Program Overview

Introduction to the Criminology MSc at Loughborough University

The Criminology MSc is a research-informed programme designed to allow students to develop specialist, applied knowledge about crime and its control but also about how we understand and conceptualise the notion of justice. Through engaging with a range of modules, students will begin to question traditional understandings of justice and its application in contemporary society.

Programme Details

• Qualification(s) available: MSc
• Fees: Dependent on start date. See below.
• Scholarships available: Yes
• Entry requirements: 2:2+ (55%)
• Full-time: 1 year
• Part-time: 2 years
• Location: Loughborough
• Start date: October 2025 or October 2026
• Department: Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy

What You'll Study

The programme is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of criminology, including:

• Contemporary Issues in Criminology and Criminological Theory: This module introduces criminology and criminological theory through a range of issues, case study examples, and topical debates.
• Child First Justice: To develop a critical understanding of Child First justice in the broader international context of youth justice policy and practice.
• Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice: The criminal justice system is constantly having to adapt and evolve to external pressures. This module will introduce students to a range of contemporary issues in criminal justice and question how effective the current system is at dealing with such challenges.
• Research Design and Practice (15 credits): The aims of this module are to consolidate students' experiences of undertaking research in both the social science and humanities traditions and to equip them with the appropriate intellectual and practical methodological, writing, and reflexive skills to successfully undertake an independent and original piece of critical research on an issue of relevance to their programme.
• Responding to Sexual Violence (15 credits): This module will enable students to examine key issues in responding to victims and perpetrators of sexual violence, including meanings of justice and strategies for prevention.
• Sports Criminology (15 credits): This module aims to examine crime, deviance, and social change through a sporting lens.
• Psychology and the Law: Implications for Criminal Justice (15 credits): This module will enable students to explore ways in which Forensic Psychologists contribute to different legal systems.
• Dissertation in Criminology (60 credits): Through this module, students undertake a project of criminological research on a topic of their own choosing.

Entry Requirements

Our entry requirements are listed using standard UK undergraduate degree classifications, i.e., first-class honours, upper second-class honours, and lower second-class honours. To learn the equivalent for your country, please choose it from the drop-down below.

Entry Requirements for United Kingdom

• A 2:2 honours degree with 55% or above (or equivalent international qualification), in Criminology or a cognate discipline, i.e., Law, Psychology, Sociology, Politics, or Social Policy, or equivalent international academic qualifications.
• Professional experience will be considered.

Country / Region Equivalent

• Choose a country / region to find the equivalent entry requirements.

Fees and Funding

Fees for the Academic Year

• UK fee: £12,500 Full-time degree per annum
• International fee: £25,500 Full-time degree per annum

Fees for the Academic Year

• UK fee: £11,500 Full-time degree per annum
• International fee: £25,000 Full-time degree per annum

Fees for the academic year apply to courses starting in October 2025 or January 2026. Fees for the academic year apply to courses starting in October 2026.

Scholarships and Bursaries

There are scholarships and bursaries available to help with funding your study.

• 10% off tuition fees: Loughborough University Alumni Bursary
• 20% off tuition fees: Excellence Scholarship

Your Development

The School of Social Sciences and Humanities is committed to helping you develop the skills and attributes you need to progress successfully in your chosen career.

On successful completion of this programme, you will be able to:

• Use your criminological research skills, gained from a school that is internationally renowned in this field.
• Communicate effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Plan, organise, and manage, with appropriate supervision, a significant self-directed research project.
• Work flexibly, creatively, and independently, displaying a high degree of self-direction and initiative.

Our Academics

The programme is taught by leading research experts from a range of criminological, sociological, and psychological backgrounds with real-world experience of the programme content.

Your Future Career

Graduates from the programme can go into the following areas:

• Research careers
• A range of government departments and criminal justice agencies (e.g., Ministry of Justice, His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service)
• Voluntary organisations in criminal justice, crime prevention, victim support, offender rehabilitation

Related Master's Degrees

• Social Science Research MSc
• Law LLM