Overview
Crime and justice are fundamental elements of our social lives. They fascinate the public imagination and pervade political debates, but they are also complex and contested concepts.
Our MSc in Crime, Justice and Society takes a multidisciplinary approach to explore these concepts and their relationship to the social world. Grounded on a multifaceted understanding of justice and informed by criminology, sociology and cognate disciplines (e.g. political science, international relations, philosophy), it will explore the complexities of justice and crime as social phenomena.
You will uncover the ways they both include and extend well beyond the notion of individual law-breaking. You will also apply your knowledge to examine contemporary controversies relating to justice and crime, using research evidence and theoretical concepts to consider their real-world implications and even solutions!
This masters level course is not only designed to enhance your intellectual understanding of society, justice and crime, but seeks to equip you for professional level career paths in the state, private and ‘third’ sectors thanks to innovative modules and a dissertation that allows you to specialise in a subject of your choice under individual supervision.
Why study MSc Crime, Justice & Society at CCCU?
This innovative course takes a holistic view to understand the complexities and controversies associated with crime and justice in contemporary society. Through a focus on the key theoretical and empirical dimensions that are central to understanding the societal nature of justice and crime, you will consider justice, and injustice, in their varying manifestations (e.g. criminal, social, political, environmental) and the inter-relations between these. You’ll develop and apply your ‘sociological imagination’ to understand these phenomena in terms of historically contingent social structures that implicate social axes such as class, ‘race’, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Over the course you’ll develop knowledge enabling you to understand how crime exists across a range of dimensions (social, economic, political etc.), implicating different ‘actors’ from individuals and organisations to institutions and states.
Key modules early in the course will build your knowledge of theories and concepts from criminology, sociology, and cognate disciplines so you can systematically apply them to understand contemporary societal controversies and their implications for justice. These will also develop your skills and confidence as a researcher, enabling you to utilise research evidence to understand how social structures shape crime and justice This grounding in research also provides the opportunity to carry out your own small research study for your dissertation if you choose to.
Throughout the course you will learn in small groups, in which discussion and debate are key to your learning. You’ll study alongside students specialising in criminological subjects but will also take modules that enable you to work with students from a range of social science disciplines, exposing you to multidisciplinary thinking and increasing your opportunities for networking.
You will be taught by lecturers from a range of backgrounds who are actively researching and/or have practical experience of contemporary relevant topics. Consequently, you will leave with key graduate skills, new networks, and a wealth of new knowledge and understanding. No matter what ‘sector’ you decide to work in, you can use your MSc to gain a foothold in a professional career pathway.
The MSc in Crime, Justice and Society is an exciting multidisciplinary masters’ degree for students with an interest in crime, society and criminal justice who are seeking the ‘postgraduate edge’.
Dr Matt Ogilvie, Course Director
Entry requirements
Our standard offer is a good honours degree (2.2 or above). Applicants from a range of undergraduate subjects will be considered but the course is particularly well-suited to students with backgrounds in the social sciences, especially criminology, sociology and policing-related subjects.
To apply you’ll need to submit a brief personal statement outlining interest and areas of specialism being considered, as well as a complete CV. The University has a well-established Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) and Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) structure in operation. Students without previous qualifications may be accepted as part of this process.
If you are unsure whether your qualifications are appropriate you can contact our Postgraduate Admissions team.
If English is not your first language you require an IELTS overall score of 6.0 with no element below 5.5 for most standard undergraduate and postgraduate courses. There are some exceptions and if the IELTS requirement differs it will be specified on the course page.
Module information
Core/optional modules
*Modules subject to approval
How you’ll learn
The MSc Crime, Justice and Society is based around six taught modules and one long piece of work – your own personal dissertation.
In your taught modules, our interactive and inclusive pedagogic strategies and small class sizes ensure that everyone can explore their own views and opinions on the many different topics you will learn about, allowing for a truly interactive and innovative experience. For your dissertation you will receive one-to-one tuition from your supervisor who will be an expert in their field. The course employs a variety of teaching strategies to support student learning in diverse ways. Specific modules might take varied formats to ensure the best delivery of their content. In all modules, however, teaching will include elements of knowledge delivery as well as interactive discussion and debate. Often this will be through weekly ‘workshops’ supplemented by a mixture of guided activities designed to apply learning and assist self-managed study. This will include online elements via the virtual learning environment. Formative feedback will be offered to students at key points to assist the development of their skills and knowledge.
For full-time students the average in-class contact time will be between 6-12 hours per week in each the first two trimesters; 2-4 hours for each module. The third trimester is focused on the dissertation module and consists of supervision tutorials, guided study and independent work. Students who are studying part-time can expect roughly half of this contact time, taking two modules in the first trimester of their first year: Conceptualising Justice; and Critical Issues in Politics and International Relations; and one module in the second trimester: Security in the Digital Age.
In the second year, part-time students will take one module in the first trimester: Research Methods; and two in the second trimester: Contemporary Criminological and Sociological Controversies; and Human Rights. The dissertation will take place in the third trimester of the second year for part-time students.
Guided and independent study may include activities such as watching pre-recorded material, guided reading, group work, listening to podcasts, contributing to discussion boards and activities such as quizzes or other online activities. These tasks will be set out in advance, with a rationale for how they assist teaching and learning and full guidance on how to complete them. There will be a focus on developing students’ skills to enable success in assessments, including formative feedback to support your learning. Tutorial support will also be available where students would like additional guidance or support with their independent study.
Modules typically involve one 2 to 4-hour interactive taught session per week. On top of this most modules require around 22-24 hours of guided learning and 140-145 hours of independent study.
The course is taught by a range of specialist academic staff from across the School of Law, Policing and Social Sciences. Guest lecturers and key professional speakers will be included as part of teaching as relevant, giving students current insights into research developments and real world settings and also providing opportunities to network.
course related topic of your choice. This is a fantastic opportunity to shine, and to produce a true calling-card.
How you’ll be assessed
The course involves a diverse range of assessments designed to provide inclusive opportunities to demonstrate academic ability as well as building core transferrable skills to enhance employability. Assessments vary by modules but include activities like essays, case studies, book reviews, portfolios, oral presentations, role play and simulations. You also complete a sustained piece of academic work in the form of a dissertation. The assessment strategy for the course is designed to take account of two key interdependent aspects:
- The acquisition of relevant knowledge and understanding in the areas covered in the degree; and
- The development of academic style and practical skills that form the basis of graduate employability.
Accordingly, assessment procedures are designed to test the acquisition of newly attained knowledge and understanding in your chosen subject area, as well as the various transferrable skills by which that knowledge is acquired and transmitted.
Your future career
The multidisciplinary nature of the MSc in Crime, Justice and Society will facilitate the command of the conceptual, theoretical and empirical dimensions of this fascinating degree, thus providing you with a broad informed knowledge base. The breadth of assessment methods on the course have been specifically selected to maximise your transferable skill. This combination of substantive course specific knowledge and transferable skills will notably enhance your professional level employability prospects and provide the foundation for further, higher level, graduate studies.
Fees
Government loans are available for some postgraduate Master’s courses. Loans are subject to both personal and course eligibility criteria.
The rules around course eligibility mean that in some cases it may depend on how you are studying (full-time or part-time) as to whether you can apply for a postgraduate loan. To check whether your course is eligible, you can email the Student Fees Team or call 01227 923 456.
Tuition fees for this course
| UK | Overseas | |
| Full-time | £9,545 | £15,500 |
20% Alumni Discount
We offer alumni discounts on CCCU Postgraduate Taught, PGCE Primary and Secondary, and Master's by Research courses for eligible students.
Find out if you're eligible for the discount.
Important Information on Tuition Fees
Tuition fees for all courses which last more than one academic year are payable on an annual basis, except where stated.
There will be an annual inflationary increase in tuition fees for this course where the course lasts more than one academic year. For further information read the Tuition fee statements and continuing fee information.