大象传媒

The basic aims of both MPhil programmes are:

• to offer up-to-date and high-quality degree courses, introducing students to some of the most important theory, methods and research in criminology;
• to offer a sound academic foundation to those who aspire to undertake a PhD and/or a career in teaching and research in criminology or related fields; and
• to provide a sound foundation of knowledge and methodological skills to those who wish to work in a wide range of criminal justice agencies, the legal profession, or other professional or voluntary organisations.

The MPhil in Criminological Research provides a foundational education in prominent criminological theories, research methods, and areas of criminological knowledge. Compulsory modules on criminological theories and research methods familiarise students with historic and contemporary criminological thinking and research. A variety of optional seminars are on offer each year covering a wide range of criminological topics. What is on offer varies by year, but in recent years has included topics such as criminal justice, policing, crime prevention, organised crime, the sociology of punishment, the sociology of prison life, psychiatry and crime, developmental criminology, neurocriminology, social contexts of crime, and cross-cultural comparative criminology.

Students should acquire: an understanding of core criminological and criminal justice theories; a critical awareness of current problems and debates within the field; originality in application of knowledge to current issues; and skills in critical evaluation of theoretical and empirical literature relevant to criminological and criminal justice research; a comprehensive understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods used in criminology; the ability to use acquired knowledge to propose new hypotheses and address research problems; the ability to organise research; the ability to independently acquire and interpret additional knowledge needed for their own research; and an understanding of the quality of work required to satisfy peer review; the ability to use national data banks and develop competencies in devising and implementing surveys, active mastery of advanced statistics; the ability to use a range of qualitative methods such as interviews, observation and ethnography, and documentary and discourse analysis, and the ability to apply those research techniques to current research questions and the ability to use theoretical knowledge creatively and independently in order to be able to handle practical issues arising in empirical work; to understand the problems of knowledge transfer to non-specialist audiences, and develop skills in communicating criminological knowledge to specialist and non-specialist audiences.