MA in Crime and Justice - Learning Outcomes

Educational aims

This qualification aims to provide:

  • an advanced understanding of the study of crime, harm and justice within both global and local contexts
  • research literacy skills
  • enhanced abilities to locate, assess and utilise different forms of data and evidence
  • the ability to communicate effectively with academic and non-academic audiences (including via online contributions)
  • support and guidance to improve your writing and collaborative skills and to develop as a reflective, independent learner.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of this masters degree, you will have knowledge and understanding of:

  • key concepts, theories and methods relevant to studies of crime, justice and harm, demonstrating a critical and advanced understanding of them 
  • the complex interrelationships between theory, research, policy and practice relevant to studies of crime, justice and harm. These include everyday applications to socio-economic and legal processes and professional contexts
  • the role of power, cultural values, and ethics for practices, concepts and assumptions that influence research and professional practice on crime, justice and harm.

Cognitive skills

On completion of this masters degree, you will be able to:

  • define, critically examine and apply concepts, theories and evidence to studies of crime, justice and harm
  • critically select, interpret, evaluate and use different forms of evidence and methods, with a clear awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of different data
  • interrogate the concepts of crime, justice and harm at an advanced level, to enable independent evaluation of evidence, method, research and policy
  • construct sophisticated, and explicitly reasoned and evidenced arguments in relation to complex real-life problems using appropriate concepts, theory and evidence
  • critically and independently review an existing research-policy evidence base in a specific subject area.

Practical and/or professional skills

On completion of this masters degree, you will be able to:

  • independently plan, conduct and manage a sequence of work to meet agreed deadlines
  • make effective contributions to group work facilitating the collaborative completion of tasks to solve problems
  • recognise the relevance and applicability of reflective, analytic and evaluative skills in other contexts such as the workplace
  • use and reflect on your own learning to further develop knowledge and understanding, cognitive skills and other key transferable skills to achieve personal and/or career goals.

Key skills

On completion of this masters degree,  you will be able to demonstrate the following skills:

  • apply self-direction to identify and generate key questions and issues in the study of crime, justice and harm
  • work independently to produce complex analyses suitable for academic, professional and/or lay audiences
  • effectively use data of various sorts (numerical, textual), from diverse sources (academic, policy research, secondary material), and from different media (print, electronic, verbal) in a sophisticated and critical manner
  • develop and display an advanced ability to learn through reflection, and feedback, using appropriate, professional, and scholarly language and apply these in various situations.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

Knowledge and understanding is acquired through distance-learning materials, including specially written module materials delivered through our virtual learning environment (VLE), study guides, assignments and assessment guides; through a range of multimedia material; through work on original and ‘classic’ texts; through tutorials; and through feedback on assignments as well as peer review, peer feedback and personal reflection.

Assessment, in the majority of cases, is via tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) and end-of-module assessments (EMAs). There will be low-weighted group tasks and assessments requiring non-academic styles of presentation. Overall there is an emphasis on the selection (from diverse electronic sources), evaluation and use of material from a range of sources including original academic texts.

« Back to MA in Crime and Justice description