Program Overview

Introduction to the MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management

The MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management is a two-year, part-time Master's degree designed for professionals responsible for tackling crime, reducing harm, and improving safety. The program combines Cambridge's research strength with practical approaches that help students modernize practice and make an impact in their organization and beyond.

Why This Programme?

The programme offers:

• Solutions that reduce harm, such as targeted patrols and evidence-based strategies that improve victim outcomes.
• Exploration of how artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and digital innovation can be applied responsibly to crime problems.

What Will You Gain?

Upon completion of the programme, students will gain:

• Skills to apply criminological research directly to operational or strategic challenges.
• The capacity to evaluate and test new approaches with academic rigour.
• Confidence to implement reforms that can withstand scrutiny.
• Access to a professional network that extends well beyond Cambridge.

Programme Format

The programme is divided into two years:

• Year One: Three residential blocks that establish foundations in criminological theory, research methods, and applied practice. Students are assessed through three essays designed to test their ability to connect academic knowledge to real-world policing and security challenges.
• Year Two: Students work under individual Cambridge supervision to produce an 18,000-word thesis. This is an opportunity to design and deliver original research that addresses a pressing issue from their professional context.

Notable Recent Dissertations

Examples of notable recent dissertations include:

• Hotspot foot patrols that demonstrated significant reductions in serious violence.
• Behavioural nudges to increase attendance at mandatory drug treatment sessions, leading to measurable improvements in compliance.
• Applied AI-driven predictive modelling to domestic abuse cases, identifying patterns of escalation and high-risk households earlier.

Who Should Apply?

The programme is designed for:

• Senior officers and managers seeking to modernise policing and security practice.
• Analysts and professionals working with data, crime prevention, or strategy.
• Practitioners in justice, safety, or public policy who want to ground their work in rigorous evidence.
• Applicants with professional experience, even without a traditional academic background, are welcome.

Fees and Financial Support

• The Institute has a limited number of studentships that MSt students from overseas can apply for.
• University Composition Fee (｣15,450 total) covers the University tuition fee.
• Residential and Supplementary Costs (｣15,550 total) include mandatory residential teaching blocks, college accommodation, and other related expenses.

Course Structure

The MSt course is underpinned by four key pillars:

1. Targeting Harm Effectively: Matching interventions with proportionately harmful risks.
2. Measuring Harm Systematically: Using tools like the Crime Harm Index to assess the seriousness of offending.
3. Making Better Decisions: Applying the Triple-T of Targeting, Testing, and Tracking as the foundation for Transformation.
4. Bridging Practice and Research: Developing practitioner-academics who can generate, apply, and promote research to improve decision-making.

Teaching Blocks

There are three teaching blocks in the first year, covering four key modules: Criminological Theory, Evidence-Based Policing, Leadership and Management, and Research Methods.

Teaching Staff and Industry Experts

The programme is taught by a range of experts, including:

• Professor Barak Ariel, Director of the MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management.
• Dr. Peter Neyroud CBE QPM, Associate Professor in Evidence-Based Policing.
• Dr. Sara Valdebenito, Assistant Professor in Applied Criminology & Police Management.
• Suzette Davenport MBE QPM, former Chief Constable of Gloucestershire.
• Dr. Brandon Langley, former police officer and graduate of the Police Executive Programme.
• Dr. Eleanor Neyroud, affiliated lecturer at the Institute of Criminology.
• Sir Denis OConnor CBE QPM, lecturer and advisor at the Institute of Criminology.
• Professor John Parkinson OBE, Professor of International Security and criminologist.
• Olivia Pinkney CBE QPM, former Chief Constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
• Dr. Jacqueline Sebire, former Assistant Chief Constable for Joint Protective Services.
• David Shaw QPM, former police officer and consultant to the Home Office.
• Professor Lawrence Sherman, Emeritus Wolfson Professor of Criminology.
• Debbie Simpson QPM, former Chief Constable of Dorset.
• Chris Sims OBE QPM, former Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.
• Jayne Sykes, former Temporary Chief Executive of the West Yorkshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Impact of the Cambridge MSt

The Cambridge MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management has been at the forefront of evidence-based policing for over three decades, shaping the development of evidence-based policing and establishing Cambridge as the intellectual home of this movement. With over 1,000 graduates worldwide, the programme has created a unique professional community, influencing national strategy, operational practice, and organisational reform.