Course summary

By studying our MSc in Rural and Environmental Crime and Policing, you’ll benefit from working with academics who have extensive experience in policing and are involved in the latest research into rural and environmental crime. Throughout this distance-learning course, you'll enhance your knowledge of this area and build your management, strategic and project management skills required to lead others. Why study this subject? With growing public awareness and concern about rural and environmental crime, and how to mitigate it, there is increasing demand for specialist practitioners in this field. Whether your interest is in an enforcement or compliance capacity, a master’s degree in rural and environmental crime and policing will equip you with the skills and insights to help you prevent this multi-faceted form of offending and to tackle it when it happens. You'll take a deeper look at all types of rural and environmental crime, from theft from farms and hare coursing, through to modern slavery and organised crime in the rural setting, to heritage crime and environmental offences such as fly-tipping or wildlife crime. You’ll consider the causes and context of such offending and the explanations offered by rural and green criminologies alongside the legislation in place to deal with it. Unlike courses which focus primarily on the law, this master’s takes a strong practical perspective. Using case studies, and specialist insights from industry experts, you will explore how the relevant legislation translates into practical compliance and enforcement. This master’s is perfect if you have a professional or personal interest in rural and environmental crime, either in an enforcement, compliance, or management role. This includes rural police officers and those working for organisations with an evidence gathering or prosecuting role. Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? During this blended-learning course, you will learn from skilled lecturers within the School of Aviation and Security. Our tutors will give you the both the legislative knowledge and practical skills needed to help you with real-world enforcement and management of teams. Whilst the course primarily consists of online learning, we do bring all students together at our High Wycombe campus for a dissertation workshop and our annual research colloquium. There is a strong practical element to this course, but it has been designed to provide you with numerous opportunities to practically apply the knowledge you’re learning in work situations. When away from campus, our Virtual Learning Environment means that if you are deployed to remote areas you will still have a comprehensive student experience due to our flexible approach to tutoring sessions. What will I study? During your time studying this course you will study a variety of topics to help you gain a rounded knowledge of this specialised area. Your first year will see you expanding your knowledge of topics including, forms of rural and environmental crime, rural and environmental law, enforcement challenges and response and rural, green and environmental criminologies. In your second year you will carry out a policing research project and have the opportunity to study areas including, developing talent, strategic leadership, project management and organisational resilience. What are my career prospects? By the end of the programme, you will be in a strong position to manage and mitigate the threats posed by rural and environmental crime, be that in an investigative or a compliance role. You will be well placed to work at a senior level in agencies with an enforcement or compliance responsibility in rural or other environmentally sensitive settings.