LLM Criminology and Criminal Justice
Belfast, United Kingdom
LLM
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
28 Aug 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 23,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international fee
Key Summary
This exciting, stimulating, and topical postgraduate degree program in Criminology and Criminal Justice is taught by internationally-recognized scholars and researchers who offer students a wide introduction to the study of crime and criminal justice in contemporary society. Staff members have strong links with local criminal justice agencies and community organizations as well as extensive comparative and international expertise, providing for a unique student experience. Key research strengths of the teaching staff lie in the following areas:
- Community Safety and Crime Prevention
- Policing
- Prisoner Reintegration
- Restorative Justice
- Sex Offending
- Victimology
- Anti-Social Behaviour
- Crime and the Life Course
The LLM in Criminology and Criminal Justice is designed to appeal to prospective students with an academic or professional interest in criminology or criminal justice. It enables students to understand the motivations for offending as well as the practical operation of criminal justice and how the state responds to criminality and victimization. This degree will be of considerable relevance and interest to those who are already employed in criminal justice-related work in fields such as legal practice, government, and non-governmental organizations, as well as equipping those who have just completed undergraduate degrees to develop the knowledge and skills to pursue criminal justice-related careers or undertake advanced level study.
Criminology And Criminal Justice Highlights
Career Development
We are dedicated to student employability and have strong connections to civil society organisations, criminal justice bodies and agencies, international institutions and networks. We have a strong record placing students in professional employment both inside and outside Northern Ireland. For example, three of the most senior officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland studied our LLM. Law was ranked 3rd in the UK for graduate prospects (Complete University Guide 2026).
World Class Facilities
Our facilities at Queen’s include a state-of-the-art Law building with superb teaching facilities, a moot court and study spaces. Queen’s has one of the most modern campuses in the UK, including the award winning McClay Library, one of the finest libraries in the world and home to 1.2 million volumes and over 2,000 reader places.
Our Physical Education Centre was used as a training camp for the 2012 Olympics. Our Queen’s Elms Student Village and city centre student accommodation (built in 2018) are located within easy walking distance of the University.
Internationally Renowned Experts
Law at Queen's is taught by world-leading experts in the area of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Our staff have close research links with the professions, government and Civil Society. Law at Queen's is in the top 150 Law Schools worldwide and top 10 in the UK. Research in Law was ranked 8th in the UK in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (2021).
Student Experience
The LLM Criminal Justice programme has an international focus and taught by leading academics and practitioners in the field. Queen's has a long history of criminology and criminal justice teaching & research and was the first University on the island of Ireland to provide graduate studies in Criminology and Criminal Justice in 1994 and at the time was one of only a handful of UK universities to do so also. Queen’s offers one of the only Criminology and Criminal Justice programmes internationally that deals specifically with reform of the criminal justice system in a post-conflict environment (e.g. restorative justice, prisons and policing). Research and teaching is carried out under the auspices of the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice (ICCJ) based within the School. The ICCJ organises an active, annual speaker and conference series, with talks by academics and practitioners.
At Queen's you will be part of a thriving postgraduate culture built on teaching excellence, leading-edge research, innovation, collaboration and engagement. These components are woven together in our Graduate School. It is here you will develop new skills and increased personal effectiveness that will enable you to stand out in the crowded and increasingly competitive global job market. Life at Queen's is not just about the degree. We offer our students the opportunity to really enrich their studies. Whether you're into student societies, sports, music, dance, or just a coffee with your friends, Queen's has exceptional facilities to cater for all interests.
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £11,836 for taught and research Master's courses in all subject areas. Criteria, eligibility, repayment, and application information are available on the UK government website.
Course Structure
Students may enrol on a full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) basis. Students must complete six core modules (80 CATS points), two optional modules (40 CATS points) and a research dissertation (60 CATS points).
The Masters is awarded to students who successfully complete all taught modules (120 CATS points) and a research dissertation (60 CATS points).
Compulsory Modules
- Theoretical Criminology
- Key Debates in Criminology
- Criminal Justice Processes
- Dissertation (Maximum 15,000 words)
(Students who secure a summer work placement of at least 8 weeks can complete a Dissertation in Practice Module including 12,000 word dissertation and 3,000 word reflective journal of the learning experience)
Course Details
The LLM Criminology and Criminal Justice Programme takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of crime and justice and draws on original staff research. Modules are rooted in relevant theoretical frameworks with a strong criminological focus and provide students with methodological training in addition to supporting the development of critical analysis and other transferable skills. Through the dissertation, students can explore a wide variety of criminological and criminal justice topics. Students are encouraged to develop a critical understanding of the criminal justice process and the practical operation of criminal law in a domestic and comparative context, and are given the opportunity to explore in-depth a particular criminal justice-related issue through the submission of a dissertation.
The programme is delivered through a series of taught modules and culminates in the submission of the dissertation on an original topic.
Methodology Mini-Modules
- Approaches to Legal Research
- Criminal Justice & Criminology Methods 1
- Criminal Justice & Criminology Methods 2
Optional Modules
- Restorative Justice
- Youth Justice: Theory, Law and Practice
- Issues in Policing and Crime Prevention
- Crimes of the Powerful
- Climate, Justice and Human Rights
Please note this is not an exclusive list of the optional modules available. Optional modules are reviewed each year and subject to staff availability and student numbers
Some criminology and criminal justice graduates use this degree as a basis for further study towards a research degree such as a PhD, which may in turn lead to an academic career. Others pursue criminology and criminal justice-related careers in the legal, public, private or voluntary sectors.
Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.