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What makes the MA Criminology programme at Worcester special?

Criminology is a thriving subject at the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ, with academics drawing from a range of disciplines including Sociology, Law and Psychology. You will be joining a welcoming community of peers and colleagues who will support and encourage you to succeed in your endeavours.

The MA in Applied Criminology dynamically integrates theory and practice embracing both learning in the classroom and in placement settings. The course encompasses a range of service user groups, and every effort is made to involve service users, carers, practitioners, and managers from across the criminal justice arena in the learning experience. This course will provide you with opportunities to develop your specialist interests with the variety of assessments, unique work placements and the opportunity to conduct an extended research project on a relevant topic that you are passionate about.

This course has been designed for those who are ready to apply their current knowledge to a practical field, and to increase their knowledge and skills further so they can take the next step in their career. This course is also desirable for those who currently work in the criminal justice sector who would like to gain an MA in their field.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Develop the intellectual, critical, and analytical skills needed for understanding and applying criminological theories and concepts in practice
  • Gain an in-depth understanding of the interactions between criminology and criminal justice, and the impact of public policy in certain areas, via different lenses and perspectives
  • An innovative course taught by experts from criminological, legal, and psychological backgrounds with real-world experience in both research and practice
  • Benefit from research-informed teaching, as well as strong links to wider criminal justice professions through your placement
  • Strong relationships with organisations in the criminal justice system which offers you the opportunity to gain experience in the field of the criminal justice sector
  • Placement opportunities designed to enhance your professional and personal skills, supporting you to apply what you have learned to gain hands on experience with some of our most vulnerable and hard to reach populations in society

Register your interest

Enter your details below and we will keep you up to date with useful information about studying at the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ.


Liam Brabbing

Liam Brabbing

My name is Liam, and after having done 3 years of an undergraduate degree in Single (hons) Criminology, I thought that the MA Applied Criminology was the logical next step! With an interest in rehabilitation and a chance to work directly with vulnerable clients, this master's degree allows me to work with Change Grow Live in a probation setting, which will allow me gain crucial experience I need to thrive in the future that I could not get anywhere else. Following this masters, I aim to use the experience to work in a rehabilitation setting or probation.

Stephani-Ann Weller

Stephani-Ann Weller

I’d previously studied undergraduate Criminology at the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ and thoroughly enjoyed the course. The support that I’d received from the department team made it a pleasurable learning experience. I wanted to continue studying Criminology at a higher level and also develop my professional skills alongside this which is why I decided to apply for the masters. I’m looking forward to developing myself as a professional individual and to further my criminological knowledge with support from the department team and my internship provider which is with the police as this will expose me to the career I want to follow.

Beth Photograph

Beth Mosedale

I recently graduated from my degree in Criminology and went on to apply for the probation service which is my dream job. Even though I have valid qualifications and knowledge I am lacking experience, so I was not recruited. Completing the MA in Applied Criminology will help me apply everything I have learned over the last three years in a real life setting and support my professional skills. I am looking forward to the risk management module on this course and with Amy Johnson’s (course leader) advice and support I have landed myself a role at HMP Birmingham for my internship.

HMP Birmingham is mainly a remand prison so it will be different people I see on a regular basis and my job is to work with small numbers of the prisoners delivering workshops with them to keep their engagement but also teach them skills that they will need upon release.

George case study

George Griffin

I recently graduated from the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ where I studied Criminology with Policing and achieved a 1:1 degree. I chose the MA Applied Criminology at Worcester because the staff are organised and very good at helping me with any queries or problems I have. Furthermore, I wanted to gain experience within the CJS field. I felt this wasn't going to be possible without completing a masters where they give me this experience. I am currently stationed at West Mercia Police at Hindlip Hall as part of the Crime Analyst team.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Prospective students will normally be required to have:

A first degree gained at a 2:1 or above (or equivalent) in a similar subject discipline e.g., Criminology, Law, Psychology, Sociology or policing

OR

Any first degree gained at 2:2 or above with a relevant professional qualification and experience, including but not exclusively, Social Work, Police, Probation, Health and Education

OR

Significant experience of working within a criminal justice sector (i.e., substance use, youth support, courts etc.)

Applicants who have obtained a 2:2 are encouraged to talk to the course leader as decisions will be made on an individual basis and contextual offers can be made.

Those with significant experience of working within the criminal justice area, but without a first degree or professional qualification, will need to evidence through Recognition of Prior Learning procedures how their knowledge and experience demonstrates their potential to meet the programme requirements, which includes meeting the academic requirements of the programme, the ability to communicate effectively and an appropriate understanding of the criminal justice system in the UK.

The Admissions team will provide further guidance.

Other information

You will also be required to provide and pay for an Enhanced DBS check prior to placements on this course, which we advise you apply for as soon as possible, to avoid placement delays and to ensure this is transferable between organisations. It is the student's responsibility to ensure this is in place before commencing on placement.

Successful candidates will be required to complete the University's suitability documentation and an occupational health check as well as obtain an enhanced DBS statement.

Applicants will be required to attend an interview as part of the application process. Interviews will be in person, unless otherwise specified.

The IELTS score for international applicants is 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in component). Other English Language qualifications will be considered.

Who we work with

Lucy Faithfull Foundation logo

Lucy Faithfull Foundation

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is a UK-wide child protection charity that works to stop child sexual abuse. They protect children by working with people who pose a sexual risk and diverting them from causing harm. They support individuals and families who have been affected by abuse, and help professionals who work with families to create safer environments for children.

Maggs Day Centre logo

Maggs Day Centre

Maggs Day Centre operates through two open-door day centres in Worcester and Malvern alongside an outreach team that aims to ‘engage the unengaged’. Working with the most complex individuals who might not be aware of, or confident enough to access our services. There is also an Accommodation Project and Clothing Project, both of which are an integral stepping stones in the journey of those who are sleeping rough or are building confidence to re-enter society.

Safer Together logo

Safer Together

An organisation that supports practitioners from all sectors, navigate the ever evolving and complex safeguarding landscape. At Safer Together they recognise that children, families and adults are presenting with multi-faceted risks and vulnerabilities – something which can be both overwhelming for practitioners to respond to at both strategic and operational levels.

Safer Together provides expert consultancy, training and support, as well as seeking to be a voice for the voiceless.

Anawim logo

Anawim

Anawim brings people together from a range of communities and backgrounds to help women understand the impact of their trauma, and to begin the healing process by overcoming obstacles and learning how to move forward to a brighter future for themselves and their families.

Not only do they provide a tailored package of support for women through a variety of interventions, but their caseworkers also understand how to deal with the complexities involved in helping women find work, improve their wellbeing, resolve health issues or access the services they need.

West Mercia Police logo

West Mercia Police

West Mercia Police provides policing services to the areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and the Wrekin and Worcestershire. The police force area covers 2,860 square miles in the west of England.

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner West Mercia logo

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)

The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account. They are responsible for the totality of policing. PCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their police force area.

Change Grow Live logo

Change, Grow, Live

Change, Grow, Live help with challenges including drugs or alcohol, trouble with housing, domestic abuse, or your mental and physical wellbeing. Our services are free and confidential.

West Mercia Women's Aid logo

West Mercia Women's Aid

1 in 4 women in the UK will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives. WMWA works for a world that is free from domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, where everyone can live without the fear and reality of all forms of violence, abuse and discrimination.

YSS logo

YSS

YSS stands for “Your Support Services (YSS)”.  They are committed to helping young people and adults overcome adversity, and enabling them to achieve independence. 

The Drive Project logo

The Drive Project

The Drive Project is an innovative domestic abuse intervention that aims to reduce the number of child and adult victims by disrupting and changing perpetrator behaviour.

The project focuses on high-risk, high-harm and/or serial perpetrators, as this group carries the greatest risk of serious harm, and engagement with available services is low. Drive implements a whole-system approach using intensive case management alongside a coordinated multi-agency response, working closely with victim services, the police, probation, children’s social services, housing, substance misuse and mental health teams.

Course content

Course content

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and by feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course.

Modules

Applied Criminology Dissertation

CRMN4700 - 60 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

The dissertation module provides students with the opportunity to work on a suitable subject of their own choice and to utilise the techniques developed in the applied research module.

An MA dissertation is designed to assess a student's ability to define a researchable thesis in the light of past and current academic research, that is underpinned by a theoretical lens. Students need to demonstrate a capacity for independent thought and to use their critical and analytical abilities, including the use of appropriate research methods, in the interpretation of a substantial quantity of relevant material (empirical and theoretical).

The dissertation will follow a primary data approach, where students must collect their own data. It is expected the write up of the dissertation will meet publication standards, and students will present their work at a postgraduate conference. Students will carefully select data collection methods based on ethical processes and a structured research proposal consideration all ethical considerations and challenges that may rise.

Professional Criminology Practice

CRMN4701 - 30 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module aims to enable students to contextualise the theories, principles and concepts learnt during the master’s programme and apply these in a real-world setting.

Students will spend 2 days a week throughout their masters study with an organisation in the criminal justice field.

Through completion of this module, students will demonstrate qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment including the ability to exercise initiative and personal responsibility, to engage in decision making in dynamic contexts and to critically evaluate and synthesise complex information. Students will also demonstrate the learning ability needed to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

Applied Research Methods in Criminology

CRMN4702 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module aims to consolidate undergraduate research abilities, and equip the student with the skills necessary to undertake Masters level research. It is one of the core modules in the course and underpins the dissertation module. Within this overall context the course has three specific objectives:

  • (i) To provide an introduction to the importance of ethical processes when conducting both qualitative and quantitative research methods and the relationship between theory and methods in criminological research.
  • (ii) To offer an introduction to the practicalities of thinking about and doing qualitative and quantitative criminological research.
  • (iii) To enable students to use and critically evaluate qualitative and quantitative data for the purposes of criminological research.

Risk Management

CRMN4703 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module is designed to provide students with a thorough grounding in the underpinning theory and methods of risk assessment and risk management utilised within criminal justice settings.

This module includes the holistic (physical, psychological and social) assessment and management of people with personality disorder and/or challenging behaviour in settings where offenders will be present (i.e., police custody/ prison service/ psychiatric wards etc.).

The concepts of risk will be explored in this module, including risk to self, others and vulnerability; risk of suicide and self-harm will be a particular area of focus. Several different risk assessment tools and strategies to assess people will be explored. The skills necessary to assess problems including offenders’ motivation for change and understanding of intervention will be practised. 

Current topics in Crime

CRMN4704 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module allows students to explore contemporary debates surrounding crime and criminal justice. Students will connect with the academic and practical implications of broader justice issues to formulate their own understanding of the impact of social, political, and cultural contexts.

Through the focus of current affairs and public narratives (both academic and societal), this module offers a flexible approach to debating central topics within the wider discipline of Criminology.

Complex Criminal Investigation

CRMN4705 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module will explore, in depth, the challenges which arise when investigating complex crime and how these challenges can sometimes de-rail an investigation, for example, case investigative failings, accusations of bias and discrimination in aspects of investigations, challenges to poor practice and/or effectiveness in specific types of investigations (i.e., rape, domestic abuse, volume crime).

This module seeks to enhance students understanding of modern complexities and challenges within criminal investigations and offers flexibility to encompass issues that arise in a constantly changing landscape. The module will consider aspects of case investigations of child abuse, child death investigation, and sexual offences in relation to children, vulnerable adults and others. 

Lived Experience, Equality and Diversity

CRMN4706 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

It is important to amplify the voices of those with lived experience and as such, a diversity of individuals with lived experience as ‘experts by experience’ will support the delivery of this module.

The university has its own lived experience group (IMPACT) and will provide their input across the module, encouraging students to consider what’s important to service-users, helping in the development of project service-user facing materials, data analysis, synthesis and framework development, report writing, and dissemination.

Sharing lived experiences and knowledge, the guest speakers and students explore the pillars of welfare education, housing, employment, health and social security in relation to crime and criminal justice.

Leadership and Interpersonal Skills in Criminology

CRMN4707 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module is designed to assist students in the development of their leadership and interpersonal skills to support with both their practical placement and future employment endeavours.

Students are supported through structured lectures to build a foundational and theoretical understanding of the importance of leadership and interpersonal skills in the context of Criminological practice. This learning will then be transferred into practical weekly workshops.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and assessment

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services, and also the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, and seminars. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures and are focused on developing subject specific skills and applied individual and group project work. Practice-based learning across the  provides direct experience of working with individuals associated with the criminal justice sector and within professional teams. 

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least four occasions throughout your course. You will also receive monthly supervision as part of your placement module, with regular supervision from your host organisation (this will differ between organisations).

Contact time

Your programme comprises seven taught modules with teaching and learning activities running across three semesters, and a dissertation.

Full time students (starting in September) complete all seven taught modules across two semesters, plus the dissertation within a third semester in one academic year (12 months). In addition to this, you will be engaged in independent learning (assessment preparation for taught modules and dissertation planning/supervision sessions). It is expected you will undertake around 12 hours of personal self-study per week if you are a full-time student.

Part time students are expected to undertake around 6 hours of personal self-study per week. In total, it is expected that as a full-time student you will be spending 37 hours per week engaged in study and placement. As a part time student, you will select which modules and how many you want to complete in each year, with your dissertation in the final year.

Alongside the taught component of this course, you will be required to engage with a placement that is 72 days in length. Broken down, this equates to you attending placement twice a week across all three semesters.

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 12 hours of personal self-study per week if you are a full-time student. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including The Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Duration

  • Full-time: 1 year
  • Part-time: 2-3 years

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments.

Each module has one formal or ‘summative’ assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include written examinations and a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations and a final year independent studies project.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the modules taken, but some examples of assessments include:

  • Dissertation in an applied setting
  • Research analysis portfolio
  • Conference Presentation
  • Reflective Essay
  • Diary Journal alongside your placement
  • Case Formulation Practical
  • Case Review
  • Narrative Synthesis (conducted after listening to those with lived experiences)
  • Problem Scenario

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics, professional practitioners with industry experience, demonstrators and technical officers.

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, .

Meet the team

You will be taught by a highly qualified and experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. Most teaching is directly related to the research and publications of the lecturers and 66 per cent of course lecturers have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson

Amy has been a lecturer at the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ for four years. Amy enjoys bringing real-world challenges and issues into her classroom and draws upon her experience of working with various client groups (homelessness, addictions, offending and domestic abuse) to demonstrate application. Specifically, Amy enjoys listening to her student’s ambitions and supporting them throughout their degree to reach their potential. Amy has been working with organisations across Worcestershire to ensure students have the best volunteer and work placement opportunities.

Amy enjoys researching offending behaviour and exploring how the criminal justice system is set up to support individuals with behavioural challenges and those who have a lower intellectual ability. Amy has an interest in the development of behaviour change interventions and evidence-based practice, particularly within the community and healthcare settings. Most recently, Amy is working on a large scale research project relating to the development of an integrated intervention targeting men in substance use treatment who perpetrate intimate partner abuse. Over the past twelve months, Amy has been delivering intimate partner violence and ADVANCE training all over the UK to practitioners at substance use services.

michael-allen

Michael Allen

Michael is a former police officer who served 27 years in West Mercia Police. He was fortunate enough to serve the community in a broad range of operational front-line policing duties.

After serving 12 years in a wide variety of uniform policing roles, Michael became a Detective and later Detective Sergeant. He developed a keen interest in interviewing, which included the interviewing of suspected offenders, victims of crime, and witnesses involved in serious and major crime investigations.

Isabel Gilbert

Isabel Gilbert

Isabel has a background in the heritage sector and has specialised in the relationship between interpretations of history and racism in contemporary society. She brings her knowledge of societal inequality, social justice, symbolism, politics and ideology, and the influence of popular culture to the subject of Criminology.

Isabel enjoys researching cultural conflict, social justice movements, reactionary politics and legacies of colonialism.

mikahil-sulaiman-azad

Mikahil Sulaiman Azad

Mikahil Azad is a Lecturer in Criminology at the University Worcester. He joined the team in September 2023 and has previously taught at Birmingham City University and Arden University in Criminology. Mikahil is toward the end of his doctoral research which focuses upon safety in and around the space of mosques using ethnographic methodologies.

matthew-jellis

Matthew Jellis

Matthew is Programme Director MSc Occupational Psychology (BPS Accredited), MSc Business Psychology.

His research interests include the influence of psychopathic traits on career development; personnel selection assessment and training; and police use of firearms.

Micheal Sheath

Michael Sheath

Michael worked as a Probation Officer for almost ten years, in prison and community settings, including hostels, ‘Unpaid Work’, Divorce Court Welfare, group work, supervision, and pre-sentence report writing. He received the Butler Trust Award for my prison based work with male victims of sexual abuse.

felix-why

Dr Felix Why

Felix is a HCPC registered health and occupational psychologist. His research interests are personality and individual differences in health and occupational outcomes and interventions in behavioural change. He teaches in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in research methods and statistics, personality, health, and occupational psychology.

Careers

Careers

You will develop a range of skills on this course that should have an immediate and positive impact on your professional role.

For those who would like to start working in the areas of criminal justice, your increased knowledge and skill set should prepare you for future job applications in the arena.

For those already working in this sector, you will enhance your ability to critically reflect on your professional practice and make valuable contributions to service improvement.

Costs

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fee for full-time home and EU students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes courses in the academic year 2025/26 is £9,450 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes courses in the academic year 2025/26 is £17,900 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for essential books, stationery, printing and photocopying. As part of the course you will need to travel to placements and will therefore need to pay any associated costs. You may be able to reclaim these travel expenses depending on your individual circumstances.

You will also be required to provide and pay for an Enhanced DBS check prior to placements on this course, which we advise you apply for as soon as possible, to avoid placement delays and to ensure this is transferable between organisations.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Halls' at £131 per week to 'Ensuite Premium Halls' at £228 per week (2025/26 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.

Postgraduate loans

The Government will provide a loan of up to £12,471 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2024 per eligible student for postgraduate Masters study. It will be at your own discretion whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs.

For more details visit our postgraduate loans page.

How to apply

How to apply

Apply for enrolment

Please make your application via our online application form. If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions office on 01905 855111 or admissions@worc.ac.uk

International applicants

If you are an international student, please visit our international applicant pages.

If you have any questions about the application process please contact our international team via international@worc.ac.uk  or +44 (0)1905 542640. 

If you are interested in applying for this course please begin by making an application below:

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Amy Johnson

Course leader

Postgraduate Admissions Office