Masters Degrees in Criminology, Netherlands

Do you want to understand the role of Mexico in the cocaine trade, why a Dutch multinational dumps waste on an African country, or how young Dutch Muslims are recruited for fighting in Syria? Are you curious about phenomena such as Internet fraud, food criminality or mobile banditry? Old and new forms of global crime are rapidly expanding, as are the means to control it. The Netherlands serves both as a major crossroad in the illegal flow of goods, people and services and as a key host for international organisations such as Europol, Greenpeace and the International Criminal Court. Drug trafficking, human trafficking, international terrorism, corruption, environmental harm, financial and corporate crime and conflicts over natural resources all have global dimensions. Tackling these issues requires modern instruments that transcend national boundaries.

TRACKS 

You can choose from two distinctive tracks within the Global Criminology programme. Find out more about the following tracks:

• Global Crime
• Crime, Punishment and Security 
• 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!

The MA in Global Criminology is a one-year Master’s programme that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and understanding required to work with local and global crime issues, crime policies and crime control strategies.

The programme offers a multidisciplinary, critical and comparative perspective in criminology, open for students with a BA degree in law, criminology, social sciences, or any other related social discipline such as economy, history or media studies, to name a few.

DEVELOPING ESSENTIAL SKILLS

During this programme, you’ll study key issues such as organised and corporate crime, prison systems, security policies or the relation between ethnicity and crime. You will also develop essential skills that will benefit you in both your professional and personal life. You will be able, among other things, to:

• Develop good insight into the causes and consequences of local and global crime.
• Analyse the behaviour of offenders from different disciplines and perspectives.
• Critically assess and evaluate criminal policies and the criminal justice system;
• Understand the cultural aspects of criminal phenomena;
• Conduct independent criminological research using qualitative research methods and connect the results with criminological theories.
• Present research results to an audience of both specialists and non-specialists.

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How are international and transnational crimes prevented, investigated and prosecuted? Is criminal law an effective tool in the present context of globalized criminality?

These questions will constitute some of criminal law's biggest challenges for the years to come and are the focus of the Global Criminal Law LLM track, which explores the application of criminal law - both substantive and procedural - in the context of global criminality, such as organized, transnational and international criminality.

This track offers you the two-fold opportunity to study substantive and procedural criminal law from a comparative and international perspective but also to specialise in the study of specific criminal behaviour: organised and financial crimes, cybercrimes and international crimes.

Why in Groningen?

This programme has a strong focus on the application of criminal law in a globalised and internationalised context. It thus draws from comparative criminal law and international criminal law as well as from rules regulating international cooperation in criminal matters to explore particular types of global criminality: organised and financial crimes, cybercrimes and international crimes.

Job perspectives

The programme is specifically tailored to train students into becoming well-equipped legal professionals with both academic skills and practical knowledge of criminal law. Graduates can apply their specialized understanding of substantive and procedural criminal law in domestic, regional and international contexts. In particular, the programme meets the requirements of a career within int. organizations and judicial institutions as well as within inter-governmental and nat. government agencies.

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The Master Victimology and Criminal Justice at Tilburg University is the only Master's program in Europe and one of a handful of programs worldwide, focusing on victimology.

What is this master about?

Victimology can be considered the younger sister of criminology. Its object of study is the position of victims in society. Drawing upon the insights offered by law, psychology, criminology and other social sciences, victimologists look at the consequences of becoming of victim of crime, accidents or disasters with the ultimate aim of setting people on the path of recovery and restoration.

For whom is it meant?

Being the top-notch program in Victimology and Criminal Justice, this master is aimed at motivated students with educational backgrounds in criminology, law, psychology, sociology, anthropology and liberal arts.

Why study Victimology and Criminal Justice?

The Master aims at teaching students to academically analyze and professionally solve psychosocial, economic, political, and legal problems arising from victimization. It particularly focuses on the victim within the context of the criminal justice system.

Students can expect to acquire the necessary intellectual knowledge and skills to tackle victimological or related challenges in either a academic research or professional setting. With a growing need for employees with an academic background in victimology in international and national, governmental and non-governmental organizations in the field of criminal justice, health care, disaster relieve, human rights, etc. graduates of this program have a wide range of employment opportunities. The master also offers an excellent preparation for those who want to pursue a Ph D.

Career Perspective Victimology and Criminal Justice

Victim-related issues are of increasing interest within academia, policy-making, and the public and the private sectors at both the national and international levels.

Graduates of the Master in Victimology and Criminal Justice are in high demand by institutions and organizations dealing with victims of crime and/or human rights violations, such as:
•ministries
•local governments
•victim support or assistance bodies
•national, European and international public or private institutions dealing with victims of crime and/or human rights violations

Furthermore, with the growing importance of victims' rights in criminal justice systems, graduates of this Master's program can expect to embark on a rewarding career in victim-related services within judiciaries.

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Detecting and combatting crime is becoming increasingly complex. Security is high on the national and international agenda. The master’s programme Crime and Criminal Justice in Leiden provides the skills to face these challenges.

Why choose this Master’s programme?

Students choose the master’s programme Crime and Criminal Justice because they have an affinity with human behaviour and crime and want to learn more to be able to make a contribution in preventing and fighting crime. Criminologists (lawyers and non-lawyers) are employed by organisations such as the police, the Public Prosecution Service, the prison system, the probation service, victim support, consultancy and research agencies, security companies and in the business sector.

Why choose the master’s programme Crime and Criminal Justice at Leiden University?

• Leiden Law School has a good reputation both nationally and internationally: your degree has value.
• The programme is taught in small classes with a high level of student participation. Much attention is paid to situations in practice and to research, together with fellow students and teaching staff.
• Career opportunities are good. Thanks to our large network and personal career’s advice most criminologists with adegree from Leiden find suitable employment within six months.

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Past victimization, previous offending, psychopathology, aggression, being male: Which of these variables might be the best predictor of future violent (re)offending? Which variables might increase the chance of (re)victimization? How can interventions help to prevent crime? How can victims of violence and crime overcome their victimization?

If you are intrigued by questions about the psychology of violence and crime, and you are not satisfied with easy answers, consider entering the Master's degree programme 'Clinical Forensic Psychology and Victimology'. In this programme we aim to understand acts of violence and crime from both the victims' and the offenders' perspective. You will gain a theoretical insight into the correlates of violence and crime and their consequences. Moreover you will acquire practical skills to enable you to assess and intervene in both offender and victim contexts. Our unique integrative approach aims to highlight the many psychological nuances between the black-and-white of the victim and offender dichotomy.

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