Criminology & Criminal Justice

Overview

This exciting, stimulating and topical postgraduate degree programme in Criminology and Criminal Justice is taught by internationally-recognised scholars and researchers who offer students a wide introduction to the study of crime and criminal justice in contemporary society. The programme is also unique insofar as it draws upon Northern Ireland’s experiment in overhauling its criminal justice system (police, prisons and restorative justice) as part of the political settlement reached in 1998. As such students are introduced to ‘what works’ in criminal justice reform with police reform in particular becoming a burning issue in many jurisdictions currently. Key research strengths of the teaching staff lie in the following areas:



- Community Safety and Crime Prevention

- Policing

- Prisoner Reintegration

- Restorative Justice

- Sex Offending

- Victimology

- Anti-Social Behaviour

- Crime and the Life Course



The LLM in Criminology and Criminal Justice is designed to appeal to prospective students with an academic or professional interest in criminology or criminal justice. It enables students to understand the motivations for offending as well as the practical operation of criminal justice and how the state responds to criminality and victimisation. This degree will be of considerable relevance and interest to those who are already employed in criminal justice-related work in fields such as legal practice, government, non-governmental organisations, as well as equipping those who have just completed undergraduate degrees to develop the knowledge and skills to pursue criminal justice-related careers or undertake advanced level study.



Course Details

The LLM Criminal Justice Programme takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of crime and justice and draws on original staff research. Modules are rooted in relevant theoretical frameworks with a strong criminological focus and provide students with methodological training in addition to supporting the development of critical analysis and other transferable skills. Through the dissertation, students can explore a wide variety of criminological and criminal justice topics. Students are encouraged to develop a critical understanding of the criminal justice process and the practical operation of criminal law in a domestic and comparative context, and are given the opportunity to explore in-depth a particular criminal justice-related issue through the submission of a dissertation. The programme is delivered through a series of taught modules and culminates in the submission of the dissertation on an original topic.

Compulsory Modules

Theoretical Criminology

Key Debates in Criminology

Criminal Justice Processes

Dissertation (Maximum 15,000 words)



(Students who secure a summer work placement of at least 8 weeks can complete a Dissertation in Practice Module including 12,000 word dissertation and 3,000 word reflective journal of the learning experience).



Methodology Mini-Modules

Approaches to Legal Research

Criminal Justice & Criminology Methods 1

Criminal Justice & Criminology Methods 2



Optional Modules

Restorative Justice

Youth Justice: Theory, Law and Practice

Prisons, Punishment & the Legacy of Conflict in NI

Climate, Justice and Human Rights



Please note this is not an exclusive list of the optional modules available. Optional modules are reviewed each year and subject to staff availability and student numbers.

Graduate

Applicants with a primary degree in a relevant/cognate subject: Normally a strong 2.2 Honours degree (with a minimum of 55%) or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in Law, Social Sciences, Humanities or a cognate discipline.



Applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with below 55% in a cognate discipline (or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) along with a minimum of 2 years relevant experience may be considered.



Applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above in other disciplines may be considered if they can demonstrate 2 years relevant experience.



Exemption from these requirements may be considered for those applicants who hold a Master's degree in a relevant subject (or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University).



Admission under Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) may be considered for this course. The University's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy provides guidance on the assessment of experiential learning (RPEL). Please visit the link below for more information.

http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpolicyQUB

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 29th August 2025. In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal. Notifications to this effect will appear on the application portal against the programme application page.

Assessed coursework

Dissertation

1 year (Full Time), 2 years (Part Time)

Entry Year: 2025/26

Career Prospects

Some criminology and criminal justice graduates use this degree as a basis for further study towards a research degree such as a PhD, which may in turn lead to an academic career. Others pursue criminology and criminal justice-related careers in the legal, public, private or voluntary sectors. http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/