Course summary

Our MA/LLM Criminal Law and Criminal Justice is grounded within legal, criminological, policy and humanities perspectives to offer you a unique opportunity for advanced study of criminal law and criminal justice. On successful completion of this course, you can decide whether you would like to receive an MA or an LLM so that your chosen award is based on your own needs, career path and area of specialism. Why choose this course?

• This course is ideal if you have a keen interest in criminal law and criminal justice and want to learn in a stimulating, flexible, learning environment.

• It brings together students from a range of backgrounds, including those with pre-existing knowledge or experience, who wish to advance their existing career and specialise in this area, as well as those with a desire to carve out a new career path.

• You will be taught by leading academics in criminology, criminal justice and law and active researchers at the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research, who are at the forefront of generating new knowledge on contemporary criminal justice issues, including in policing and the policed, courts and the judicial process, prisons and the use of imprisonment, and fraud and digital technologies.

• an introduction to theoretical perspectives on the relationship between criminal law and criminal justice

• deep insights into cutting-edge debates and a range of contemporary issues in criminal law and criminal justice

• advanced knowledge of modern criminal law.

• You can look forward to a stimulating, flexible learning environment, alongside students with diverse backgrounds and professional experiences.

• You will be taught by staff who are part of a proud tradition of critical scholarship in criminology and criminal justice, who address issues of crime through power and inequality, and are led by principles of social and racial justice.

• We are home to the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research whose outstanding team of academics and researchers bring a wealth of knowledge to this Master's course.

• Students can attend specialist research seminars, such as the Criminology Seminar Series, which feature national and international scholars speaking on current issues and groundbreaking interdisciplinary research.

• legal practitioners

• positions within the third sector including non-government organisations (NGOs) and voluntary organisations

• positions within criminal justice agencies, such as the police, prisons and the youth justice system

• local government or civil service roles

• education, research and academia.

• the ability to critically evaluate and assess a range of sources

• the ability to present persuasive arguments

• the ability to work effectively as part of a team

• high-level oral and written communication skills in English.