MA Criminology & Criminal Justice

Core units

• Contemporary Criminological Theory: This unit will teach you about new criminologies, such as Gothic, Narrative, or Visual Criminology, Queer Criminology, and Green Criminology. You will consider a variety of both established and contemporary approaches to theory and evaluate their contribution to the discipline. You will evaluate and compare theoretical trends over time and place them within the criminological tradition to form contemporary criminological thought.
• Research Methods for Criminology and Criminal Justice: Explore a range of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methodologies within this practical unit, whilst establishing the connections between theory, method, ethics and data analysis. Critically evaluate the suitability of research designs to conduct meaningful and ethical research.
• Penalism and Punishment: This unit asks the question ‘why punish?’, which involves a critical examination of the role of punishment and penal policy. Examine the development and function of the modern prison and the purpose of community-based sanctions and alternatives to custody, as well as the changing functions of prison over time. You will explore issues of gender, race and ethnicity and consider the changing composition of the prison population.
• Policy Making in the Criminal Justice System: You’ll critically examine criminal justice policy, to understand how, by whom and for whom policy is made. You will explore the role of ideology, economics and political pragmatism in the policy making process as well as the challenges in implementing policy. There will be opportunities for comparing national and international policy practice, considering theories, policy making processes, decision making, power, and decision making in criminal justice.
• Dissertation: This is a student-managed independent piece of work, where you will use your depth of knowledge and analytical techniques to evaluate and explore a specific topic related to criminology and/or criminal justice. With guidance from academic supervisors, you will apply theoretical knowledge and demonstrate research competence in producing a substantial empirical research project, systematic review, or systematic case study.

Optional units

• Complexities of Contemporary Policing: The aim of this unit is to critically examine contemporary policing, considering problems, challenges and controversies pertaining to policing, both nationally and abroad. Learn about challenges of governance and accountability, transnational policing, post-Brexit challenges, ethics and frameworks for analysing policing. You will also consider democratic policing, police professionalisation and the role of Higher Education within police learning and development.
• Hate Crime and Extremism: You’ll be introduced to concepts and debates around hate crime policy and legislation and forms of extremism in contemporary society. You will learn about hate crime’s historical and theoretical conceptualisations, from its origins in identity politics to the changes in criminal justice practice in the UK. Explore broader connections between hate crimes, terrorism, far right extremism, and genocide whilst considering victim experiences, processes of victimisation and responding to hate crime perpetrators.
• Professional Practice and Leadership Skills: This unit will develop your skills and ability to critically evaluate, communicate and present ideas and results, and to prepare and structure reports. You will be provided with theoretical understanding and practical skills for presenting materials to criminal justice and other agencies. You will also consider how leadership efficacy is produced, developed and evaluated. You will develop professional skills to support your career progression, providing you with the capacity to work effectively, respectfully and resiliently within a professional criminal justice environment. You will learn about the collaborative practices, and perceived blockages, between all departments in the Criminal Justice System, including the restraints of finances and the challenges of competing targets between agencies. These will provide an invaluable insight into the Criminal Justice System and will assist in seeking leadership roles across the sector.
• Victimisation and Sexual Violence: During this unit you will develop a critical understanding of classic and contemporary debates on victimisation with a focus on sexual violence, informed by theoretical debates, policy interventions, and empirical research literature. Critically explore how victimisation is understood within the criminal justice system and consider the role of the victim in the criminal justice process, before considering current debates on sexual violence in society. You will learn about the changing role of the victim, the advancement of the ‘survivor’ label, support systems for victims and how notions of victimhood are constructed within criminological research.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester-by-semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

This course is available full-time or part-time.

There is also the option to study individual CPD units rather than register for the whole course, such as undertaking our 'Professional Practice and Leadership Skills' unit for your own professional development or career progression.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the university’s taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

The normal requirements for embarking upon this course are:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject or equivalent.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow. Some of these are based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (three years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%  
• Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:4  
• China: Chinese Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with 65% or above  
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0  
• Ghana: Bachelor's degrees from University of Ghana or Legon with a grade of 2.00 or above, or from Cape Coast with a grade 2.5 or above  
• USA: US Bachelor’s degree (four years), with a 2.5 GPA or above  

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level. 

This Master’s degree is suitable for those already working within policing or criminal justice fields and want to develop their career opportunities or for those who are looking to start a career in this area.

Please see our website for the application deadlines. You should apply as early as possible to be considered for your course of choice. If you require a student visa, apply for the visa as soon as you have an unconditional offer and receive your CAS. There may be delays in visa processing in your country and you need to be in Bournemouth ready to study for the start of term.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

What's included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual leaning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances.
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Student Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses​​.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information.
• Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• SportBU Membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to eligible students who are beginning their studies at BU. Please visit our funding pages for details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. For September 2025 entry, a £5,000 deposit is required.  You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Dr Jane Healy joined BU in 2017 as a Lecturer in Sociology and Crime & Deviance. Prior to this, Jane completed a PhD in disability hate crimes at Middlesex University, as well as Master’s degrees in Social Science Research Methods and Criminology with Forensic Psychology. Jane also has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and worked as a Researcher at Middlesex University on a number of different projects within psychology, sociology and criminology.

Jane is currently co-investigator on the Respect at BU Hate Crime Project, which has engaged in forum theatre events for undergraduate and postgraduate students in hate crime awareness. She is also supporting a group of Anti-Slavery Student Ambassadors, who work in the local Bournemouth community to promote awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking. Jane is Chair of the CPS Wessex Modern Slavery Scrutiny Panel, and is an independent Panel member of the CPS Wessex Hate Crime Panel and the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner's Stop and Search Panel.

Dr Healy teaches across sociology programmes, as well as representing Criminology programmes on the department's Placement Committee.