Criminology and International Security MSc

Start date

18 September 2023

Duration

1 year full-time
2 years part-time

About the course

Reasons to study

Youâll benefit from a highly interdisciplinary master programme, meaning youâll get expertise in criminology, sociology, security studies, politics, and international studies.

Our academic team research actively helps to shape current global and regional policies on international security, so youâll benefit from cutting-edge knowledge and practices.

Weâll help you to apply for internships with international security bodies including the United Nations, INTERPOL, and EUROPOL, so youâll have real-world experience to make your CV stand out.

This course aims to provide you with the theoretical and practical understanding necessary to respond to key security challenges that characterise the 21st century. It draws upon theoretical and empirical insights from within criminology to guide you through an in-depth exploration of key global security threats including cross-border crime, cybercrime and terrorism.

This course is highly focused on the practical policy response to key contemporary security threats.
Informed by cutting edge theoretical and empirical debates from within the discipline, and draws on research produced by academic staff within the division of criminology, politics and sociology at Huddersfield.
It seeks to provide a broad overview of the security environment and the policy responses employed to manage it.
It embeds evaluation and research skills in its teaching to produce graduates who can easily transition into practical security roles.

This course will be of interest to those working in, or aspiring to work in, security policy, research, academia, policing, and private sector consultancy.

Course detail

Core modules:

Introduction to Criminology and International Security

This module offers an advanced level appreciation of the theory and understanding of crime, criminality and issues of International Security, providing a detailed understanding of rival theories and concepts and the ways these play out in the practice of criminality, international security and threats. Large datasets of crime will be discussed with patterns and trends identified (eg the CSEW). The module focuses on developing the student’s abilities in understanding, explaining, critiquing current issues in crime and International Security, and comparing different theoretical approaches to particular case studies.

Global Terrorism and Transnational Crime

You will develop an advanced level appreciation of the understanding of terrorism, counter-terrorism, security, transnational crime and policing in the modern world. Modern day terrorists and transnational organised crime groups will be examined alongside developments in security and policing/international organisations to prevent/counter them. You will develop your ability to understand, explain, critique current issues in global terrorism, transnational crime, policing and security and compare different theoretical approaches to particular case studies. You will be assessed through coursework.

Cyber security and digital policing

Information technology provides opportunities and solutions that are utilised in the daily activities of people within their work, personal, leisure and social interactions. As such, the data held within systems provide an increased attractiveness for cyber criminals. This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of cybersecurity and cybercrime, as well as how to mitigate potential risks. You will also be introduced to the digital forensic process, an understanding which supports those working in this area to make forensically sound decisions, assists and contributes to rigorous processes of law enforcement.

Immigration Crime and Security

You will explore the patterns of immigration and the associated research on crime, predominantly derived from quantitative data analysis (e.g. the CSEW). Crime by, within and against immigrant communities will be explored alongside relevant criminological theories, media’s perspective on immigration and the political context of immigration.

Conducting Social Research

You will be introduced to the design of social research and examine the approaches used to collect social research data. You will explore issues that affect the quality of research and the three design strategies: experiment, survey and case study. You will also study key techniques including questionnaire design, interviewing, ethnography and the use of documents.

Dissertation

This module enables you to undertake an extended piece of research on a Criminology and International Security related topic of your choice. It will allow you to investigate in-depth an area of interest alongside a supervisor who is an expert at the forefront of the discipline. You will design and manage your research project, incorporate appropriate research methods, synthesise and analyse a range of sources and demonstrate a depth and breadth of knowledge about your chosen topic.

Teaching and assessment

Assessment strategies on the course aim to support learning and to measure achievement. Assessment methods are described in each module specification and module guide. All learning outcomes in a module are assessed and the mode of assessment is specified for each outcome. Assessment is a combination of coursework, presentation, case-based analysis, projects and examination. The nature of the assessment varies from module to module, and mirrors the modes of communication expected of post-graduate academics and professionals in this field: verbal presentation, report-writing and debate, and case analysis. This includes your analysis and interpretation of data and production of products, reports or presentations to best communicate these to professional, practice or academic audiences. In particular, they are also designed to enable you to tailor them to your particular areas of interest or practice, supporting you to ensure the course assists you individually in your career development.

As this course is delivered in a way which is flexible enough to allow you to continue to pursue existing work commitments, it is not possible for a student to apply for a Tier 4 visa for this course. However, students studying this course can apply for a Student Visitor Visa. This will allow you to either reside in the UK for up to six months or alternatively travel to the UK only for the teaching blocks. You can then continue to pursue your studies from home accessing our various online resources. Further details on Student Visitor visas.

The teaching year normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Timetables are normally available one month before registration. This course is based on block delivery. This means teaching delivery for the full-time route is designed to take place four times in the year, around October, December, February and April. This is pro-rata’d for the part-time route.

Your course is made up of modules and each module is worth a number of credits. Over the life of the course, you will study modules to the value of 120 credits. These credits come from a combination of core and optional modules but please note that optional modules may not run if we do not have enough students interested.

Teaching excellence

Triple proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2022). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.
We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 20 since 2008 (2022 data).
We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are normally:

An honours degree (2:2 or above) in a related subject. Applications are reviewed on merit and you may be invited for an interview.

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 Where are you from information pages.

Postgraduate Study Fair

Come along to one of our Postgraduate Study Fairs to discover all your study options from short courses to PhD.

Our award-winning academic staff will be on hand to chat about all our postgraduate study and research options, flexible teaching and how postgraduate study can help you to advance your career or prepare for a career change.

Why Choose Huddersfield?

Watch this clip to find out five great reasons to choose the University of Huddersfield for postgraduate study.

Placements

The course does not have a formal work placement, but you are encouraged to utilise relevant practice experience (paid or voluntary) within the course. You can do this through designing your choice of assessments, for example, based on particular analyses or practical challenges you face in your work, or designing an evaluation or action-based research project.

Facilities

Student Central Building

University Library

University Campus Kitchen

University Health Centre

University Campus

Library

Career support

This programme aims to prepare students for a range of possible careers. This includes (but is not limited to) working in security policy, research, academia, policing, and private sector consultancy.

Career support

Career support

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

A wide range of resources are also offered within the School of Human and Health Sciences, which provides you with support in a variety of areas. These include:

Student Hub: a one stop shop for students, studying within the School. Their services include offering advice on extenuating circumstances, extension requests, attendance and welfare support, organising appointments with academic staff, signposting to other support networks and loan of MP3 recorders.

Academic Skills Development Team: provides guidance about how students can develop their academic skills in order to improve their grades. The team provide support with general academic skills including essay writing, time management, presentations and group work skills; information technology and numeracy; research skills, as well as personal development for example confidence building and assertiveness.

Learning Technology Support Unit: helps students with any problems they experience with the University’s Brightspace System, including logging on or difficulties experienced when accessing modules.

In 2023/24 the full-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate students on this course will be £6,900 (Band 1).

Tuition fees for UK students 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 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 2023/24 the part-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate students on this course will be £575 (Band 1) per 15 credit module and £1,150 (Band 1) per 30 credit module.

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 2023/24 the full-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate students on this course will be £6,900 (Band 1).

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

Tuition Fees - part-time

In 2023/24 the part-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate students on this course will be £575 (Band 1) per 15 credit module and £1,150 (Band 1) per 30 credit module.

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.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). 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. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

Equal opportunities

The University of Huddersfield is an equal opportunities institution. We aim to create conditions where staff and students are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential, regardless of gender, age, race, caste, class, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, family responsibility, trade union activity, political or religious belief, or age. Please visit our website to see our Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy

Data protection

The University holds personal data on all enquirers, applicants and enrolled students. All such data is kept and processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Legislation. The University’s Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notices are available on the University website.

Students’ Union membership

Under the 1994 Education Act, students at all UK universities have the right to join, or not to join, the Students’ Union. There is no membership fee. If you choose not to join you have the right not to be disadvantaged; however, you are not entitled to vote, take part in elections, or hold any office. The following arrangements apply in order that non-Union members are not disadvantaged: Non-members are welcome to take part in the activities of Affiliated Clubs and Societies on payment of the appropriate subscription. However, they may not vote or hold office in the society or club. Union members may be offered a discounted subscription. Non-members are free to use Union facilities on the same basis as members. Welfare, catering and shops are available to non-members as well as members. Union members may be offered a discounted price.

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