Develop your understanding of crime and criminal practice in an international context and consider how digital technologies are creating ‘new crimes’.

Globalisation and the digitalisation of society pose new challenges in the fight against crime. To respond to these challenges, our MSc International Criminology and Criminal Justice takes an international approach to the study of crime and crime control.

You will explore:

international and transnational crimes – for example, organised crime, drug trafficking, fraud and corruption, terrorism, hate crime;

more traditional crimes – for example, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, violence, sex work and property crimes;

crimes of the powerful – for example, environmental harms, health and safety negligence, war-related crimes, corruption, and money laundering;

crimes that are committed in the digital world – for example hacking, the spread of malware, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, cyber frauds, and online hate speech.

You will question how we define ‘crime’, at a local, national and global level, as well as the international and national responses to these types of crimes. You will consider the key challenges facing criminal justice and law enforcement agencies in an increasingly globalised context.

In addition, you will receive social science research methods training tailored to criminological research, learning to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches when undertaking research on international crime-related issues.

This programme also offers a Professional Practice in Criminology and Criminal Justice module and provides access to placement opportunities to support your entry into an increasingly globalised job market.

Careers and placements

We encourage our students to think about life beyond University from day one, offering modules to give you a competitive advantage on graduating.

Graduates of this programme may work for several public/private agencies or NGOs addressing crime-related issues. In the public sector students may find employment in national and international policy and operational agencies in the fields of criminal justice and victim assistance. In the private sector opportunities exist for employment in roles such as Security and Cybersecurity Analyst, Loss Prevention/Fraud Analyst, Business Continuity Officer, Customer Due Diligence Analysts and Money Laundering Reporting Officer. Non-profit organisations at the national, European, and international levels may also offer job opportunities for the graduates of this programme. Finally, the programme also provides strong foundations for doctoral work, either through a traditional PhD or a professional doctorate.