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Posted Feb. 19, 2024

Top 10 Criminology Masters Degree Courses in the UK

Masters in CriminologyA Masters in Criminology can help several different career paths.

Masters in Criminology course search

Some courses are only part time and aimed at those already working within Criminal Justice systems. Other courses, especially ones based outside of the UK, are aimed at those looking to work for international organisations or as criminal investigation teams. For other information on law-related postgraduate programs you can check out LLMstudy.com. In the meantime here’s our roundup of 10 of the best Masters in Criminology* in the UK.

Masters in Criminology

MSc in Crime Science – University College London

Tuition fees: £17,300 total cost for UK students / £34,400 total cost for international students.
What you will study: Students can study this masters degree at UCL on a flexible basis over three to five years, alternatively they can complete the course in one year by studying full time. Modules include Preventing Crimes and Horizon Scanning and the Changing Nature of Crime.

MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice – Durham University

Tuition fees: £11,100 total cost for UK full-time students / £26,750 total cost for full-time international students. £6,200 per year for UK part-time students / £14,800 per year for part-time international students.
What you will study: Modules at Durham University include Gender, Violence and Abuse, Drugs, Alcohol and Drug Policy, and Crime and New Technologies. Students complete the MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice in one year when they are studying full time or in two years when studying part time.

MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice – Staffordshire University

Tuition fees: £8,900 per course for UK students in 2024 / £16,750 per course for international students. 
What you will study: Modules at Staffordshire University include Advanced Criminal Theory, Contemporary Issues In Criminology and Criminal Justice, and the Research of Crime and Society. Students can expect to complete this course in 13 months. 

MSc in Criminology – University of Bath

Tuition fees: £5,500 for UK students in the academic year 2024-25 (In the first year, you pay a reduced tuition fee to account for your work placement. In the second year, you will pay the full-year fee for that year – it is £9,250). £18,400 for international students in the academic year 2024-25 (In the first year, you pay a reduced tuition fee to account for your work placement. In the second year, you will pay the full-year fee for that year – it is £28,800).
What you will study: Modules at the University of Bath include Contemporary Criminology Theory, Criminology Research, Criminological Ethnography and a criminology dissertation. 

Masters in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology – Swansea University

Tuition fees: £8,550 for 2024 full-time UK students / £18,250 for full-time international students. £4,300 for part-time UK students / £9,150 for part-time international students. 
What you will study: Modules include Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice, Developing Criminological Research and Prisons are delivered by research-active staff, and then choose a traditional written dissertation or an empirical research study, allowing students to focus on a specific area of criminology or criminal justice. Study duration is one to three years, depending on full-time or part-time study. 

Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice – Lancaster University

Tuition fees: £11,500 for full-time UK students / £23,785 for full-time international students. £5,750 per year for part-time UK students / £11,935 per year for part-time international students. 
What you will study: Modules at Lancaster University include Criminological Theory, International Criminal Law and International Terrorism and the Law. Study duration is one to two years, depending on full-time or part-time study. 

MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice – University of Leeds

Tuition fees: £12,500 for UK students / £26,500 for international students. 
What you will study: Modules at the University of Leeds include the Criminal Justice Process and research into Crime and Criminal Justice. The study duration is one year, full time. 

MSc in Criminology – University of Southampton

Tuition fees: £9,250 per year for UK students / £24,200 per year for international students. 
What you will study: Modules at the University of Southampton include Criminology and Psychology Perspectives, International Organised Crime and Global Sociology. The study duration is one year, full time. 

MSc in Criminology – Loughborough University

Part-time tuition fees: £12,250 per academic year for 2024-25 UK students / £24,500 for international students. 
What you will study: Modules at Loughborough University include Sports Criminology, Child-First Justice, and Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice. The study duration is two years of part-time study.

Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice – Bangor University

Tuition fees: See Bangor University’s website for more details about tuition fees. 
What you will study: Modules at Bangor University include Transnational Crime, Tackling Inequalities and International Criminal Justice. Study duration is one to two years, depending on full-time or part-time study. 

*Sources: 1  & 3

Editor’s note: this blog was originally published in January 2020. The tuition fees have been updated in January 2024 to reflect the latest tuition fees; and the rankings have been updated to reflect the rankings information in more recent sources.

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Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries

14 comments

Godfrey Oct. 2, 2020, 11:36 a.m.

Can l pursue Criminal Justice course in Bruel University London apart from Oxford University .
Also ,with International relations and Environment course.
These three course were selected when I applied to Brunel university.

Charlotte King Oct. 13, 2020, 8:43 a.m.

Hi Godfrey. You can study a Criminal Justice LLB at Brunel >
https://www.brunel.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/law-with-criminal-justice-llb
or an LLM which includes some Criminal Justice content >
https://www.brunel.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/law-with-criminal-justice-llb
I hope that helps!

sai mitra March 7, 2021, 4:30 p.m.

Need M.A in criminology

Charlotte King March 8, 2021, 6:43 a.m.

These are all good options for Criminology – and once you have been accepted onto a course you can apply for one of our Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries worth £500 >
https://www.postgrad.com/psuk_study_bursaries_apply/

Meghna Tribedi March 23, 2021, 1:03 p.m.

Can I take up criminology if I am a humanities student?

Charlotte King March 24, 2021, 7:21 a.m.

As long as you achieve a high grade – 2.1 or equivalent – you should be eligible to study a Masters in Criminology.

Tope SHOLANKE April 18, 2021, 1:57 a.m.

I speak little french but impeccable english, i would love to study in belgium so as to impove my french as well run an msc in criminology. I have my first degree in criminology but i am finding it quite challanging calculating the tuition fee for international students. Please kindly tell me how much i would be spending for my msc at KU Leuven, Belgium.

Charlotte King April 22, 2021, 11:45 a.m.

Hi Tope – the tuition fees for studying an MSc in Criminology at KU Leuven is currently €1,250 for all students > https://www.kuleuven.be/inschrijvingen/registration/fees

Rose Boadiwaa Nyantakyi Sept. 27, 2021, 6:37 p.m.

Hi please I really want to study MSC Criminology and Criminal Justice. Please is there any Scholarship opportunities for international students?

Glory Sept. 28, 2021, 7:40 a.m.

Hi,
Apart from KU Leuven, what other institutions offer MSc Criminology or security studies and has a comparatively low tuition either in the UK or Europe generally

Charlotte King Oct. 13, 2021, 8:22 a.m.

Hi Rose – we offer x20 bursaries worth £500 towards tuition fees for students from any country studying any masters degree – why not apply for one of these >
https://www.postgrad.com/fees_and_funding/postgrad_solutions_study_bursaries/information/
Good luck!

Charlotte King Oct. 13, 2021, 8:57 a.m.

Hi Glory – the tuition costs for studying an MSc in Criminology will depend where you are from – ie whether you are studying as an international student, an EU student in the UK or a UK student overseas. For example, many of the other mainland European universities offer favourable tuition fees to EU students.

Abolanle Olaiya-Ayeni Oct. 27, 2021, 5:40 p.m.

On the basis I secure employment in Belgium to finance my studies, I am compliating studying an MA in Criminology part-time in Belgium.
In addition , I am a British national. How much is the MA course ?
Please advice.

Charlotte King Oct. 31, 2021, 5:43 p.m.

Hi Abolanie – as a UK national Brexit will now effect how much your tuition fees will be at KU Leuven. Students with a UK nationality who enrolled in 2020-2021 or before, will be invoiced according to the EEA fee rates for the remainder of their current study program.
New students with a UK nationality who will enroll from 2021-2022 onwards, or students, already enrolled at KU Leuven, who will start a new study program from 2021-2022 onwards, will be invoiced according to the non-EEA fee rates.
https://www.kuleuven.be/inschrijvingen/registration/fees

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