Program Overview

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MA Criminology

Why study this course with LJMU?

Excellent research-led teaching focused on the interplay of theory, policy and practice Benefit from influential connections - your teaching team has strong local, national and international links with academics, community groups and justice campaigns, offering you invaluable first-hand learning experiences Flexible ‘student-centred’ learning pathway with research or practice-based options (ideal for those already in the workplace) Learn from experts who bring professional currency and expertise to the fore and help you develop your ability to fulfil a strategic leadership position Part Time Study Option available

About this course

Take a fresh perspective on the world of criminology. Engaging with cutting-edge debates in criminology, you’ll look at some of the most recent and advanced intellectual developments from around the world in relation to crime, (in)justice, and social harm.

MA Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University offers critical approaches to the study of crime, social harm and criminal justice.

Created by passionate subject specialists, this masters programme will help you develop advanced skills in research and theory, with a specific focus on policy and practice. You will take a fresh perspective on the world of criminology.

The study of Criminology is not just about the institutions of the criminal justice system. You will be encouraged to take a critical approach that examines issues of power, inequalities and social harm.

This interdisciplinary MA gives you the chance to look at Criminology from the perspective of various other disciplines such as Geography, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science and Sociology.

As well as developing your advanced skills in research and theoretical application, the programme places a strong emphasis on the implications for policy and practice. It includes a strong comparative component, encouraging students to consider some of the international dimensions of crime, social harm and state responses to them.

Course modules

Core modules

• Researching Crime, Justice and Society
  • 30 credits
  • This module will develop your understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of criminological research, policy and practice. You will evaluate and understand the contested and political nature of knowledge and the complex relationship between social research and the policy environment. You will critically evaluate a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods used in relevant fields of enquiry and develop advanced data analysis skills, including the use of specialist software tools.
• Alternative Criminologies
  • 30 credits
  • In this module, you will learn about the origins, historical development, and contemporary focus of critical alternative criminologies in the context of the development of the discipline of criminology. You will also critically examine a range of case studies in critical alternative criminological research and learn what it means to do critical criminological research today.

Optional modules

• Postgraduate International Fieldwork
  • 30 credits
  • This module with encourage you to think globally and comparatively about crime, harm and (in)justice. You will develop a critical understanding of the ways in which the economic, political and cultural milieu intersect with crime, harm and (in)justice. You will participate in international fieldwork, internet-based research, and communities of practice for digital scholarship.
• Welfare and Punishment
  • 30 credits
  • This module will help you understand the fundamental connection between criminological and social policy theoretical approaches and the significance of these to analyses of social (in) justice. You will understand welfare and criminal justice institutions in their historical and contemporary contexts, and critically examine the ways in which social policy and policymaking processes inform constructions of 'social problems' and the criminal justice responses to them.
• Criminological (Re)presentations
  • 30 credits
  • By studying this module you will understand the ways in which crime, harm and the agencies of social control are represented in different cultural/intellectual contexts. You will develop a systematic understanding of the ways in which academic theory and cultural representations intersect and coalesce around notions of 'crime', 'harm' and '(in)justice'. You will engage in the active interrogation of cutting-edge criminological theory through participatory discussion.
• Inequalities & Injustice
  • 30 credits
  • During this module, you will critically explore the significance of historical and contemporary constructions of inequalities to the study of criminology. You will understand the interconnecting relationship between inequality and injustice and the effects these connections have in theory, policy and practice. The module will help you situate current debates around social divisions and inequalities in their political, geographical and social context. We will examine inequalities at the structural, subjective and representational level.
• State, Power, Justice
  • 30 credits
  • This module will help you to develop a critical understanding of the historical and contemporary relationship between the state, social divisions and the maintenance of social order. During the module you will consider recent developments around critical theories of the state, to understand the interrelationship between the exercise of state power, policy and practice. In doing so, you will critically assess the contradictions within, and contestation around, the exercise of state power.
• Practice-Based Research Project
  • 60 credits
  • This module is designed with a view to providing students with the opportunity to demonstrate their critical research skills in an applied context. Students will design and undertake a research project within either: (a) a place of existing employment; or (b) a purposefully sourced and secured work-based learning opportunity. They will be supported through direct supervision from a suitable academic within the department.
• Dissertation
  • 60 credits
  • During the module you will negotiate issues of methodology, research design, ethics and data analysis and apply these to research on a topic of the student's choice. You will develop a systematic and critical awareness of complex concepts congruent to the study of criminology, work independently and with some originality. You will produce a coherent and logically argued piece of writing that demonstrates competence in critical analysis.
• Atrocity Crimes
  • 30 credits
  • This Module explores the relationship between power, crime and atrocity. It utilises an interdisciplinary approach to examine how harm comes to be defined in particular ways, and explores how and why certain forms of atrocity are subjected to criminalisation at national and international levels. The Module seeks to analyse the strengths and limitations of ethical scrutiny which renders some forms of atrocity explicit, whilst leaving others invisible. The Module also critically engages with core aspects of international criminal law, criminology, social psychology, international relations and politics, applying theoretical insights to both historical and contemporary examples of atrocity. By concerning itself with both theory and practice, it aims to strengthen and enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of how atrocities occur, how these might be responded to, and the problems and possibilities of prevention.
• Digital Harms
  • 30 credits
  • In this module you will engage with practical and theoretical perspectives surrounding contemporary understandings of harm, power, and technology. It draws upon an interdisciplinary approach to develop the criminological perspective of ‘harm’ within the context of increasingly digital, technologically mediated societies.

Your Learning Experience

Teaching Assessment

An insight into teaching on your course

• Study hours
  • The 180-credit programme will be taught across three semesters, typically this involves 2 days on campus.
  • Each pathway will consist of one 60 credit module (either a dissertation or placement module) undertaken across the whole academic year. Accompanying this, full time study students study two core modules in their first semester, and two optional modules in semester two.
  • Part time study students undertake one core module and two options in their first year, and their dissertation/practice-based research module and final core module in their second year.
• Teaching methods
  • Teaching is delivered via a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars and one-to-one consultations with your tutors. You will also be expected to study independently and conduct your own self-directed research.
  • The teaching team is committed to ensuring you get the most out of your learning experience. Staff have office hours during which you can visit them to discuss your work and progress. You will also be allocated a personal tutor who will guide and support you throughout your time at LJMU.
• Applied learning
  • The MA takes a student centred approach to learning, offering you the opportunity to individualise and customise your postgraduate degree by taking either a research pathway through it, a work placement route, or even a combination of both. You will be encouraged to take a fresh look at some established criminological theories and ideas, as well as being given a space through which some of the fields most contemporary and cutting-edge debates can be engaged with.

Career paths

Further your career prospects

LJMU has an excellent employability record with 94% (HESA 2022) of our postgraduates in work or further study fifteen months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.

The MA Criminology degree would be particularly relevant to people working in, or hoping to work in, a range of fields including:

• research
• academia
• charities and community organisations
• children, young people's and youth justice fields
• the investigation of miscarriages of justice
• social work, prison and probation services
• policing
• media research
• writing and journalism
• teaching
• policy and administration
• government

Tuition fees and funding

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Fees

The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.

Financial Support

There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages. The University offers a range of financial support for students. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist financial support pages including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.

Additional Costs

In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:

• Accommodation
• Travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
• Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire

Entry requirements

You will need:

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Qualification requirements

Undergraduate degree

• a minimum 2.1 Honours degree in a relevant subject e.g. Criminology, Sociology, Social Policy, Criminal Justice (single honours or combined with any cognate field like any of the above, Law, Policing and the like).
• applicants with a 2:2 or a non-related degree will be referred to the Programme Leader. Non-Standard applications may also be considered.

Further information

• Extra Requirements
• RPL

Applications for Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning will be considered on an individual basis in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning Policy.

International requirements

IELTS

• IELTS 6.0 with a minimum 5.5 in each component

Further information

• Extra Requirements
• RPL

Applications for Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning will be considered on an individual basis in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning Policy.

How to apply

Securing your place at LJMU

To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.