Criminology, Communities and Disorder MSc

Buckinghamshire New University

At Buckinghamshire New University, we have a long history of education in policing and courses designed to help manage crime in society. Our wide range of courses give real depth to our knowledge and our academic team continue to push the boundaries with new research.

Our MSc in Criminology, Communities and Disorder combines sociology with criminology, enabling you to gain a broad but in-depth understanding of many contemporary social issues. You can apply this outlook more specifically to social disorder and community issues, giving you the grounding you need to improve your career prospects.

Why study this subject? Are you naturally curious and analytically minded? Studying Criminology, Communities and Disorder master’s degree will open your eyes to the problems we need to solve for society to be safer. You'll find out how you can use research methods to answer important questions and understand the criminal mind.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? Our Criminology, Communities and Disorder master’s programme will help you gain a greater understanding of the many social issues which exist in our contemporary communities. It covers those issues which are specifically crime and social disorder related and widens the scope of the role of the community.

If you have previously studied criminology and policing and other social sciences, you will be able to widen the depth of your undergraduate knowledge to include a specific community perspective.

A stronger understanding of Criminology is particularly useful if you work within the criminal justice system, local council or government. Examining research and theory will deal with day-to-day problems in the workplace in a more effective way.

What facilities can I use? We think it's important for you to develop your skills in a realistic setting. Our criminal investigative suite includes a custody desk, interview room, cell and crime scene investigation room. There are also seminar rooms with live and recorded video feed.

Criminology, police studies and law students use these facilities, but the criminal investigative suite is also used by Thames Valley Police and their scene of crime officers for training.

What will I study? Our MSc in Criminology, Communities and Disorder will help develop your analytical understanding of the relationship between crime and community. Progressing to more complex issues such as social disorder and social tension, you'll see society from a range of perspectives. You will gain an understanding of the social causes of crime and how these issues can be effectively managed in society.

As you learn about the key concepts of Criminology, you'll also examine the sociological, legal and criminal justice theories used to interpret the actions of criminals and the impact on society.

You will study the events of the last 30 years to determine how social, political and cultural motions have shaped our response to recent events.

The course reflects the latest policies and methods used within the criminal justice system. This course also focuses on social research methods and the ethical and methodological elements of conducting research.

How will I be taught and assessed? As researchers themselves, your lecturers are experts in research process and methodology. They will use their expertise and experience to help guide your studies. You'll be kept up-to-date with the latest theories and findings that influence our perspective on current events.

The programme offers an innovative and challenging array of assessments from evidence-based workshops, reports and presentations to traditional essays and case study analysis, which will allow you to develop your academic expertise and gain empirical research skills.