM or Diploma in a single pathway, in two pathways jointly, or by choosing a broad range of modules in different areas of law to obtain a general LLM or Diploma in Law.
As a student on the LLM at Canterbury, your choice of pathway will be shaped by the modules you take and your dissertation topic. To be awarded an LLM in a single pathway, at least three of your six modules must be chosen from those associated with that pathway with your dissertation also focusing on that area of law. The other three modules can be chosen from any offered in the Law School. All students are also required to take the Legal Research and Writing Skills module. To be awarded a major/minor pathway you will need to choose three modules associated with one pathway, and three from another pathway, with the dissertation determining which is your 'major' pathway.
For example, a student who completes at least three modules in International Commercial Law and completes a dissertation in this area would graduate with an LLM in International Commercial Law; a student who completes three Criminal Justice modules and three Environmental Law modules and then undertakes a dissertation which engages with Criminal Justice would graduate with an LLM in Criminal Justice and Environmental Law.
Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.
Our current module handbook is available to download on our website. The modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
The postgraduate programmes offered within the Law School are usually taught in seminar format. Students on the Diploma and LLM programmes study three modules in each of the autumn and spring terms. The modules are normally assessed by a 4-5,000-word essay. Students undertaking an LLM degree must write a dissertation of 15,000 words.
Employability is a key focus throughout the University and at Kent Law School you have the support of a dedicated Employability and Career Development Officer together with a broad choice of work placement opportunities, employability events and careers talks. Details of graduate internship schemes with NGOs, charities and other professional organisations are made available to postgraduate students via the School’s Employability Blog.
Kent has an excellent record for postgraduate employment: over 96% of our postgraduate students who graduated in 2015 found a job or further study opportunity within six months.
Information about the internship programme for LLM students can be found on the Kent Law School Employability blog.
The University has a generous postgraduate scholarship fund in excess of £9m available to taught and research students studying at Kent. There are also scholarships specifically for Law School students including a Taught Overseas Scholarship and Taught Home/EU Bursaries. Kent Law School has also established a major fund to support students who are from or who have studied in Kenya, Nigeria or Thailand, and who undertake a Master's in Law (LLM) at the Canterbury campus of the University of Kent.
Information for international students
Following a pathway in International Criminal Justice enables you to develop a critical understanding of the operation of international and transnational criminal justice, particularly in contexts that are perceived to be controversial or in a state of evolution. You learn about the main legal instruments and institutions that provide for international co-operation and prosecution of international, transnational and national crime and the impact of human rights and combine this with critical reflection of the broader context and of the effectiveness of law.
There is co-operation with the MA in Criminology, run by the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. In addition to available law options, you may choose one module from the MA in Criminology. This includes modules on terrorism and sociological theories of violence and gender and crime in a globalised world.
You are also encouraged to participate in the activities of the Kent Centre for Critical International Law (CeCIL).
International Criminal Justice will be of particular interest to those who work, intend to work, or have an interest in the fields of international and transnational criminal justice, criminal justice and human rights more broadly.
Students can choose to spend one term (either Autumn or Spring) at our Canterbury campus and one (either Autumn or Spring) at our Brussels centre (returning to Canterbury to complete the dissertation) under our split-site option for this programme. The split site option is charged at a different rate. Please see under Fees below for more information. Programmes at our Brussels centre are offered primarily in International Law and Human Rights Law. Students are responsible for organising their own accommodation in Brussels. Please contact the University's Accommodation Office for information about the availability of short term accommodation in Canterbury.
Studying for a Master's in Law (LLM) at Kent means having the certainty of gaining an LLM in a specialist area of Law. The Kent LLM gives you the freedom to leave your choice of pathway open until after you arrive - your pathway being determined by the modules you choose.
Kent Law School (KLS) is the UK's leading critical law school. A cosmopolitan centre of world-class critical legal research, it offers a supportive and intellectually stimulating place to study postgraduate taught and research degrees.
The Law School offers its flagship Kent LLM at the University’s Canterbury campus (and two defined LLM programmes at the University’s Brussels centre). Our programmes are open to non-law graduates with an appropriate academic or professional background who wish to develop an advanced understanding of law in their field.
You study within a close-knit, supportive and intellectually stimulating environment, working closely with academic staff. KLS uses critical research-led teaching throughout our programmes to ensure that you benefit from the Law School’s world-class research.
In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, research by Kent Law School was ranked 8th in the UK for research intensity. We were also ranked 7th for research power and in the top 20 for research output, research quality and research impact. An impressive 99% of our research was judged to be of international quality and the School’s environment was judged to be conducive to supporting the development of world-leading research.
Kent Law School is one of the leading law schools in the UK; we are ranked 14th in The Times Good University Guide 2018, 15th in The Guardian University Guide 2018 for law and 19th in The Complete University Guide 2018.
The Law School has an excellent international reputation; ranked 50th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for law 2018, it is also listed amongst the top 100 law schools in the world in both the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 and the Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2017.
The fees for the Canterbury-only delivery of this programme are the same as those for the standard LLM programme. However, fees for our split-site option (which is taught in Canterbury and Brussels) are charged at a different rate. Please refer here for the current fees for the split-site 90 ECTS option.
The University has a generous postgraduate scholarship fund in excess of £9m available to taught and research students studying at Kent. There are also scholarships specifically for Law School students including a Taught Overseas Scholarship and Taught Home/EU Bursaries. Kent Law School has also established a major fund to support students who are from or who have studied in Kenya, Nigeria or Thailand, and who undertake a Master's in Law (LLM) at the Canterbury campus of the University of Kent.
Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.
Our current module handbook is available to download on our website. The modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
The postgraduate programmes offered within the Law School are usually taught in seminar format. Students on the Diploma and LLM programmes study three modules in each of the autumn and spring terms. The modules are normally assessed by a 4-5,000-word essay. Students undertaking an LLM degree must write a dissertation of 15,000 words.
Employability is a key focus throughout the University and at Kent Law School you have the support of a dedicated Employability and Career Development Officer together with a broad choice of work placement opportunities, employability events and careers talks. Details of graduate internship schemes with NGOs, charities and other professional organisations are made available to postgraduate students via the Law School Employability blog.
Information for international students
This pathway draws upon Birmingham Law School’s (BLS) long standing research strengths in the areas of criminal law and criminal justice. Criminal Law is concerned with the most potentially invasive assertion of authority by the state: if you fail to comply with the law you will be punished. This pathway provides a holistic analysis of the criminal process through an analysis of the law, its philosophical underpinnings and its operation in practice.
Students can study to attain a broad overview of criminal justice processes or specialise in particular aspects as diverse as underpinning theories, policing, health aspects of criminal justice or indeed international aspects of law enforcement co-operation. Many modules have been created and are taught by leading scholars of the particular field and students benefit from close contact with researchers.
For those wishing to gain in-depth understanding of criminal law and criminal justice, this pathway offers the opportunity for broader or deeply specialised study within an innovative research-led teaching environment which benefits from BLS’s longstanding stature in this field and our staff’s dedication to ensuring it lives on; also in our LLM graduates.
At Birmingham Law School we research into topics as diverse as the ever widening net of criminalisation and (at least quasi-) criminal justice processes, to money saving tactics and their effect on the very philosophy which underpins our criminal law and justice system, the justice which emerges from it and effects.
These specialisations flow into the modules on this LLM which will allow you to study the five separate objectives used in enforcement of Criminal Law; retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation and restitution taught. All of these are subjects of great debate and controversy across all jurisdictions and students benefit from debating these informed by and in exchange with our broad range of experts.
Birmingham's LLM pathways have been designed to provide in-depth analysis of important legal topics. Modules are all 20 credits in value, comprising 10 two-hour seminars to enable students to develop significant expertise in each area of law.
Birmingham offers small-group teaching on the LLM, and students opting for popular modules with large groups of students will receive (where possible) additional teaching time: classes will be split into two separate seminar groups so as to provide an equal opportunity for class interaction compared to those in smaller modules.
The LLM course last 12 months, running from September to September. All LLM pathways follow the same basic structure:
The LLM pathways enable you to develop expertise in a range of subjects. You will acquire a systematic understanding of these along with a critical appreciation of the problems that arise in these fields. You will be encouraged to demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge together with a practical understanding of how established research techniques are used to create and interpret knowledge.
Law School induction
At the start of the course there is a comprehensive welcome and induction programme designed to help you settle in and gain an understanding of the Birmingham LLM. You will familiarise yourself with the various ways in which we can support you throughout the year to ensure that your LLM course is an exciting and rewarding experience.
Students can register for modules before arrival as well as at the start of the academic year. As part of the induction process you will get the opportunity to learn more about the various modules available and make choices that correspond to your interests.
Studying part-time
All the LLM pathways may be taken part-time and completed over a period of two years. This mode of study is particularly suitable for barristers and solicitors who wish to combine professional practice with university-level study, gaining CPD points in the process.
Classes for part-time students on the LLM will be scheduled between 9am-6pm and students will typically have between 2-4 hours of teaching each week. Fees are the same as for full-time study but are split over two years.
International students
For students from outside the UK, there will be an opportunity during induction to familiarise themselves with the English legal system, as it forms the basis for the modules on offer. The English for International Students Unit provides a range of support in reading and writing academic English.
It has been a huge challenge to get criminal justice systems to comply with human rights in many parts of law but particularly in applying criminal justice globally. In studying the programme at University of Aberdeen you gain real understanding about the close relationship between the two disciplines and how they inter relate. This programme will really help you within the legal profession when you practice law and provide advice in this area. You study in an international environment with over 40 different nationalities studying postgraduate law at Aberdeen. This gives you a much wider insight into experience of people from other countries and you are taught by academics with considerable experience in practicing the law. You are taught by a school which is ranked in the top 10 in the UK (The Complete University Guide 2018).
The LLM in Criminal Justice reflects established areas of research strength in the School of Law, and offers options which are both of international and/or comparative relevance and which meet the demand for studying contemporary issues in comparative criminal justice at an advanced level.
Semester 1
Semester 2
Semester 3
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
Find out about fees
*Please be advised that some programmes have different tuition fees from those listed above and that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our https://www.abdn.ac.uk/funding/" target="_blank">funding database via thehttps://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/finance-funding-1599.php " target="_blank"> programme page
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This masters of law programme is designed to help students become experts in the areas of International Law that directly concern the human person - International Criminal Law & International Human Rights Law - whilst mastering the discipline of International Law of which they are part. In addition to the foundational courses in Legal Research Methods and Public International Law, students will be required to study International Criminal Law, International Human Rights Law and write a dissertation on a topic within the International Criminal Law or International Human Rights Law. The remaining courses can be chosen from a range of relevant options.
Through carefully designed course work and varied teaching approaches, students will acquire the intellectual open-ness, technical expertise and critical thinking abilities that are necessary for effectiveness in a globalising world. The programme will equip students to respond effectively to the wide range of intellectual and professional challenges facing those working on legal issues concerning the human person in International Law. The LLM in International Law (specialising in International Criminal Law & International Human Rights Law) will equip them to deal with both case work and policy making.
This second year* of Master in Comparative and European Private International Law (CEPIL) provides a research master’s degree. It is entirely taught in English and has been set up in September 2011 by a cooperation agreement between the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole and the University of Dundee in Scotland. This programme is a double degree giving the chance to the students into it to be graduated of a Master 2 and a LL.M (Latin Legum Magister) in the same time. The French Master is issued after having spent the first semester in the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole and the LL.M after the second semester in the University of Dundee. The LL.M certificate is presented during a graduation ceremony taking place in the University of Dundee.
This kind of programme remains unusual in France because of the cross competences, reflexes, methodology and knowledge necessary to the Internationalisation and especially Europeanisation of private law situations and regulations.
The LL.M is a diploma globally recognised, in particularly in the English countries. The graduation implies to write a short thesis in English according to the regulation of the University of Dundee.
* In the French system, the master program is divided into two years: Master 1 (first-year of Master) and Master 2 (second-year of Master). It is possible to apply either for Master 1 or Master 2.
Prerequisites for enrolment : Bac + 4
Admission conditions for the academic year 2017/2018 are currently updating.
You wish enter a master 2 in the university for 2017/2018: the procedure implies a selective access, considering there are no selections for the master 1. Considering a Master 1 (or equivalent) graduation in 2016/2017, your continuation into a master 2 is compelled by the regulation in force at the start of the academic year 2016/2017.
Are designed to enter this program the students who are graduated with a Master 1 in European Law, International Law, Business Law or in another specialty in Law or with an equivalent diploma from a foreign university.
This diploma is accessible for people with a certificate of partial validation of prior professional experience (VAE partielle) or academic experience (VES) in this academic area.
In any case, the admission is processed after review of the whole applicant’s academic and/or professional file and after reading of the motivation letter. The admission may be subject to acquirement of prerequisites.
Semester 1 – Université Toulouse 1 Capitole – 30 ECTS
UNIT 1 – FUNDAMENTAL COURSES : (82hrs – 15 ECTS)
Module 1: Private international law – General part
- Private international law - Fundamental rules and principles (20hrs)
- European Private international law (15hrs)
- Introduction to comparative Private international law (8hrs)
Module 2: Private international law – Specific areas
- Private international law and business law (15hrs)
- Private international law and contracts (15hrs)
- Private International law and Intellectual Property Law (9hrs)
UNIT 2 – SPECIALISED COURSES: (75hrs – 15 ECTS)
- European contract law (10hrs)
- European business law (10hrs)
- European criminal law (10hrs)
- Intellectual Property Law (10hrs)
- Conferences in European and International law and politics (mainly about the philosophical aspects of law) (10hrs)
- Legal English (15hrs)
- Project management
Semester 2 – University of Dundee – 30 ECTS
UNIT 3 (40hrs)
Module 1: PIL- Common Law Perspectives
Module 2 and 3 (to choose amongst the following):
- International Dispute Resolution;
- Corporate Governance;
- IP Law;
- Cross-border Tax Law;
- Competition Law;
- Banking and Financial Services Law;
- Private International Law of Family Matters;
- Oil and Gas Law.
LL.M ‘s thesis :
The student must produce a research thesis written in English. The topics will be chosen from a list made by the University of Dundee in association with the UT1.
This thesis has to be submitted by August according to the examination rules in the University of Dundee.
This work does not lead to an oral defence.
A professional internship is still possible but optional.
Programme cost: about 4000 euros
Some bonus points may be granted to the students who practice sports or participate to national or international moot court competition.
The teachings in the both semesters pave the way to European and international careers or employment which involves knowing how to manage different situation connected with international and European law.
The encouragement to the students to develop student life and initiatives is for the purpose of bringing out skills in organisation, communication, exchanges which are essential for any legal practitioner who works in a team, with potential partners from all around the world, in practice, international organisation, firm or university.
The exchange during the second semester is a chance for developing the abilities of adaptation and communication in an international context.
Professional opportunities are:
More Details: You may read the OFIP’s surveys about occupational integration of the graduate student.
The OFIP (Observatoire des Formations et de l’Insertion professionnelle) examines the academic and professional future of the alumni: continuation or resumption of studies, access to the labour market, after 30 months situation (work, studies, unemployment,…), occupation characteristics (sector, status, functions, professions, wages, geographical mobility,…).
Available on the UT1 website, tab “Orientation et insertion” or at the SUIO-IP.
The LLM (Criminal Law) is one of the named routes through our LLM programme and allows you to specialise and develop expertise in criminal law. The programme has been designed by a team of highly motivated academic staff at Teesside University who have particular research interests that have informed its content.
The programme gives you flexibility and autonomy to allow you to develop your own areas of interest within the area of criminal law. At the same time it distinguishes you in the eyes of employers in ways that show that you have specialised in a substantive and applied area of contemporary legal study relevant to criminal policy and practice.
Course structure
Core modules
and one optional module
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
The link between legal theory and practice is the central theme of the programme and is incorporated into the teaching through a blend of directed and student-centred learning to develop an understanding of methodology, practice and presentation. This is achieved through a combination of lectures, seminars, group work, debates, audio-visual presentations, guided reading and research exercises.
We want you to become an effective autonomous learner. The research and academic writing skills you develop in taught sessions enable you to prepare and contribute to seminars and group discussions, and to produce the required assessed work appropriate to postgraduate study. You are also encouraged to attend and participate in relevant research seminars offered by the research institutes of the University, particularly the Social Futures Institute (SoFI) in the School of Social Sciences & Law.
How you are assessed
Our assessments help you develop essential skills to work successfully at postgraduate level, as well as for continuing professional roles and lifelong learning. Your work is assessed in a variety of ways, including:
By completing the course you will develop and have recognised knowledge and understanding of the theory and application of criminal law. You will also develop cognitive, intellectual, practical, professional and generic key skills and qualities, which have a directly beneficial effect on future employability, whether in the legal profession or in subject-related disciplines, including academia. You will be equipped to contribute to and inform policy-making decisions in your chosen sphere.
A number of our previous students have published work in academic journals.
There has always been a need for well trained lawyers in Criminal Law internationally and at Aberdeen you gain understanding of the various jurisdictions and their criminal justice systems to enable you to work internationally within the discipline. You study detailed criminal evidence and proof, issues in criminal justice, theories and law with highly respected professionals such as Professor Pete Duff who has worked at the Criminological Research Centre at Oxford and City University Hong Kong and University of the South Pacific. The programme gives you the skills and knowledge to practice back in your home country within the law. Some alumni have gone on to work at the United Nations or within human rights fields globally.
The LLM in Criminal Justice and Human Rights reflects established areas of research strength in the School of Law, and offers options which are both of international relevance and which meet the demand for studying contemporary issues in UK criminal justice and human rights at an advanced level. You study Critical Legal Thinking and Scholarship and two optional courses each in Semester 1 and 2.
Graduates from Aberdeen have worked directly in the law profession in their home countries, others have been funded by the UN and have worked globally in the area of human rights.
Semester 1
Semester 2
Semester 3
Find out about fees
*Please be advised that some programmes have different tuition fees from those listed above and that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page
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Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The Department of Criminology at Swansea University has run a successful MA in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology since 1997. Students of the Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology will have the opportunity to learn about crime, the criminal justice system and cutting edge themes in criminology from leading experts in the field. The MA in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology specialises in the application of criminological knowledge to the workings of the Criminal Justice System and this is strongly reflected in the exciting range of diverse and cutting-edge modules on offer.
The MA in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology focuses mainly on the application of knowledge to the operation of the criminal justice system, reflecting the policy/ practice orientation of members of the staff team.
Whether you are a practitioner working in the criminal justice system, a researcher wishing to gain a firm foundation for a research degree in an ESRC recognised Doctoral Training Centre, or an undergraduate aspiring to a career in criminal justice, our Masters-level degree in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology is for you! The MA in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology offers you:
• an up-to-date and high quality programme which includes some of the most important theory and research in criminal justice and criminology
• an opportunity to develop your ability to apply criminal justice and criminological knowledge to research and the operation of the criminal justice system
• an opportunity to develop and apply research methods knowledge and skills
• enhanced employability for those wishing to pursue a career in the criminal justice system and for those interested in an academic or research career
Modules on the MA in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology typically include:
• Ethics and Philosophy of Social Research
• Quantitative Methods
• Qualitative Methods
• Case Studies in Applied Social Research
• Data Visualisation
• Crime, Drugs and Alcohol
• Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice
• Applied Criminal Justice
• Understanding Policing
• Youth Justice: Research, Policy & Practice
• Criminal Justice System in England and Wales
• Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children
• Human Trafficking
The MA in Applied Criminal Justice & Criminology will open the door to a range of careers, including: Local Government, Police Force, Prison Service, Social Work, Victim Support, Teaching, and Probation Service to name a few. Enhancing your career prospects whilst studying on this course, you will have a wealth of opportunities to take advantage of in order to boost your CV and form important employment links for the future.
Every student is allocated a Personal Tutor who offers academic and pastoral care throughout the student’s stay in Swansea. Several lecturers invite senior criminal justice practitioners, managers, and policy makers to deliver lectures on key aspects of criminal justice policy and practice. The Department of Criminology also ensures that MA in Applied Criminal Justice & Criminology students participate in social events through the Criminology Society which organises events that give students opportunities to socialise and meet others in the Department of Criminology. There may also be placement and research internship opportunities available to students (subject to availability). Research internships provide opportunities for students to observe practices in a criminal justice agency and then produce their dissertation on a topic that is relevant to the work of the agency.
- Christie Owen, MA in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology graduate 2010 -11
“There are a range of different modules covering a broad spectrum of subjects. Helpful tutoring means that those who have not studied Criminology previously will find the subject easy to pick up. There are plenty of approachable staff and lecturers to seek advice if you are unsure. Lectures are well structured with scope for debate with your peers and lecturers, as well as informative media such as videos and power point presentations. There is continuous mentoring while completing dissertations, with supervisors engaging well with students and aiding them in making it more manageable. Supervisors are continuously available to answer any questions or solve any problems that arise while writing such a large piece of work. The library services are also extremely helpful, with access to many books, journals and the internet with a room specifically for postgraduates which is very much needed during busier periods.
The Masters degree in Criminology encouraged me to pursue a career in the Prison Service. After graduating I was offered a position following my first interview and the course has given me skills to use in my new position.”
- Peter Doyle, MA in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology graduate
Retired Detective Chief Inspector and Senior Investigating Officer Peter, from Kenfig near Porthcawl, had specialised in Homicide and Serious Crime Investigation and has an extensive background in Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) investigation.
“The course was challenging for me as I do not possess a first degree – a particular challenge was writing in an academic style. I overcame the challenges by applying practice and more practice – plus support from those within the College and my family. I believe the key is not worrying about every mistake you make but learning from them instead.
“I chose Swansea University because it has an excellent reputation for criminology studies and I also worked in Swansea for many years as a police officer. It was a great honour to meet people on my course from such a wide spectrum and of all ages – this was very inspiring, I was made to feel welcome by everyone involved.”
Study for your specialist masters degree at a University ranked 13th in the UK for Law.
