Criminology/Criminal Justice (MSc by Research)

Overview

A Master of Science (MSc) by Research allows you to undertake a one-year (full-time) research degree. It contains little or no formal taught component. This type of study gives you the chance to explore a research topic over a shorter time than a more in-depth doctoral programme.

Our research degrees are available as full-time, part-time and some are offered distance learning.

Research Master's students choose a specific project to work on and have a greater degree of independence in their work than is the case with a taught Master’s course.

You’ll be expected to work to an approved programme which you will develop in conjunction with your supervisor within the first few months of starting your studies. Whilst undertaking the research project you will also develop your research skills by taking part in training courses and events.

You will be appointed a main supervisor who will normally be part of a supervisory team, comprising up to three members. The research supervisor will advise and support you on your project. At the end of the project, you write up your findings in the form of a short thesis of around 25,000 words, which will then be examined.

On successful completion, you will be awarded your degree and if you have enjoyed this taste of research, you may then decide to apply for the full research doctoral degree (PhD).

Key Information

Entry requirements

The normal entry requirements for enrolment on a MSc by Research is an upper second honours degree (2:1 or above) from a UK university or a qualification of an equivalent standard, in a discipline appropriate to that of the proposed programme to be followed.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Start dates

1 October 2025

12 January 2026

20 April 2026

Application deadlines

For September 2025

13 June 2025 for International and Scholarship Students

04 July 2025 for Home Students

For October 2025

13 June 2025 for International and Scholarship Students

04 July 2025 for Home Students

For January 2026

17 October 2025 for International and Scholarship Students

14 November 2025 for Home Students

For April 2026

23 January 2026 for International and Scholarship Students

20 February 2026 for Home Students

Duration

The maximum duration for an MSc by Research is 1 year (12 months) full-time or 2 years (24 months) part-time with an optional submission pending (writing-up) period of 4 months.

Sometimes it may be possible to mix periods of both full-time and part-time study.

If studying on a part-time basis, you must establish close links with the University and spend normally not less than an average of 10 working days per year in the university, excluding participation in activities associated with enrolment, re-registration and progression monitoring. You are also expected to dedicate 17.5 hours per week to the research.

What can I research?

There are several research topics available for this degree. See below examples of research areas including an outline of the topics, the supervisor, funding information and eligibility criteria:

Designing future cities to resist terrorist threat

Outline

The current approach to designing out terrorist threat has very much focused upon using situational target hardening measures to block terrorist threat, be that bollards in front of major national infrastructure sites, or defensive architecture that reduces the aesthetic appeal of places and can enhance perceptions of threat. Working closely with Police Counter Terrorist Security Advisors (CTSAs), Urban Designers, Planners and Architects this PhD will explore the existing methods of designing cities to reduce terrorist threat, but will focus upon ways in which positive psychology (the work of Prof. Roach) can be used to design in the pro-social as opposed to simply designing out the ‘outsider’ threat.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

How to apply

Designing out anti-social behaviour: What impact can designing out crime have on anti-social behaviour?

Outline

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is an approach to crime reduction that aims to reduce crime by influencing the design, build and management of the built, and sometimes natural, environment. Research has shown that this approach can be effective in reducing acquisitive crimes such as burglary and vehicle crime. However, there is little evidence to explore its impact upon anti-social behaviour.

Funding

Please see our scholarships page at https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/scholarships to find out about funding or studentship options available

Deadline

Please see details via the following web page https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/

Supervisors

Professor Rachel Armitage

How to apply

Exploring the lived experience of punitiveness.

Outline

Applicants are invited to submit proposals which explore the lived experience of punitive systems. This may take the form of exploring lived experiences of the criminal justice system as well as other systems, which may enact punitive sanctions.

Punitiveness has an established place in criminological research and is primarily focussed on experiences of punishment within the criminal justice system. However, those in the criminal justice system often have experiences of punitiveness prior to, and alongside, involvement in the criminal justice system, which can be extensive and pervasive. Applicants are encouraged to take a broader perspective to explore the multi-faceted ways in which punitiveness can be experienced and how this may impact on the lives of those subjected to such sanctions. Proposals are welcomed using innovative ways to explore the lived experience of punitiveness.

Funding

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Deadline

Supervisors

Dr Vickie Barrett

How to apply

Immigration and crime

Outline

Crimes committed by, against and within immigrant communities; immigrant concentration and its impact on crime; relationships between immigrant communities and native populations.

Funding

Please see our scholarships page at https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/scholarships to find out about funding or studentship options available

Deadline

Please see details via the following web page https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/

Supervisors

How to apply

Investigative decision making and the historic case

Outline

Although investigative guidance is available for UK police conducting ‘live’ investigations, it is not currently for those deemed cold or historic cases. It is assumed therefore that investigative decision making is generic and that the same cognitive bias exists. Ongoing research suggests that this is not the case and research is required to explore this further.

Funding

Please see our scholarships page at https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/scholarships to find out about funding or studentship options available

Deadline

Please see details via the following web page https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/

Supervisors

How to apply

Nudge psychology and evidence-based policing

Outline

Nudge psychology is becoming an increasingly popular approach to reducing various different crime related problems. Further research is needed to examine how it might be applied to other areas of crime reduction.

Funding

Please see our scholarships page at https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/scholarships to find out about funding or studentship options available

Deadline

Please see details via the following web page https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/

Supervisors

Professor Jason Roach

How to apply

The ‘Crime Drop’

Outline

Crime has been falling since the 1990s, yet none of the causes suggested so far explain a significant proportion of the drop. Students looking to further expand the research on the topic in quantitative manner are welcome.

Funding

Please see our scholarships page at https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/scholarships to find out about funding or studentship options available

Deadline

Please see details via the following web page https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/howtoapply/

Supervisors

How to apply

Applications are welcome for a diverse range of specialist topics and areas of expertise. We would especially welcome applications for topics in which the proposed research is in line with the research priorities of the School of Human and Health Sciences.

To find out more about the research we conduct, take a look at our Research, Innovation and Skills webpages, where you will find information on each research area. To find out about our staff visit ‘Our experts’ which features profiles of all our academic staff.

You should enter the project title and supervisor in the online application form.

No research proposal is necessary in your application.

Why choose Huddersfield?

There are many reasons to choose the University of Huddersfield and here are just three of them:

Our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications*.
£36,101.44 is the average salary of our postgraduates fifteen months after graduating. (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2021/22, UK domiciled, full-time UK employment).
97% of our postgraduate students go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduating.**

*HESA Graduate Outcomes 2021/22, UK domiciled, other activities excluded.

**HESA – January 2024. Excludes specialist universities and universities with less than 100 academic staff.

THE Impact Rankings

We currently hold the following THE Impact Rankings:

6th out of 796 global institutions for reduced inequalities in the THE Impact Rankings - recognising our research on social inequalities, policies on discrimination and commitment to recruitment staff and students from underrepresented groups*.
45th out of 850 global institutions for decent work and economic growth - which measures universities' economic research, their employment practices and our share of students taking work placements.*
50th out of 745 global institutions for peace, justice, and strong institutions - which measure universities' research on peace, justice and our participation as advisors for government policies and academic freedom*.

*THE Impact Rankings 2022

World leading

Our researchers carry out work that makes a real difference to people's lives:

We are in the top 50 UK universities for Research Power.*
Three quarters of all our research is world leading and internationally excellent.*
Over 60% of our research environment was classified as world leading and internationally excellent, especially in Music, Biological Sciences, Architecture and Built Environment, Social Work and Social Policy, History and Communication and Media Studies.*

*REF2021

Facilities

Sharing Ideas

Our Campus

Interior of the Oastler building

Students in the Library

Students socialising in a common space

Researching Criminology

In 2024/25 the full-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate researchers will be £4,900.

Tuition fees for UK researchers will cover the cost of your study at the University. For more information about funding, fees and finance for UK students, including what your tuition fee covers, please see our Fees and Finance. Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years of study may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X).

If you are interested in studying with us on a part-time basis, please visit our Fees and Finance pages for part-time fee information.

If you are an EU or international student coming to study at the University of Huddersfield, please visit the International Fees and Finance pages for full details of tuition fees and support available.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

In 2024/25 the part-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate researchers will be £2,450.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

Fees and Finance

Tuition fees - full-time

In 2024/25 the full-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate researchers will be £4,900.

If you are interested in studying with us on a part-time basis, please visit our Fees and Finance pages for part-time fee information.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

Tuition fees - part-time

In 2024/25 the part-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate researchers will be £2,450.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

When you are offered a place on a research degree, your offer will include confirmation of your supervisory team, and the topic you will be researching.

Whilst the University will use reasonable efforts to ensure your supervisory team remains the same, sometimes it may be necessary to make changes to your team for reasons outside the University’s control, for example if your supervisor leaves the University, or suffers from long term illness. Where this is the case, we will discuss these difficulties with you and seek to either put in place a new supervisory team, or help you to transfer to another research facility, in accordance with our Student Protection Plan.

Changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, for example the University being unable to access its buildings due to fire, flood or pandemic, or the University no longer being able to provide specialist equipment. Where this is the case, we will discuss these issues with you and agree any necessary changes.

Your research project is likely to evolve as you work on it and these minor changes are a natural and expected part of your study. However, we may need to make more significant changes to your topic of research during the course of your studies, either because your area of interest has changed, or because for reasons outside the University’s control we can no longer support your research. If this is the case, we will discuss any changes in topic with you and agree these in writing. If you are an international student, changing topics may affect your visa or ATAS clearance and if this is the case we will discuss this with you before any changes are agreed.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by the University’s Terms and Conditions and a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.