MSc Forensic Criminology
Full-time, Part-time
Location • Collegiate Campus
Subject area • Criminology
Related subjects • Law
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This course includes a number of initiatives designed to enhance your learning experience and make you more employable after you graduate. Find out more.
Visit the Department of Criminology website to view profiles of the staff who teach in this subject area.
Forensic study is increasingly popular in universities and a forensic approach is often used in the workplace. This course focuses on debating and examining how criminology and law work in practice and how criminology influences forensic study.
It is suitable if you work in criminal justice or are considering a career with agencies such as the police, the probation service and the courts.
You explore
• the historical developments of the agencies involved in criminal justice and how they interact in today’s society
• how agencies work together to detect crime, arrest suspects, and deal with offenders when imprisoned and in the community
• the history behind criminological theories and theories which apply today
• how theory influences research and policy, which informs practice in the criminal justice system, and how practice may inform research
You learn research methods used in forensic criminology and the resulting ethical problems. You also study modules that focus on the institutional framework of criminal litigation.
Our lecturers draw on their professional experience in criminal justice practice to develop your understanding of how academic theories relate to crime. Throughout the course you gain critical analysis skills, which you use to complete a dissertation in an area of your interest.
Our criminology department has an active criminological society run by students, which organises visits to appropriate organisations and guest speakers who give an overview of their speciality.
Speakers from both legal and criminal justice agencies visit to discuss cases they have been involved in or legislation and case law that impacts on the field of litigation.
Facilities include the Hallam Centre for Community Justice and the Community Justice Portal.
You take part in two, one-week case conferences. The case conferences are based on a fictional crime and involve enquiry-based learning, using a multidisciplinary approach. You work with students across the forensics masters courses, as well as with outside criminal justice agencies.
Related courses
Full-time – one year
Part-time – typically two years
Starts September
Complete the application form available at www.shu.ac.uk/study/form
2013/14 academic year
Full-time – typically £5,355
Part-time – typically £1,785 for year one and £3,570 for year two
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £10,980 for the course
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,250 for the course
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• coursework • dissertation
Our criminology department has an active criminological society run by students
How we enhance you employability
As part of the course we run a number of initiatives designed to enhance your learning experience and make you more employable after you graduate. Examples of these initiatives are given below.
Employability fair
Every September a variety of agencies from across the criminal justice and voluntary sectors attend our event with the sole aim of employing our students as volunteers within their organisation. This has included prisons, Police, probation, SOVA and Remedi amongst others, who are involved with a broad spectrum of individuals including victim services, young offenders, neighbourhood resolution teams, prisoners and independent custody visitors. The placements you secure can be used in your second and third year of study to gain academic credit as you look at how theoretical approaches apply to real life situations.
Probation training
The department delivers the Probation Qualifications Framework across Yorkshire and Humberside and also the North West, under contract from the Ministry of Justice. This course offers the qualification required to be a probation officer.
Guest lectures and career mentoring
Throughout the year we have a variety of guest speakers. The talks are from a variety of practitioners and academics and may focus on a range of issues, from case studies to policy initiatives, from employment histories to careers advice. A number of these individuals also offer their time as career mentors, where you are partnered with a practitioner who will meet with you regularly to discuss your academic goals and your future career path.
Visit the Department of Criminology website to view profiles of the staff who teach in this subject area.
