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Why Lancaster?
Pick from a wide selection of optional modules that cover a broad range of topics, from violence to human rights
Look at society’s biggest problems through a lens of social inclusion, disorder and justice
Be the first to hear about our research in policing, cybercrime, drugs and society, and more
Become confident with a range of research methods and carry out your own project on a topic that interests you
Join a lively community of students and staff who have a diverse range of interests within the field of criminology
The world is a live laboratory. As a criminologist, you can analyse different issues, investigate change as it happens and use theory to make sense of it. By joining us at Lancaster, we’ll help you look at the motivations behind different crimes and assess potential solutions to key issues.
Understanding society
What are the implications of climate change for policing? Is it time to scale back on prisons? What do we need to know about cannabis cultivation? These are just a few examples of questions you might think about as a criminology student. We’ll cover the most current challenges and share the research we’re doing right now.
You’ll be part of a vibrant community. There’s always something going on within the department, whether that’s a guest lecture or a research group meeting. Our staff will talk to you about their latest work too, and share the issues they’ve faced in their own work around ethics, such as finding a safe way to explore cybercrime.
Focus on law
Studying our LLM Criminology and Criminal Justice, you’ll focus on the relationship between law and criminology. Our bespoke Research Methods in Law module will help you understand how to carry out ethical research and design projects.
You’ll apply everything you’ve learnt to your dissertation. This will look at an area of criminology and its relationship to law. Examples of previous dissertation topics include ’Criminalizing Coercive Control in Indonesia’ and ‘Ethnic Profiling in the context of counter-terrorism in Belgium and the UK’,
Master's Programmes in Criminology at Lancaster University
Discover the key features of studying a master's degree in Criminology at Lancaster University. Enter the fascinating world of Criminology and the exciting career prospects that await.
Careers
By the time you finish this course, you’ll be confident carrying out different types of research and analysing data. We’ll also make sure you know how to write critically about complex social problems. Employers will value all of these skills, as well as your ability to present ideas confidently and clearly about a range of issues to different audiences.
Armed with a degree in this area, you can go in different directions. You might use your research skills to continue to PhD study or you could look for a role working with young offenders or victims of crime.
Your degree could lead to a job in:
The Home Office
Probation service
Social services
Non-profit-making organisations
The NHS
Educational institutions and charities
Whatever you decide to do next, you’ll understand the world through different perspectives and think about social issues in a new way.
Entry requirements
Academic Requirements
2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in any discipline.
We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.
If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.
English Language Requirements
We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.
We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 5.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.
Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.
Course structure
You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
Core
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The Crime and Criminal Justice in the 21st Century module introduces you to the nature and extent of crime and criminal justice policy in contemporary society. You will have the opportunity to gain an overview of crime and criminal justice statistics, with a critical understanding of how such statistics are socially constructed. You will also have the chance to gain an overview of current and recent trends in criminal justice policy, and an in-depth understanding of some of the key social dimensions of crime and justice (eg age, gender, race, social class) and some key criminological challenges for the 21st century (eg Cybercrime, Corporate Crime, Environmental Crime).
The module aims to:
Develop a critical understanding of the concepts (for instance, ‘crime’, ‘offender’ and ‘victim’) central to criminological study and their relationships to each other;
Foster a critical awareness of the role of power (including individual, corporate and political power) in defining crime, developing policies to deal with it and in labelling offenders and victims;
Identify, debate, analyse and understand emerging patterns of crime and criminal justice that look to characterise and dominate the early 21st century;
Critically study contemporary bases of crime and criminalisation and its intellectual and historical antecedents.
The Criminological Theory module provides you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the key concepts and theoretical approaches that have been developed, and are continuing to develop, in relation to crime, victimisation and responses to crime and deviance.
The module gives you the opportunity to further develop the critical, analytical and written skills necessary to conceptualize and explain criminological problems— as well as the evaluative skills necessary to assess and put criminological theories into operation through research.
The dissertation is an independent, in-depth inquiry into a research topic of your choosing. The topic will relate to a key legal question or issue and may also directly relate to your professional/career interests.
You will:
Identify and define a discrete research topic in Law
Complete and submit a Dissertation Proposal Form, signed by your supervisor
Carry out a literature review of the relevant field, incorporating a comprehensive range of relevant legal materials
Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the selected legal issues through independent research
Construct and sustain a cohesive argument within your writing
Outline the implications of your findings and how they may inform further research, policy or practice
This is your opportunity to make a contribution to the legal and academic community with new and original research and writing on a legal issue.
The dissertation is a compulsory component with a 15,000-word limit.
Please note: topics can only be approved if the University has sufficient sources for the research and the necessary staff expertise for supervision.
This module is an essential element in developing skills and understanding of research and writing methods at an advanced level. You will have the opportunity to develop understanding and insights into how to carry out good academic work, what characterises ethical research, how to be conscientious about research methods, and how choices of methods will impact on their research and outcomes. You will also have the chance to address how to design research projects, approach research and writing in an analytical and critical manner, and how to reference correctly. The module will include sessions on critical writing, and how to get one’s own voice through in the text. Typically, the final part of the module will be devoted to preparing you for the dissertation planning and writing.
Optional
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The Criminological Research in Practice module presents research to provide you with insights into the realities of criminological research in practice, the process of research from inception of idea through development of research proposals (and applications for funding) and execution of fieldwork to dissemination of findings and contributions to development of theory and knowledge. Lectures showcase individual research projects, highlighting methodological (including practical and ethical) difficulties and how they are overcome, and the relationship between the research process and expanding the body of knowledge within the field of criminology.
The module aims to:
Develop a critical understanding of the realities of criminological research from project inception through to dissemination of findings.
Foster a critical awareness of experiencing unforeseen methodological, practical and ethical challenges in the research process and ways to overcome these.
Provide a working familiarity with a range of funding sources and how to apply to them.
Develop knowledge and understanding of developments in a selection of criminological topics.
This module will provide you with the core conceptual and theoretical approaches that have been developed to explain the problem of violence within criminology. You are given the opportunity to further develop the analytical, critical and written skills required to assess, explain and conceptualize the impact and prevalence of criminal violence on contemporary society. Topics typically include:
· Violence and Civilization
· Violence and the Great Crime Decline
· Violence and Gender
· Violence and the Domestic Sphere
· Violence and Nonhumans
· Drugs and Violence
· Violence and Hooliganism
· Violence and Hate
· Violence and Youth
· Media, Violence and Crime
What are the merits of international criminal justice? And what are the main challenges that present themselves in this area of law?
This module provides you with an opportunity to consider these key questions as you benefit from an introduction to substantive international criminal law.
You will explore the central theme of international crimes, deepening your understanding of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Within your analysis, you will address the role of international courts and tribunals, mixed and hybrid courts and tribunals, as well as developments in national courts.
This is your chance to critically engage with stimulating examples of prosecution and punishment, which are central to the subject of international criminal law. Your studies will be informed by the convenor’s cutting-edge research on transitional criminal justice and retrospective justice.
A combination of independent reading and regular seminars will provide you with a sound grasp of this fascinating legal discipline.
How do international laws protect, govern and shape your human rights?
This module provides an overview of the various rights that are protected through international instruments: civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
You will also be given a general introduction to regional and universal systems for human rights protection and promotion. This will focus on the UN human rights system but you will be encouraged to take a comparative view of regional human rights protection systems.
You will have the opportunity to gain a substantive and procedural knowledge of human rights through the international system. And you’ll engage with some key debates in this legal arena, such as the development of human rights and the human rights obligations of non-state actors.
To get the most from this module, you will have some knowledge of general international law and have a law or social science background.
Our Law School is home to research-active academics, you will have the chance to benefit from some of their expertise as many teach on areas closely aligned with their own research interests.
Terrorism continues to be one of the greatest global challenges we face in the pursuit of international peace, stability and security.
This is a stimulating module that explores concepts from many areas of the law, including civil liberties, international law, criminal justice and human rights.
During the course of your studies you will look at the legal definitions of terrorism – from a regional, national, and international perspective. And you will have the opportunity to use counter-terrorism case studies to examine specific aspects of preventative justice measures.
This is a fast-moving and unpredictable area of law, so the material that we cover may change in order to track the prevailing issues and latest developments. However, typically you will consider civil liberties alongside some of the contemporary challenges facing domestic and international legal systems.
The examination of the topics is carried out through a vigorous interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach – offering you greater understanding and appreciation of the subject matter.
Our Law School is home to lawyers and research-active academics - you will benefit from their expertise as they teach on areas closely aligned with their own research interests.
The Clinical Legal Education module will allow you to provide legal advice in real-life cases. You will take instructions from a client, identify the relevant issues at hand, conduct research on an appropriate strategy to resolve this dispute legally and communicate advice to the client. By doing this, you will have the opportunity to develop your legal skills, particularly your research, fact-analysis and legal analysis. It will provide an insight into how law operates in practice and how those providing legal advice are bound by codes of ethics. In doing this, you will be under the supervision of a professionally-qualified solicitor or barrister.
To study this module, students are required to have a Qualifying Law Degree for England and Wales.
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2025, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
Scholarships and bursaries
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
Our Students’ Charter
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.
