Course summary

Our MSc in Criminology, Communities and Disorder combines sociology with criminology, enabling you to gain a broad but in-depth understanding of many contemporary social issues. You can apply this outlook more specifically to social disorder and community issues, giving you the grounding you need to improve your career prospects. Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? Our Criminology, Communities and Disorder master’s programme will help you gain a greater understanding of the many social issues which exist in our contemporary communities. It covers those issues which are specifically crime and social disorder related and widens the scope of the role of the community. If you have previously studied criminology and policing and other social sciences, you will be able to widen the depth of your undergraduate knowledge to include a specific community perspective. The application of knowledge to real and contemporary social and community issues is a key aspect of this programme, and so it will suit students who wish to follow career pathways in a wide variety of related (and unrelated) areas or to study further at Doctoral level. If you’re looking to work in an applied community area, or enhance your career prospects in this area, you will benefit from the community focus to gather real world skills.As a part-time course you can fit your studies around your current employment and enjoy flexible learning. What facilities can I use? We think it's important for you to develop your skills in a realistic setting. Our criminal investigative suite includes a custody desk, interview room, cell and crime scene investigation room. There are also seminar rooms with live and recorded video feed. Criminology, police studies and law students use these facilities, but the criminal investigative suite is also used by Thames Valley Police and their scene of crime officers for training. What will I study? Our MSc in Criminology, Communities and Disorder will help develop your analytical understanding of the relationship between crime and community. Progressing to more complex issues such as social disorder and social tension, you'll see society from a range of perspectives. You will gain an understanding of the social causes of crime and how these issues can be effectively managed in society. As you learn about the key concepts of Criminology, you'll also examine the sociological, legal and criminal justice theories used to interpret the actions of criminals and the impact on society.You will study the events of the last 30 years to determine how social, political and cultural motions have shaped our response to recent events. The course reflects the latest policies and methods used within the criminal justice system and also focuses on social research methods and the ethical and methodological elements of conducting research. How will I be taught and assessed? Your lecturers are experts in the research process and methodology. They will use their expertise and experience to help guide your studies with the latest theories and findings that influence our perspective on current events. The programme offers an innovative and challenging array of assessments from evidence-based workshops, reports and presentations to traditional essays and case study analysis, which will allow you to develop your academic expertise and gain empirical research skills which will enhance both their personal development and your employability in a wide range of careers. You will also benefit from using our virtual learning environment and typical assessments may include blogs, discussion boards, online questionnaires and posts where students convey and apply their academic understanding and critical thinking around relevant topics. You will also need to complete a dissertation, which represents a major piece of independent research activity chosen by you and undertaken with supervision.