Criminology & Criminal Justice

If you undertake the LLM in Criminology & Criminal Justice at UCD Sutherland School of Law, you will be studying at one of the Top 100 Law Schools in the World. ​This LLM focuses on crime and punishment which are issues of central importance to society.



The UCD Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the first of its kind in Ireland, has been the focus of debates in parliament, legislative and policy initiatives, and numerous reports in the media. Members of the Institute have engaged in major research projects including work on coercive confinement, recidivism and desistance, youth crime, policing, trial by jury, white collar crime, historical approaches to crime and punishment, restorative justice, victims, and penal policy. On this LLM the innovative teaching and small class sizes will allow you to develop strong analytical skills, and to hone your written and spoken critical insights.

Stage 1 - Core

Dissertation LAW40290



Stage 1 Core Modules

LAW40290 Dissertation Summer 30

Stage 1 Options - A)6 of:

Choose 6 of the Following:

LAW40620 Punishment, Prisons & Public Policy Autumn 10

LAW40640 Advanced Criminological Theory Autumn 10

LAW40980 Victims Autumn 10

LAW41050 Coercive Confinement Autumn 10

LAW42280 International Refugee Law Autumn 10

SOC40720 Organised Violence and Society Autumn 10

LAW40610 Crime and Society Spring 10

LAW41090 Climate Change Law and Policy Spring 10

LAW42020 Law of Armed Conflict Spring 10

LAW42170 Behavioural Laws Spring 10

LAW42270 International Migration Law Spring 10

LAW42290 Gender, Conflict-related Harm & Transitional Justice Spring 10

LAW42300 Law & Rationality Spring 10

POL41720 Gender, Peace, and Security Spring 10

Degree Requirements

Applicants must hold a Law degree, or an inter-disciplinary degree in which law was a major component. Applicants must have achieved at least an upper second class honours or equivalent.



Applicants holding a Graduate Diploma in Law (60 ECTS Credits) may be considered but will normally be admitted only where they can show an exceptionally strong performance in both their undergraduate degree and diploma.



Exemption from these requirements may be given to those with significant, relevant, practical experience or those with a graduate qualification at Masters level or higher in a relevant discipline. Such applicants should state clearly in their application why they feel their qualifications/experiences are appropriate for admission to the programme.



In exceptional circumstances, substantial professional experience within a related field may be regarded by the selection panel as compensating for a lack of an undergraduate degree to the required standard. Such applicants should state clearly in their application why they feel their other qualifications/experience are appropriate for admission onto the programme.



English Language Requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English must submit satisfactory evidence of competence in written and spoken English, i.e. overall IELTS 6.5 (including a minimum of 6.5 in the reading and writing parts and no part below 6.0) or 90 in the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum of 22 (reading) and 24 (writing) and no part below 20.) The test results must be less than 2 years old.



The School encourages all applicants whose first language is not English to attend the pre-sessional English programme offered by the UCD Applied Language Centre, details of which are available at www.ucd.ie/alc.



Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the English language requirements, may enter the programme upon successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/



International applicants should visit the UCD International Office website (www.ucd.ie/international) for information regarding our campus, location of UCD, visa information, registration and orientation.



These are the minimum entry requirements - additional criteria may be requested for some programmes.



Application Procedure

Applicants should indicate which programme they are applying for. All applicants should note:



Official transcripts must be submitted as proof of examination results by all applicants except UCD graduates.



The personal statement is an important component of the application. It should contain information demonstrating your capability to undertake the course successfully. You should detail any relevant research and practical experience including any publications and major essays/projects.



Applicants must nominate two academic referees (name, position, postal address, e-mail address and telephone number). If an applicant has been in employment for more than two years, one of the referees must be your employer.



Please note: If you are offered a place on the LLM programme, accepting that place is a two-part process. You must submit an on-line acceptance and you must also pay a non-refundable deposit (normally €500) within 15 working days of the date of your offer letter.



Letter of Recommendation.

90

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time.

LLM Criminology & Criminal Justice (B292) Full Time

EU fee per year - € 9320

nonEU fee per year - € 19900


LLM Criminology & Criminal Justice (B293) Part Time

EU fee per year - € 4660

nonEU fee per year - € 9950


***Fees are subject to change


Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships. We also offer scholarships for EU applicants. All applicants who apply before May 31st will be included. Further details at http://www.ucd.ie/law/study/scholarships/

Commencing January & September 2025

The LLM Criminology & Criminal Justice is well-suited to those interested in legal practice, public service, or any other career where success is built upon the ability to understand, analyse and respond to developments in Criminology and Criminal Justice.



Upon completion of this programme many graduates have pursued careers in the legal profession while others have opted for careers in the NGO sector in areas related to probation, policing, prisons etc. Academia has also become a popular direction for graduates as an increasing numbers of universities offer Criminology programmes at undergraduate and graduate level leading to greater demand for academics in the area. This masters is an excellent foundation for a PhD which is generally the requirement to progress to a lecturing post at university level.



Masters students in UCD Sutherland School of Law can benefit from engaging both with the UCD Careers Network and the Head of Career Development in the School. There are careers events hosted through the academic year and a specific Law Fair every October where Domestic and International Employers come on campus to meet with students.