Program Overview

Master [120] in Criminology

The Master [120] in Criminology is a comprehensive program offered by the Université catholique de Louvain. This program is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of criminology, including its theoretical foundations, research methods, and practical applications.

Program Structure

The program consists of a common core (Tronc commun) and several focuses, including Professional Focus: Criminological Intervention, Research Focus, and Professional Focus: interdisciplinary in critical Criminology.

Common Core (Tronc commun)

The common core includes courses such as:

• Psychological Tools: Criminal Psychology, Criminology and Psychiatry, and practical exercises
• Sociological Tools: Criminal Sociology, Sociological Aspects of the Administration of Criminal Justice, and Penology
• Legal Tools: Protection of Youth, Institution and Practices, Criminal Sanction's Execution Law, and Police Law and Practice
• Methodological Tools: Qualitative methodology in Criminology, Quantitative methodology in Criminology, and Psychological and sociological Interviewing
• Languages Tools: Dutch communication skills, English Communication Skills, and Professional Integration Seminar for Criminologists
• Apprenticeship in criminology: Stage and seminar of supervision of the stage
• End of Study Thesis in Criminology: Seminar and thesis supervision, and End of study Thesis

Focuses

Professional Focus: Criminological Intervention

This focus considers the actual and current issues in criminological intervention, with the assistance of field professionals involved in the formation of criminologists and mobilizing their skills in a practical setting. The content includes:

• Criminology of Intervention
• Interdisciplinary approaches in criminology
• Theoretical Perspectives in criminology

Research Focus

The Research Focus includes:

• Theoretical Perspectives in criminology: three courses from a list of options
• Research in criminology: one or two research courses
• Criminology of Intervention: one course from a list of options, if only one research course is chosen

Professional Focus: interdisciplinary in critical Criminology

This focus is dedicated to students from the Université catholique de Lille who come to follow courses during a quadrimester at UCLouvain, as well as to students from UCLouvain who will go on an exchange stay at the Université catholique de Lille. The program includes:

• Courses for Lille students at UCLouvain: Criminal Psychology, Criminal Sociology, Sociological Aspects of the Administration of Criminal Justice, and Professional Integration Seminar for Criminologists
• Two courses from a list of options
• Program for UCLouvain students at ICL (Lille): one course from a list of options, and courses from the following list

Alternatives

The program also offers alternatives, including a double diploma program with the University of Ottawa. This program details the courses of the first year of the Master in Criminology, which will be followed at UCLouvain, while the second year will be followed at the University of Ottawa.

Preparatory Module

To access this Master, students must have a good command of certain subjects. If this is not the case, in the first annual block of their Master's program, students must take supplementary classes chosen by the faculty to satisfy course prerequisites. The training added to some students depends on their previous program:

• Belgian university bachelor degree (law, psychology, and other programs): maximum additional training 15 credits
• Belgian non-university bachelor degree: adding more training (15 to 30 credits) for social worker assistants, and (30 to 60 credits) for nursing, education, and other fields
• Belgian Master degree of non-university higher education: maximum additional training 15 credits
• Undergraduate degree from a foreign university: access to application file, with a maximum of 60 credits of additional training
• Professional experience of at least five years in the criminology sector: access to file via the valuation of acquired experience (VAE), with a maximum of 60 credits of additional training

The preparatory module includes courses such as:

• History of Criminology
• Introduction to Forensic Science
• Introduction to Criminology
• Elements of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure
• Criminological approach to marginalization and social exclusion
• Practical Research Seminar in Criminology
• Introduction to general clinical and criminological Psychology
• English receptive skills for students in criminology
• Dutch - Comprehension of texts in the field of law - Intermediate level

Editor

The editor responsible for this program is the Université catholique de Louvain, Faculté DRT.