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Queen's University Belfast

Criminology & Criminal Justice

Overview
The Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, within Queen's School of Law, provides this exciting, stimulating and topical postgraduate degree, taught by internationally-recognised scholars and researchers who offer students a wide range of expertise. Staff members have strong links with local criminal justice agencies and community organisations as well as extensive comparative and international expertise, providing for a unique student experience.

The Institute's particular strengths lie in the following areas:
• Community Safety
• Critical Criminology
• Policing
• Prisoner Reintegration
• Restorative Justice
• Sex Offending
• Transitional Justice
• Young People, Crime and Justice

The Criminal Justice LLM is designed for those with an academic or professional interest in law, crime and criminal justice. It enables students to understand 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.

Entry requirements

Graduate
Normally a 2.1 Honours degree or above or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in Law, Social Sciences, Humanities or a cognate discipline.

Exemption from these requirements may be considered for those applicants who hold a Masters degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) OR for those applicants with a 2.2 Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) along with a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience.

Admission under the 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. Please visit http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpolicy for more information.

International Students
For information on international qualification equivalents please select Your Country from the list on our International Students website.

English language requirements
Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required (*taken within the last 2 years).

International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.

For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.
• Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
• Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.

Duration

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

Small Group Teaching/Personal Tutorial
8 (hours maximum), in addition, students should set aside 10-12 hours per module for reading and preparation.

Careers or further progression

Career Prospects
Some Criminal Justice graduates use this degree as a base for further study towards a research degree such as a PhD, which may in turn lead to an academic career. Others pursue criminal justice-related or legal careers in the public, private or voluntary sectors. Furthermore, this Masters provides an excellent base for further study towards a research degree such as a PhD, which in turn may lead on to an academic career.
http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/

Further enquiries

Dr Graham Ellison
Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice
School of Law
Email: g.ellison@qub.ac.uk

Subjects taught

Compulsory Modules
• Theoretical Criminology
• Criminal Justice Processes
• Dissertation (15,000-20,000 words)

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. The Institute can assist students with internship/voluntary placements.

Methodology Mini-Modules
• Approaches to Legal Research
• Key Debates in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Criminology Methods 1
• Criminology Methods 2

Optional Modules
• Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
• Transitional Justice
• Crime, Justice, Society
• Counter-Terrorism

Comment

Criminology and Criminal Justice highlights
Career Development
• The Institute can assist students with internship/voluntary placements.

Student Experience
• The LLM Criminal Justice programme is international in focus and taught by leading academics and practitioners in the field. Research and teaching is carried out under the auspices of the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice (ICCJ), which has strong connections to civil society organisations, criminal justice bodies and agencies, and international institutions and networks. The ICCJ organises an active, annual speaker and conference series, with talks by academics and practitioners.

Assessment method

Assessment & Feedback
Assessed coursework and dissertation.

Application date

Postgraduate Taught
Closing dates do apply for some of our courses, and details of these are available on our Course Finder. We advise you to apply as early as possible, particularly for those courses where there is a high demand for places. Early application is also important for international applicants to allow sufficient time to obtain a student entry visa.

How to Apply
Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal go.qub.ac.uk/pgapply and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply. See application weblink below.