MSc Crime and Justice
Overview
Fees and funding
Entry Requirements
Course details
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MSc Crime and Justice
Overview:
The MSc Crime and Justice focuses on contested notions of ‘Crime’ and ‘Justice’. The overall aim of the MSc is to facilitate the development of a deeper knowledge and understanding of central issues and debates in the criminal justice arena and related areas. This postgraduate course will allow students to examine in-depth criminological issues and to question and critically evaluate debates around notions of crime and justice both in philosophical and practice related ways, and from a variety of different perspectives.
The MSc Crime and Justice places emphasis on policy and practice in the contemporary UK, however, where possible students , will be encouraged to draw on wider theoretical resources drawn from an international stage. Students will be encouraged to focus on research areas they are particularly interested in. Tuition draws upon the expertise of research staff in the University’s well established Centre for Criminology.
Typical A-Level Offer
CCC (this is equivalent to 96 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Welsh BACC Offer
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and CC at A Level (this is equivalent to 96 UCAS tariff points).
Typical BTEC Offer
BTEC Extended Diploma Merit Merit Merit (this is equivalent to 96 UCAS tariff points)
Typical Access to HE Offer
Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 96 UCAS tariff points
Additional Requirements
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
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Entry Requirements
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions. USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Here is a link to our Contextual Admissions Policy.
Other qualifications and experience
We can also consider combinations of qualifications and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable. We can sometimes consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or advanced entry to year two or three of a course where this is possible.
To find out which qualifications have tariff points, please refer to the UCAS tariff calculator.
If you need more help or information or would like to speak to our friendly admissions team, please contact us here
WHAT YOU WILL STUDY
The guiding philosophy of the MSc Crime and Justice is based upon the multi-faceted discipline that is criminology, which not only focuses upon the offender, types of crime and responses to them, but offers a much wider perspective by looking at societal issues such as violence and substance misuse therefore providing students with impactful knowledge and experience to challenge these issues in their future careers. The aim of this MSc is to develop a critical knowledge and understanding of central issues and debates over the broad spectrum of crime and justice.
Criminological Theory
Criminological theory addresses one of criminology’s fundamental questions: why do some individuals get involved in crime and deviance? In attempting to answer this complex question, criminological theorists have produced different theories developed in different disciplinary, social, and political contexts in the Global North.
Research Project
Initially, students will be introduced to general research issues and considerations that underpin research in social sciences and criminal justice. Students will explore key issues that are common to all scholarly research projects, which includes developing a critical understanding of the philosophies, paradigms and theories that set the broad context of research approaches and conventions used in social science and criminal justice research.
Globalisation and Crime
Much of the crime occurring at societal level has complex global/transnational connections, which could not be fully understood and/or responded to by national states. This module, therefore, will focus on studying key forms of transnational crime including cyber, drug trafficking, human trafficking, the military-industrial complex and arms trafficking, terrorism and counterterrorism, and environmental.
Drug Interventions
The characteristics and nature of drug misuse and people who misuse drugs. The module will examine individual drug types and explore the effects that drugs have on users (including individual and social harms). The extent of drug misuse in the UK, and selected other countries, will also be considered.
Violence and Homicide
The module begins by deconstructing the phenomena of violence in general and homicide in particular, attuning students to the socially constructed nature of these ‘crime’ categories. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the legal categories of violence/homicide and to reconsider their boundaries through consideration of broader societal harms. This will be achieved, in part, by a deep dive into corporate violence.
Governing and Securing Cyberspace
To develop critical examination and analytical skills of concepts and frameworks in internet governance and cyberspace. Furthermore, to facilitate students’ masterly knowledge in the legal, sociocultural and ethical issues within the governance and security of cyberspace.
Comparative Crime and Punishment
This module aims to critically explore comparative perspectives on crime and punishment locally, nationally, and globally. The module will explore how various criminal justice systems respond to crime, explore methods of punishment, and alternative responses.
Teaching
Taught by a team of lecturers with long-standing expertise in the field, you will learn through a mix of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Teaching is on a Wednesday between 10:00 and 16:00 and this is likely to remain the pattern in the future. Each module is taught over a 4-week period. Full-time students attend every week during term-time and part-time students attend when their modules are being taught.
Most of the MSc modules make good use of expert guest speakers. These are usually professionals whose expertise and experience can help students consider the links between theory and practice and bring particular areas of practice ‘to life’ for students. Recent guest lecturers have included speakers from the police, prison and probation services, youth justice, substance misuse agencies, and Welsh Government.
The Centre for Criminology has a long history of research on the probation service and custodial institutions, and related topics such as the rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders, effectiveness and accountability in policy and practice, inter-agency partnerships and relationships between the criminal justice system, the Third Sector and the UK and Welsh governments. It also conducts high-quality research into the use of drugs and alcohol, violence and homicide, and criminal investigation.
Assessment
Assignments are assessed in a range of ways. The majority involve written essays and some form of examination, but individual presentations, reflective work, text analysis and other approaches are also used. The MSc award requires a dissertation of around 18,000 words on an individual piece of research on a topic that you agree with your supervisor, which may be work-related.
COURSE DETAILS
Facilities
Our Hydra Simulation Suite allows our students to experience real world scenarios and challenges. We believe that our students should be challenged and be ready to face challenges when they are in the world of work.
Our Simulation Suite allows our students to immerse themselves in case studies and make decisions that require clear rationales. It means that our students really can learn from their mistakes without impacting others or losing marks.
We want our students to learn and discuss key theory, but we want them to be able to use and apply that in a meaningful way that helps them and others.
Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
CAREERS
Upon successful completion of this Master’s degree you could pursue a career in the criminal justice system, such as the police, courts, prison, probation services and youth offending services. Graduates can also progress to a PhD or research degree.
Our Careers and Employability Service
As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.
Fees
Full time
- 12 to 18 months
Complete your degree in the shortest possible time and study flexibly – when and where suits you!
£7,250
You’ll study 9 modules in total (approx. 37 hrs/week).
Part time option one
- 12 to 18 months
Study for a degree whilst fitting it around your work, care and other life commitments.
£4,250
You’ll study 6 modules per year (approx. 25 hrs/week).
Part time option two
- 12 to 18 months
Take time to study and spread the tuition fees over a longer period – at no extra cost.
£5,500
You’ll study 4–5 modules per year (approx. 19 hrs/week).
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