About this course
MA Criminology and Social Policy at Liverpool John Moores University offers critical approaches to the study of crime, social harm and criminal justice.
This course is currently not open for applications. This page will be updated with a link to apply when applications open.
- Learn from a range of experts in an interdisciplinary research environment
- Benefit from excellent research-led teaching focused on the interplay of theory, policy and practice
- Enjoy strong local, national and international links with academics, community groups and justice campaigns
- Personalise your postgraduate degree via a research pathway, a work placement route, or a combination of both
The study of Criminology is not just about the institutions of the criminal justice system. You will be encouraged to take a critical approach that examines issues of power, inequalities and social harm.
This interdisciplinary MA gives you the chance to look at Criminology from the perspective of various other disciplines such as Geography, History, Psychology, Political Science and Sociology.
As well as developing your advanced skills in research and theoretical application, the programme places a strong emphasis on the implications for policy and practice. It includes a strong comparative component, encouraging students to consider some of the international dimensions of crime, social harm and state responses to them.
Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Core modules
Leadership, Engagement and People Performance
20 credits
20 credits
This module's primary objectives are to help students initiate their studies by identifying personal and professional leadership development goals through self-reflection, considering aspects such as personal identity, the social context of leadership with and through others, and evaluating the influence of their business or organizational context on leadership practices. Additionally, the module aims to equip students with the skills required to effectively engage in and manage performance in their surrounding business environment.
Leadership and Strategic Performance
20 credits
20 credits
This module enables you to develop leadership and strategic performance by:
- providing an understanding of the external business environment, taking into account global perspectives, governance and accountability as well as social, technological and policy implications.
- focusing on leadership and communication and bringing opportunities and strengths together
- enabling you to build strategies which lead to high performance in the working environment
Marketing Context and Relationship Management
10 credits
10 credits
This module aims to provide an understanding of marketing context and the importance of relationship management by:
- providing you with an understanding of marketing orientation, its antecedents, and subsequent uses both externally and internally
- developing your appreciation of the nature of organisational relationships and the importance of managing these effectively
Digital Business Innovation
10 credits
10 credits
This module aims to:
- enable you to understand digital business
- understand how digital technology is reshaping traditional business models
- focus on innovation and the development of strategic priorities to deliver business at speed in a digital environment
Research Strategies for Practitioners
10 credits
10 credits
This module enables you to develop a conceptual framework from which research philosophies, strategies and methods associated with leadership business and management can be critically reviewed. You will apply research methods in the strategic leadership/business consultancy project to develop yourself as a reflective, scholarly practitioner.
Strategic Business Consultancy Project
60 credits
60 credits
This module aims to:
- enable you to undertake a work-based strategic business consultancy project
- put into practice the skills and knowledge gained over the duration of your course
- apply concepts from wider management literature
- provide you with an the opportunity to conceptualise and propose high performance strategies focusing on growth/sustainable outcomes
Smart Solutions and Information modelling
20 credits
20 credits
Smart Resources, Resilience and Sustainable Finance
20 credits
20 credits
Smart Governance, Citizens and Management
10 credits
10 credits
Your Learning Experience
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
The 180-credit programme will be taught across three semesters.
Each pathway will consist of one 60 credit module (either a dissertation or placement module) undertaken across the whole academic year. Accompanying this, students study two core modules in their first semester, and two optional modules in semester two. Part time students undertake one core module and two options in their first year, and their dissertation/practice-based research module and final core module in their second year.
Teaching methods
Teaching is delivered via a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars and one-to-one consultations with your tutors. You will also be expected to study independently and conduct your own self-directed research.
The teaching team is committed to ensuring you get the most out of your learning experience. Staff have office hours during which you can visit them to discuss your work and progress. You will also be allocated a personal tutor who will guide and support you throughout your time at LJMU.
Applied learning
The MA takes a student centred approach to learning, offering you the opportunity to individualise and customise your postgraduate degree by taking either a research pathway through it, a work placement route, or even a combination of both. You will be encouraged to take a fresh look at some established criminological theories and ideas, as well as being given a space through which some of the fields most contemporary and cutting-edge debates can be engaged with.
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Staff on this programme place a high value on providing tailored feedback to students and you will normally receive extensive written feedback on assessments and regular feedback. This is designed to help you achieve your full potential.
Depending on the route you select, you will undertake either a 60 credit Masters Dissertation or a 60 credit assessed placement. Other forms of assessment may include: essays, exams, reports and briefing papers, case studies, portfolios, posters, presentations, debates, reviews and group work.
Where you will study
Based within the John Foster Building on the Mount Pleasant Campus the School of Humanities and Social Science has many outstanding facilities, including well-equipped IT Suites, a light-filled Student Common Room and dedicated postgraduate study areas. At the back of the John Foster Building is the Aldham Robarts Library, which gives access to an exceptional range of materials to support the study of humanities and social science.
Course tutors
Dr Will Jackson is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Programme Leader for the MA Criminology and Social Policy. Will joined LJMU as Lecturer in Criminology in September 2013 having previously taught at the University of Central Lancashire. Will's teaching is focussed on criminological theory, the history of criminology and criminal justice, policing, and interpersonal violence. His main research interests are: policing, political activism, and arts based methods for criminological research.
Career paths
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 94% (HESA 2022) of our postgraduates in work or further study fifteen months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
The MA Criminology and Social Policy degree would be particularly relevant to people working in, or hoping to work in, a range of fields including:
- research
- academia
- charities and community organisations
- children, young people's and youth justice fields
- the investigation of miscarriages of justice
- social work, prison and probation services
- policing
- media research
- writing and journalism
- teaching
- policy and administration
- government
- victim support
Research in action
LJMU academics worked alongside an artist to create a board game that brings the experiences of life on probation to the general public.
Exhibiting work in one of the countrys leading modern art galleries is not a typical experience for Criminologists, but academics from within LJMU's Criminal Justice and Criminology departments can now add this to their list of achievements. Alongside artist Hwa Young Jung, the team revealed a thought-provoking, interactive art piece a board game entitled, Probationary: The Game of Life on Licence at the Tate Modern for The Production of Truth, Justice and History exhibition hosted by the University of Warwick.
Produced through workshops with men on licence, Probationary explores the lived experience of being on probation. The board game format enables players to follow the journey of four characters as they work through the complexities of the probation process.
Board games, from Monopoly to the Game of Life, contain the structures and values of the society in which they are produced presenting back to us the world in which we live. Taking this as a starting point, Probationary reflects real experiences of being subject to the criminal justice system and presents an opportunity to collectively play, understand and discuss such systems within contemporary society.
Tuition fees and funding
- Fee:
- £5,620
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.
Financial Support
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages. The University offers a range of financial support for students. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist financial support pages including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.
Additional Costs
In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:
- Accommodation
- Travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
- Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
Alternative qualifications considered
International requirements
Other international requirements
Please Note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check.
How to apply
Securing your place at LJMU
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The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.