- Criminology
MSc — 2025 entry Criminology
Do you want to sharpen your ability to think in a logical and informed manner about criminological problems, and to design, conduct and manage effective research and evaluation? Our MSc in Criminology offers a thorough and 21st-century approach to understanding the intricate issues of crime and justice in today's society.
Why choose
this course?
- This MSc course in criminology studies the issues of crime, deviance and criminal justice that are at the heart of our society.
- We’ve combined modules in academic criminology and the criminal justice system with training in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- You’ll be taught by world-renowned criminological experts who have strong links within the criminal justice system.
- Our Criminology MSc has been designed for graduates and practitioners with an appropriate first degree (e.g. criminology, sociology, social sciences) who seek advanced knowledge about issues connected with crime, deviance, control, the criminal justice system and social research.
- This course also suits graduates and practitioners considering a PhD in this area, as well as practitioners in the criminal justice system and related government, security and voluntary agencies who wish to develop their understanding of the wider issues connected to crime.
- All our criminology masters courses meet the British Criminology Society benchmarks for postgraduate taught courses.
Statistics
Top 20 in world
Sociology is 17th in the Shanghai Global Subject Rankings 2024
Top 10
Surrey is ranked 9th in the UK for overall satisfaction (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2023)
Industry approved
All our criminology masters courses meet the British Criminology Society's benchmarks for postgraduate programmes
What you will study
Blending criminological knowledge with applied research skills, this course will equip you with a sophisticated understanding of the most important challenges and perspectives in contemporary criminology.
The course is designed to build up both your knowledge and understanding of crime and the criminal justice system and to develop expertise in applying some of the key criminological theories to explain issues here. Along the way you will also acquire skills in conducting social research and will benefit from being trained to use some of the most important social research methods used by practitioners, policy-makers and researchers in the area.
MSc conference
This course includes a yearly postgraduate one-day conference which provides an opportunity, in an informal atmosphere, for discussing current research issues and debates, technologies and methods at the forefront of social and criminological research, and other related themes. The event includes presentations from guest speakers, members of staff and PhD students.
The first semester of study on the MSc has been designed to provide you with the analytic foundations upon which the rest of the course then builds. You will begin to explore some of the ways in which corporations can behave more responsibly and will especially consider the environmental harms which corporate agents have been implicated in causing.
You will be introduced to some of the leading criminological theories and learn how the criminal justice system in the UK compares with the process of justice in other jurisdictions. In tandem with this you will be able to explore emerging methods and techniques in the data science field to analyse crime data, identify new trends and formulate explanatory models which can be used by practitioners to enhance responses to crime. You will also have the opportunity to develop skills in the interpretation of crime by studying qualitative research and analysis methods.
The second semester then offers you the opportunity to further enhance the foundational skills acquired in Semester 1. You will study some of the key challenges presented by corporate crime world such as:
- The difficulties in identifying culpability and securing prosecutions
- Considering how best to conceptualise corporate perpetrators and their victims
- Evaluate the credibility of corporate social responsibility policies
- Develop detailed understanding of typical corporate crimes, e.g. financial malpractice, corporate homicide and manslaughter, and environmental crimes.
The structure of our programmes follows clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes:
Modules
Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Modules are subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff, meaning all modules are comprised of multiples of 15 credits, up to a maximum of 120 credits.
Course options
Year 1
Semester 1
Compulsory
Crime is not a fixed object and definitions of crime and criminal behaviour change across time and space. So do the ways in which societies respond to it. This module will introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives that have been developed within criminology to conceptualise 'crime', 'criminals' and 'criminality', starting with 18th century classical theories all the way to contemporary reflections on the impact of neoliberalism on penalty. Armed with this knowledge, students will develop a critical awareness of how criminological theories contribute to shaping and generating ideas and responses to crime and deviance. Students will also explore how specific theoretical perspectives can help us to address criminal justice problems such as punishment, incarceration and social control. In so doing, students will gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between theory and practice and how the two can inform and influence one another.
View full module detailsThis module brings together the theoretical and methodological aspects of comparative criminology, and applies them to relevant policy areas in criminal justice. It focuses on three distinct, yet related, areas: methodologically, it will consider crime data and statistics in a comparative perspective; substantially, it will look at crimes and the differing approaches taken across different criminal justice systems to counter them. More specifically, students will be asked to reflect critically on how international crime rates and trends are calculated, how they differ from national data in terms of construction and scope, and what they can and cannot tell us. They will also analyse how different types of crime travel across borders and jurisdictions and how policy responds to them. The last part of the module will consider how responses to crime also change across time and space.
View full module detailsQuantitative data analysis is one of the key methodological approaches available to social researchers, enabling them to identify and explain important patterns in the social structure of society. In this module, students will learn how quantitative research approaches can be used to describe and explore the social world. Students will learn how to ask questions with quantitative data, will be introduced to the fundamental statistical principles required for making robust and generalisable claims, and will consider theoretical, methodological, and practical issues which have an impact on quantitative research design. Students will also learn how to collect and analyse quantitative data, covering issues of sampling and descriptive statistics, as well as being introduced to general regression approaches. Emphasis throughout the module will be on intuitive understanding and practical considerations, rather than rigorous derivation, and on hands-on practical experience with R, the world’s leading statistical software package.
View full module detailsQualitative research approaches remain one of the fundamental ways for researchers to access the insights, understandings, and experiences of social groups, as well as to explore their social interactions. This highly practical module provides students with a systematic methodological basis for conducting various forms of qualitative analysis and the opportunity to gain practical experience. The main techniques covered are observation and interviewing, although the module also explores documentary and visual approaches. Observational fieldnotes, interview transcripts, and visual images are collected, analyzed and reported throughout the course of the module. In addition to learning core qualitative research skills the students gain experience of developing a small scale research project and present their findings in a professional way. These skills will equip students to undertake their dissertation research and research projects in their future career.
View full module detailsSemester 2
Compulsory
This module offers an introduction to the criminal justice systems in England and Wales. It looks at the various agencies involved in criminal justice, how they evolved and how they interact with each other and with offenders and victims. Theoretical conceptualisations of the criminal justice process are outlined. Relevant policy and legal interventions are also assessed.
View full module detailsThis module focuses on the nature and extent of crime and offending. It examines the different approaches to measuring crime and offending (police recorded crime, victim surveys, ‘known’ offending and self report studies). It considers the main factors associated with crime and offending and highlights the importance of understanding the nature and patterns of crime in planning strategies and interventions. Within the topic, we cover issues including the digital capacities of control, particularly associated with the role of technology in offending and crime prevention. These analyses are further situated in international contexts from global and cultural capabilities perspectives, especially in encouraging thinking outside of Anglo-centric contexts. Practice examples are offered throughout the module, to understand ways of working with offenders and in response to offending in accordance with employability, as well as ways of utilizing resources to support offenders from a resourcefulness and resilience perspective.
View full module detailsThis module explores how law and social control relate to the institutional and interactional orders of developed Western societies having Common Law jurisdictions. In so doing it examines how individuals and groups seek to influence the behaviours of others and are also subject to regulatory forces that shape their own conduct. It considers the ways that these processes can give rise to crime and social deviance and pre-figure the efforts of agents of social control. Students are encouraged to critically engage with the concept of social control and to reflect on how it illuminates contemporary sociality and our present normative apparatus. Within the topic, we cover issues including the digital capacities of control, particularly associated with the role of technology in social control. These analyses are further situated in international contexts from global and cultural capabilities perspectives, especially in encouraging thinking outside of Anglo-centric contexts. Practice examples are offered throughout the module, to engage in assessing reactions to crime and social control technologies, utilizing resources to support offenders and victims from a resourcefulness and resilience perspective.
View full module detailsThe purpose of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of historical and contemporary issues relating to policing and the police predominantly, but not exclusively, in England and Wales. Throughout the module students will broadly consider the nature of the policing task, the contemporary organisation of the service, and a range of issues concerning legitimacy, accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness. Students will also consider different styles of policing, how they have changed over time, and the police role in relation to crime control. Students will also examine a number of relevant issues - both historical and contemporary - that present different challenges to the police and policing practice, and discuss how these can be addressed. This module relates to, and builds upon, knowledge acquired by students in other modules on the relevant PG pathway.
View full module detailsSemester 1 & 2
Compulsory
The dissertation is an extended piece of writing (10,000-15,000 words) which allows the student to work on a topic independently in depth, with appropriate guidance from a supervisor. It enables students to use the social research methodologies developed during the taught programme to explore a criminological or sociological topic of particular interest and to synthesise the skills and knowledge which they have acquired.
View full module detailsYear 1
Semester 1
Compulsory
Quantitative data analysis is one of the key methodological approaches available to social researchers, enabling them to identify and explain important patterns in the social structure of society. In this module, students will learn how quantitative research approaches can be used to describe and explore the social world. Students will learn how to ask questions with quantitative data, will be introduced to the fundamental statistical principles required for making robust and generalisable claims, and will consider theoretical, methodological, and practical issues which have an impact on quantitative research design. Students will also learn how to collect and analyse quantitative data, covering issues of sampling and descriptive statistics, as well as being introduced to general regression approaches. Emphasis throughout the module will be on intuitive understanding and practical considerations, rather than rigorous derivation, and on hands-on practical experience with R, the world’s leading statistical software package.
View full module detailsQualitative research approaches remain one of the fundamental ways for researchers to access the insights, understandings, and experiences of social groups, as well as to explore their social interactions. This highly practical module provides students with a systematic methodological basis for conducting various forms of qualitative analysis and the opportunity to gain practical experience. The main techniques covered are observation and interviewing, although the module also explores documentary and visual approaches. Observational fieldnotes, interview transcripts, and visual images are collected, analyzed and reported throughout the course of the module. In addition to learning core qualitative research skills the students gain experience of developing a small scale research project and present their findings in a professional way. These skills will equip students to undertake their dissertation research and research projects in their future career.
View full module detailsSemester 2
Compulsory
This module offers an introduction to the criminal justice systems in England and Wales. It looks at the various agencies involved in criminal justice, how they evolved and how they interact with each other and with offenders and victims. Theoretical conceptualisations of the criminal justice process are outlined. Relevant policy and legal interventions are also assessed.
View full module detailsThe purpose of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of historical and contemporary issues relating to policing and the police predominantly, but not exclusively, in England and Wales. Throughout the module students will broadly consider the nature of the policing task, the contemporary organisation of the service, and a range of issues concerning legitimacy, accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness. Students will also consider different styles of policing, how they have changed over time, and the police role in relation to crime control. Students will also examine a number of relevant issues - both historical and contemporary - that present different challenges to the police and policing practice, and discuss how these can be addressed. This module relates to, and builds upon, knowledge acquired by students in other modules on the relevant PG pathway.
View full module detailsYear 2
Semester 1
Compulsory
Crime is not a fixed object and definitions of crime and criminal behaviour change across time and space. So do the ways in which societies respond to it. This module will introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives that have been developed within criminology to conceptualise 'crime', 'criminals' and 'criminality', starting with 18th century classical theories all the way to contemporary reflections on the impact of neoliberalism on penalty. Armed with this knowledge, students will develop a critical awareness of how criminological theories contribute to shaping and generating ideas and responses to crime and deviance. Students will also explore how specific theoretical perspectives can help us to address criminal justice problems such as punishment, incarceration and social control. In so doing, students will gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between theory and practice and how the two can inform and influence one another.
View full module detailsThis module brings together the theoretical and methodological aspects of comparative criminology, and applies them to relevant policy areas in criminal justice. It focuses on three distinct, yet related, areas: methodologically, it will consider crime data and statistics in a comparative perspective; substantially, it will look at crimes and the differing approaches taken across different criminal justice systems to counter them. More specifically, students will be asked to reflect critically on how international crime rates and trends are calculated, how they differ from national data in terms of construction and scope, and what they can and cannot tell us. They will also analyse how different types of crime travel across borders and jurisdictions and how policy responds to them. The last part of the module will consider how responses to crime also change across time and space.
View full module detailsSemester 2
Compulsory
This module explores how law and social control relate to the institutional and interactional orders of developed Western societies having Common Law jurisdictions. In so doing it examines how individuals and groups seek to influence the behaviours of others and are also subject to regulatory forces that shape their own conduct. It considers the ways that these processes can give rise to crime and social deviance and pre-figure the efforts of agents of social control. Students are encouraged to critically engage with the concept of social control and to reflect on how it illuminates contemporary sociality and our present normative apparatus. Within the topic, we cover issues including the digital capacities of control, particularly associated with the role of technology in social control. These analyses are further situated in international contexts from global and cultural capabilities perspectives, especially in encouraging thinking outside of Anglo-centric contexts. Practice examples are offered throughout the module, to engage in assessing reactions to crime and social control technologies, utilizing resources to support offenders and victims from a resourcefulness and resilience perspective.
View full module detailsThis module focuses on the nature and extent of crime and offending. It examines the different approaches to measuring crime and offending (police recorded crime, victim surveys, ‘known’ offending and self report studies). It considers the main factors associated with crime and offending and highlights the importance of understanding the nature and patterns of crime in planning strategies and interventions. Within the topic, we cover issues including the digital capacities of control, particularly associated with the role of technology in offending and crime prevention. These analyses are further situated in international contexts from global and cultural capabilities perspectives, especially in encouraging thinking outside of Anglo-centric contexts. Practice examples are offered throughout the module, to understand ways of working with offenders and in response to offending in accordance with employability, as well as ways of utilizing resources to support offenders from a resourcefulness and resilience perspective.
View full module detailsSemester 1 & 2
Compulsory
The dissertation is an extended piece of writing (10,000-15,000 words) which allows the student to work on a topic independently in depth, with appropriate guidance from a supervisor. It enables students to use the social research methodologies developed during the taught programme to explore a criminological or sociological topic of particular interest and to synthesise the skills and knowledge which they have acquired.
View full module detailsGeneral course information
Contact hours
Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's module catalogue. See the modules section for more information.
Timetable
Course timetables are normally available one month before the start of the semester.
New students will receive their personalised timetable in Welcome Week, and in subsequent semesters, two weeks prior to the start of semester.
Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday). Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities. Part-time classes are normally scheduled on one or two days per week, details of which can be obtained from Academic Administration.
Location
Stag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught.
We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.
Our masters courses give you the opportunity to develop high-level research skills, which open doors to many careers. We also provide an online employability hub giving you access to extensive advice and guidance on how to take the next steps in your chosen career.
100 per cent of our Sociology postgraduate students go on to employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA).
Some of our graduates have gone on to start their careers in the following areas:
- The criminal justice field – from policing to probation, legal to youth worker
- Data analytics or crime analytics, including statistical work, evaluation and analysis
- Social research
- Journalism or media work – especially in the crime area
- Forensics science or biological science
- Policy work and work with policy groups.
UK qualifications
A minimum of a 2:2 UK honours degree in behavioural science, business, criminology, law, psychology, or in a human or political science, or a recognised equivalent international qualification.
We can also consider relevant work experience if you don't meet these requirements.
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall with 6.0 in each element.
These are the English language qualifications and levels that we can accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Recognition of prior learning
We recognise that many students enter their course with valuable knowledge and skills developed through a range of ways.
If this applies to you, the recognition of prior learning process may mean you can join a course without the formal entry requirements, or at a point appropriate to your previous learning and experience.
There are restrictions for some courses and fees may be payable for certain claims. Please contact the Admissions team with any queries.
Scholarships and bursaries
Discover what scholarships and bursaries are available to support your studies.
Fees per year
Explore UKCISA’s website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the list of fees for all postgraduate courses.
September 2025 - Full-time - 1 year
- UK
- £10,900
- Overseas
- £21,800
September 2025 - Part-time - 2 years
- UK
- £5,500
- Overseas
- £10,900
- If you are on the two-year part-time masters programme, the annual fee is payable in Year 1 and Year 2 of the programme
- These fees apply to students commencing study in the academic year 2025-26 only. Fees for new starters are reviewed annually.
Payment schedule
- Students with Tuition Fee Loan: the Student Loans Company pay fees in line with their schedule (students on an unstructured self-paced part-time course are not eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan).
- Students without a Tuition Fee Loan: pay their fees either in full at the beginning of the programme or in two instalments as follows:
- 50% payable 10 days after the invoice date (expected to be October/November of each academic year)
- 50% in January of the same academic year.
- Students on part-time programmes where fees are paid on a modular basis: cannot pay fees by instalment.
- Sponsored students: must provide us with valid sponsorship information that covers the period of study.
The exact date(s) will be on invoices.
Funding
You may be able to borrow money to help pay your tuition fees and support you with your living costs. Find out more about postgraduate student finance.
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Please note that we may have to close applications before the stated deadline if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We advise you to submit your application as soon as it is ready.
ApplyPlease note that we may have to close applications before the stated deadline if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We advise you to submit your application as soon as it is ready.
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Our code of practice for postgraduate admissions policy explains how the Admissions team considers applications and admits students. Read our postgraduate applicant guidance for more information on applying.
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- Second when students accept their offer and register to study with us (registration terms and conditions will vary depending on your course and academic year).
View our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) for the 2023/24 academic year, as a guide on what to expect.
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Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate, some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.
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