Manchester, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
This dynamic course will support you to develop a critical understanding of contemporary and global criminological issues, with a specific focus on 'people and processes'. This course adopts a holistic approach, examining crime, justice, and penal policies to explore their impact on those involved in administering and receiving criminal justice. You will critically analyse how we might develop processes to improve outcomes for those who encounter the criminal justice system.
In addition to exploring key contemporary criminological issues, you will also receive advanced research training, exploring contemporary, innovative, cutting-edge research methodologies, including visual and online methods.
You will be taught by internationally renowned criminological experts alongside engagement with our professional partners (criminal justice practitioners, policymakers, voluntary sector professionals) and those who are experts by experience (including victims, offenders, and their families). Combined with classroom discussions and debates, you will develop the skills and knowledge to design, analyse, and evaluate criminal justice processes and policies. Supported by our team of experts, you will have the opportunity to implement appropriate analytical and research skills within a final dissertation or applied project focusing on an aspect of criminal justice of your choice guided by an academic supervisor.
You will:
- Be taught by leading academics involved in cutting-edge criminological research.
- Benefit from direct engagement with our professional partners (practitioners, policymakers, and those who are experts by experience, such as victims and offenders).
- Develop a critical understanding of the lived experiences of those involved in administering and receiving criminal justice.
- Gain a critical understanding of the context in which crime, justice, and penal policies are developed and implemented.
- Develop strong, cutting-edge, analytical research skills.
- Gain relevant experience, skills, and expertise to enable you to embark on or progress a career in the area of criminal justice.
Ideal Students
This course is for you if...
- You are passionate about criminology and understanding the experiences of people in the criminal justice system.
- You are driven by curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration and want to develop problem-solving, project management, and research leadership skills.
- You want to work in organisations that administer, support, and underpin the criminal justice system (in government, public, third and private sector organisations).
- You are currently in an officer, policy, or service delivery/advocacy role but are looking to step up your career by developing expertise and leadership in applied research with a criminal justice focus.
- You have recently completed an undergraduate degree and are committed to understanding a particular criminology/criminal justice issue - this course will give you the tools to really explore that topic.
- You want to prepare for a PhD in a social science discipline, where you can conduct original and independent research that advances the knowledge and understanding of your field.
Curriculum
This programme explores the scale, complexity, and significance of criminal justice systems. It recognises that such systems are made up of a myriad of public, private and third-sector organisations, all of which significantly shape the lives of those who encounter them. Through critical criminology and criminal justice thinking, this programme will explore the practices and lived experiences of those involved in administering and experiencing criminal justice.
This programme will include:
- A critical exploration of criminal justice processes, drawing on UK and international comparative examples to understand key institutions and agencies that make up criminal justice systems.
- An evidence-based consideration of the lived experiences of individuals who experience the criminal justice system including offenders, victims, families, professionals and practitioners through case studies, vignettes, and live inputs.
- A critical appreciation of cutting-edge and emerging themes in criminal justice practice, including trauma-informed approaches, restorative justice, alternatives to custody, and the intersection of multiple and complex needs.
- The development of applied social research methods appropriate for working within the criminal justice system.
- This programme will draw on the expertise and partnerships within policing, prisons, and probation organisations in the UK and overseas. Through the comparative work of Criminology colleagues (as outlined below), this programme will offer a unique understanding of criminal justice processes and will draw on a range of speakers with lived experience.
Modules
- Applied Social Research Methods
- Changing Lives: Living with Justice and Injustice
- Deconstructing the Criminal Justice Process
- Social Sciences Postgraduate Dissertation
Option Module
You are able to take one optional module from the core modules on the other courses within this suite of postgraduate courses.
- Making Change Happen (ESC)
- Supporting Research: Leadership and Impact (ASRM)
Career Opportunities
Key career pathways for graduates (and professionals joining the programme) include:
- Criminal justice specific roles
- Project officer and project manager roles
- Support staff and development roles
- Research and policy development roles
- Management and leadership roles
- Teaching, training, and lecturing roles
These opportunities exist within the following sectors/organisation types:
- Criminal justice organisations at a local and national level including prisons, police, courts, probation, and restorative justice
- Criminal justice campaign groups
- Local government organisations
- Third/community sector organisations working within the criminal justice system and/or supporting individuals who encounter the system, exploring themes such as:
- Political organisations (including lobby groups, think tanks, and policy developers)
- Universities and related education organisations
- Political organisations (including lobby groups, think tanks, and policy developers)
- Universities and related education organisations
Additionally, we encourage high-achieving students to apply for funding to pursue doctoral study either at the University of Salford or beyond.