2024/25 entry Applications also open for 2025/26
MA Criminology
Why study Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University?
Engaging with cutting-edge debates in criminology, you’ll look at some of the most recent and advanced intellectual developments from around the world in relation to crime, (in)justice, and social harm.
About this course
Take a fresh perspective on the world of criminology.
MA Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University offers critical approaches to the study of crime, social harm and criminal justice.
Created by passionate subject specialists, this masters programme will help you develop advanced skills in research and theory, with a specific focus on policy and practice. You will take a fresh perspective on the world of criminology.
- Excellent research-led teaching focused on the interplay of theory, policy and practice
- Benefit from influential connections - your teaching team has strong local, national and international links with academics, community groups and justice campaigns, offering you invaluable first-hand learning experiences
- Flexible ‘student-centred’ learning pathway with research or practice-based options
- Learn from experts who bring professional currency and expertise to the fore and help you develop your ability to fulfil a strategic leadership position.
The study of Criminology is not just about the institutions of the criminal justice system. You will be encouraged to take a critical approach that examines issues of power, inequalities and social harm.
This interdisciplinary MA gives you the chance to look at Criminology from the perspective of various other disciplines such as Geography, History, Psychology, Political Science and Sociology.
As well as developing your advanced skills in research and theoretical application, the programme places a strong emphasis on the implications for policy and practice. It includes a strong comparative component, encouraging students to consider some of the international dimensions of crime, social harm and state responses to them.
Surround yourself with people who bring out your best...
“My interest in the field of criminology lies in challenging how we produce and share knowledge, reconsidering who we listen to and how we respond.”
Dr Will Jackson, MA Criminology Programme Leader
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- access to programme-appropriate software
- library and student IT support
- free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.
Employability
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
The MA Criminology degree would be particularly relevant to people working in, or hoping to work in, a range of fields including:
- research
- academia
- charities and community organisations
- children, young people's and youth justice fields
- the investigation of miscarriages of justice
- social work, prison and probation services
- policing
- media research
- writing and journalism
- teaching
- policy and administration
- government
- victim support
Research in action
LJMU academics worked alongside an artist to create a board game that brings the experiences of life on probation to the general public.
Exhibiting work in one of the country's leading modern art galleries is not a typical experience for Criminologists, but academics from within LJMU's Criminal Justice and Criminology departments can now add this to their list of achievements. Alongside artist Hwa Young Jung, the team revealed a thought-provoking, interactive art piece a board game entitled, Probationary: The Game of Life on Licence at the Tate Modern for The Production of Truth, Justice and History exhibition hosted by the University of Warwick.
Produced through workshops with men on licence, Probationary explores the lived experience of being on probation. The board game format enables players to follow the journey of four characters as they work through the complexities of the probation process.
Board games, from Monopoly to the Game of Life, contain the structures and values of the society in which they are produced presenting back to us the world in which we live. Taking this as a starting point, Probationary reflects real experiences of being subject to the criminal justice system and presents an opportunity to collectively play, understand and discuss such systems within contemporary society.
The student experience
Discover life as a postgraduate student at LJMU.
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News and views
Browse through the latest stories and updates from the University and beyond
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News
Art and research project with FACT and those affected by the UK justice system unveiled
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Come along to the 'Reverse Big Ideas' event on Policing, Criminalisation and Community
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The importance of seeking support during your studies
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Community gain research insights through Big Ideas event
Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
Your programme is made up of a number of core modules which are part of the course framework. Some programmes also have optional modules that can be selected to enhance your learning in certain areas and many feature a dissertation, extended report or research project to demonstrate your advanced learning.
Core modules
Researching Crime, Justice and Society
30 credits
This module will develop your understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of criminological research, policy and practice. You will evaluate and understand the contested and political nature of knowledge and the complex relationship between social research and the policy environment. You will critically evaluate a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods used in relevant fields of enquiry and develop advanced data analysis skills, including the use of specialist software tools.
Alternative Criminologies
30 credits
In this module, you will learn about the origins, historical development, and contemporary focus of critical alternative criminologies in the context of the development of the discipline of criminology. You will also critically examine a range of case studies in critical alternative criminological research and learn what it means to do critical criminological research today.
Optional Modules
Postgraduate International Fieldwork
30 credits
This module with encourage you to think globally and comparatively about crime, harm and (in)justice. You will develop a critical understanding of the ways in which the economic, political and cultural milieu intersect with crime, harm and (in)justice. You will participate in international fieldwork, internet-based research, and communities of practice for digital scholarship.
Welfare and Punishment
30 credits
This module will help you understand the fundamental connection between criminological and social policy theoretical approaches and the significance of these to analyses of social (in) justice. You will understand welfare and criminal justice institutions in their historical and contemporary contexts, and critically examine the ways in which social policy and policymaking processes inform constructions of 'social problems' and the criminal justice responses to them.
Criminological (Re)presentations
30 credits
By studying this module you will understand the ways in which crime, harm and the agencies of social control are represented in different cultural/intellectual contexts. You will develop a systematic understanding of the ways in which academic theory and cultural representations intersect and coalesce around notions of 'crime', 'harm' and '(in)justice'. You will engage in the active interrogation of cutting-edge criminological theory through participatory discussion.
Inequalities & Injustice
30 credits
During this module, you will critically explore the significance of historical and contemporary constructions of inequalities to the study of criminology. You will understand the interconnecting relationship between inequality and injustice and the effects these connections have in theory, policy and practice. The module will help you situate current debates around social divisions and inequalities in their political, geographical and social context. We will examine inequalities at the structural, subjective and representational level.
State, Power, Justice
30 credits
This module will help you to develop a critical understanding of the historical and contemporary relationship between the state, social divisions and the maintenance of social order. During the module you will consider recent developments around critical theories of the state, to understand the interrelationship between the exercise of state power, policy and practice. In doing so, you will critically assess the contradictions within, and contestation around, the exercise of state power.
Practice-Based Research Project
60 credits
This module is designed with a view to providing students with the opportunity to demonstrate their critical research skills in an applied context. Students will design and undertake a research project within either: (a) a place of existing employment; or (b) a purposefully sourced and secured work-based learning opportunity. They will be supported through direct supervision from a suitable academic within the department.
Dissertation
60 credits
During the module you will negotiate issues of methodology, research design, ethics and data analysis and apply these to research on a topic of the student's choice. You will develop a systematic and critical awareness of complex concepts congruent to the study of criminology, work independently and with some originality. You will produce a coherent and logically argued piece of writing that demonstrates competence in critical analysis.
Atrocity Crimes
30 credits
This Module explores the relationship between power, crime and atrocity. It utilises an interdisciplinary approach to examine how harm comes to be defined in particular ways, and explores how and why certain forms of atrocity are subjected to criminalisation at national and international levels. The Module seeks to analyse the strengths and limitations of ethical scrutiny which renders some forms of atrocity explicit, whilst leaving others invisible. The Module also critically engages with core aspects of international criminal law, criminology, social psychology, international relations and politics, applying theoretical insights to both historical and contemporary examples of atrocity. By concerning itself with both theory and practice, it aims to strengthen and enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of how atrocities occur, how these might be responded to, and the problems and possibilities of prevention.
Digital Harms
30 credits
In this module you will engage with practical and theoretical perspectives surrounding contemporary understandings of harm, power, and technology. It draws upon an interdisciplinary approach to develop the criminological perspective of ‘harm’ within the context of increasingly digital, technologically mediated societies.
Teaching
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
The 180-credit programme will be taught across three semesters. Each pathway will consist of one 60 credit module (either a dissertation or placement module) undertaken across the whole academic year. Accompanying this, students study two core modules in their first semester, and two optional modules in semester two. Part time students undertake one core module and two options in their first year, and their dissertation/practice-based research module and final core module in their second year.
Teaching methods
Teaching is delivered via a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars and one-to-one consultations with your tutors. You will also be expected to study independently and conduct your own self-directed research.
The teaching team is committed to ensuring you get the most out of your learning experience. Staff have office hours during which you can visit them to discuss your work and progress. You will also be allocated a personal tutor who will guide and support you throughout your time at LJMU.
Applied learning
The MA takes a student centred approach to learning, offering you the opportunity to individualise and customise your postgraduate degree by taking either a research pathway through it, a work placement route, or even a combination of both. You will be encouraged to take a fresh look at some established criminological theories and ideas, as well as being given a space through which some of the fields most contemporary and cutting-edge debates can be engaged with.
Assessment
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Staff on this programme place a high value on providing tailored feedback to students and you will normally receive extensive written feedback on assessments and regular feedback. This is designed to help you achieve your full potential.
Depending on the route you select, you will undertake either a 60 credit Masters Dissertation or a 60 credit assessed placement. Other forms of assessment may include: essays, exams, reports and briefing papers, case studies, portfolios, posters, presentations, debates, reviews and group work.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
Dr Will Jackson
Programme Leader
Dr Will Jackson is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Programme Leader for the MA Criminology. Will joined LJMU as Lecturer in Criminology in September 2013 having previously taught at the University of Central Lancashire. Will's teaching is focussed on criminological theory, the history of criminology and criminal justice, policing, and interpersonal violence. His main research interests are: policing, political activism, and arts based methods for criminological research.
This MA will provide students with an opportunity to think differently about a whole range of subjects related to crime, deviance, and the agencies of their control. It has been written with the modern postgraduate student in mind. This programme will appeal to those who are interested in pursuing their academic studies through research, and those who want to increase their employability through gaining 'hands on' skills via a work placement.
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
Undergraduate degree
a minimum 2.1 Honours degree in a relevant subject e.g. Criminology, Sociology, Social Policy. An interview is required for applicants with a 2:2 or without a relevant subject.
Applications are welcome from mature students and those without formal qualifications.
International requirements
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IELTS
IELTS 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each component) or equivalent
Further information
- Extra Requirements
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RPL
Applications for Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning will be considered on an individual basis in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning Policy.
Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.