Program Overview

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Introduction to the Master's Degree in Critical Criminology and Social Security

The Master's Degree in Critical Criminology and Social Security is a postgraduate program designed for individuals seeking to deepen their professional or academic knowledge in the fields of sociology, criminology, psychology, law, and anthropology. This program adopts a deconstructionist approach to the main theoretical frameworks of criminology, sociology of deviance, and analysis of criminal law, utilizing a multi-sectional approach with insights into current topics.

Educational Content

The course program refers to the main theoretical frameworks of criminology, deviance sociology, and criminal law analysis, with a specific focus on control devices and power relationships in society, through an intersectional approach. Particular attention is reserved for petty crime, the relationship between immigration and deviance, under-age and female deviance, gender violence, environmental crimes, prison overcrowding, new forms of relationships with drugs, and the interpretation of feelings of insecurity. Furthermore, the program develops alternative perspectives to traditional punitive and security models, both in theory and in practice.

Course Target and Career Opportunities

The Master's Degree in Critical Criminology and Social Security is addressed to students who wish to pursue a sociological, criminological, psychological, juridical, or anthropological academic path, as well as those who wish to work for public and third-sector bodies in areas such as conflict prevention and mediation, distress, deviance, and criminality. By critically assessing penal and criminal policies, and focusing on repression and prevention strategies, the course strengthens work skills in various fields, including those dealing with prison conditions, penal mediation, under-age deviance, gender violence, urban security, drug addiction, prostitution, migrant reception, and more.

Course Program

The Master in Critical Criminology and Social Security provides training on:

• Crime theories and critique of criminal law
• Critical criminology and intersectionality
• Migratory policies and criminalization processes
• Security and governance in territories
• Prison, legal system, and criminal enforcement sociology
• Gender violence and criminalization/victimization processes
• Social and criminal institution psychology
• Victimology and criminal mediation
• State crimes and "suits" crimes
• Restorative justice
• Green criminology
• Border criminology
• Drug addiction and consumption style
• Police sociology
• Criminology and neurosciences
• Media sociology

Networks and Collaborations

The Master in Critical Criminology and Social Security works and cooperates with the Departments and Research Groups of other Universities, and is involved in multiple study and research projects in legal, sociological, anthropological, criminological, and socio-psychological fields. It is part of important European projects, such as the "European Group for the Studies of Deviance and Social Control" network.

Partnerships with Public and Tertiary Institutions

The Master has accrued a wide network of relationships and virtuous cooperations with public, third-sector, local, and national institutions. These interactions promote the option of offering prestigious stages and the opportunity to relate and enter the labor force by implementing the skills and tools provided. The Master includes a 250-hour traineeship in one of the many public and third-sector institutions affiliated with it.

General Ranking of Merit

The general ranking of merit for the academic year 2025/26 will be published according to the timing provided in the Call.

Information

• Thematic area: Health, environment, and territory
• End of classes: 10/10/2026
• Mandatory attendance: 75%
• Minimum available spots: 13
• Maximum available spots: 40
• First installment: 1,692.30
• Second installment: 955.20

FAQ

How will the lessons be structured?

Lessons will be held in 24 weekends, on Friday afternoon and Saturdays (full day), 3 times a month, in dual mode; in-person lessons will be held at the Fisppa Department of the University of Padua.

Is it possible to follow the lessons remotely?

Yes, to meet the multiple needs of attendees, lessons will be carried out in dual mode, with the option for distance learning through the Zoom platform.

Will there be any form of facilitation?

For the next edition, there will be no scholarships. To access certain forms of facilitation, it is recommended to contact the UniPD call center to get in touch with the Student Office, Facilitation Section.

Will there be a traineeship?

The Master includes a 250-hour traineeship at one of the many affiliate public and tertiary institutions. If not interested in the traineeship, attendees can draft a "project work" with the help of a Tutor assigned to each attendee.

Will there be a final exam?

At the end of the course, all attendees are required to draft and discuss a final dissertation on the topics covered, with the constant support of a tutor selected among the Master's staff.

Course Details

• Classes start: 14/11/2025
• Duration: One year
• Venue: Padua, Bologna
• Language: Italian
• ECTS: 60
• Teaching method: Dual-mode
• Total enrollment fee: 2,647.50
• Pre-enrollment deadline: 07/10/2025