The MA Youth Justice, Community Safety and Applied Criminology degree is designed for people working or seeking to work in the area of crime and criminal justice. It offers a detailed understanding of contemporary issues facing professionals and managers in the criminal justice system and of the changing roles and responsibilities of the agencies and practitioners which make up that system.

 

Delivered by leading researchers and drawing on the expertise of those currently working in the field, this degree provides both traditional academic provision in the form of lectures, seminars and tutorials and the opportunity to undertake up to a third of the course via work-based learning (for those already working in appropriate contexts) or an internship with an agency such as a Youth Offending Team, a Drug and Alcohol Support Service or a Community Safety Partnership.

The core elements of the programme are delivered on one evening per week so as to allow for those in work to attend. The remainder of the programme is made up by either studying optional modules available during the daytime or (in the case of one module) via distance learning or by a combination of a long or short dissertation and/or the long or short work-based learning or internship modules.

This flexibility, both in the choice of content as well as in the mode of delivery/learning, allows students to tailor the course as much as possible to their own needs. This includes the option to study the programme over one year full-time or two years part-time.

Course highlights

• Study in a highly reputable criminology department with a long history in training the very best criminologists
• The option to complete up to a third of the course through work-based learning or an internship within a criminal justice agency
• Delivery by academic staff who are involved in pioneering research in the field including work on the links between victimisation and offending, 'status dogs' and gangs, online child safety, recent developments in probationary services, mental health and offending, joint enterprise and political violence and terrorism.
• Enjoy teaching that incorporates guest lectures delivered by experts working in the field of offender management, gang life and culture, urban policing, and prisoner care and welfare.

Careers

The programme enjoys a particularly good employability record owing to the fact that it provides internship opportunities which provide valuable practical experience in the field that can be vital when applying for roles. Since it was established in the late 1990s, its many graduates have gained work and/or gone onto management positions in areas related to youth justice, probation, policing, community safety, mental health, prisons, and drug and alcohol services.

 

Those already in industry view their master's-level studies as a means to facilitating career progression within their organisations. A number of students have continued their studies in criminology and psychology at PhD level. Staff in the department will work alongside the employability office to facilitate your future career decisions.