Criminal Justice and Criminal Law

Compulsory modules studied throughout the year will introduce you to fundamental principles, theories, concepts and approaches in the fields of criminal law and criminal justice. You’ll also explore and examine the intricate and complex relationships and dynamics between criminological theory, research and practice, and the impact of criminal justice processes on individuals and social groups, often in the wider context of social and political change.

These modules will also enable you to hone your critical and analytical abilities and your legal research and writing skills, which you’ll be able to demonstrate in your dissertation – an independent piece of research on your chosen topic.

If you study with us, you’ll also benefit from our academic skills programme. This 10-week programme runs alongside your taught academic programme, and is specifically designed to meet the needs of home and international students in the School of Law. It allows you to refine and develop the academic and transferable skills to excel during your taught postgraduate programmes, as well as prepare for professional roles after graduation.

Our optional modules will give you the opportunity to gain specialist knowledge in topics that interest you. An indicative list of optional modules is provided below.

If you are a part-time student, you’ll take four compulsory modules in your first year. You’ll then take the compulsory dissertation module and your chosen one or two optional modules in your second year.

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Modules Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Criminal Justice Processes 30 credits
• Contemporary Criminological Theory and Approaches 30 credits
• Dissertation Criminal Law/Criminal Justice 60 credits
• Central Issues in Criminal Law 15 credits
• Postgraduate Legal Research Skills 15 credits

Optional modules

• Policing 1: The Nature of Contemporary Policing 15 credits
• Policing 2: Accountability of Policing 15 credits
• Security and Justice 30 credits
• European Human Rights 15 credits
• Cyberlaw: Regulation of Cyberspace 15 credits
• Globalisation and Crime 15 credits
• International Human Rights 30 credits
• Human Rights and Disabled People 1 15 credits
• Human Rights and Disabled People 2 15 credits
• Global Justice 30 credits
• Theorising Gender 1 30 credits
• Understanding Society and Culture 30 credits
• Power, Critique & Global Transformations 15 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Criminal Justice and Criminal Law LLM Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Criminal Justice and Criminal Law LLM Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

Our compulsory and optional modules are taught through a range of weekly seminars, lectures and workshops.

You’ll need to prepare for your seminars and lectures, undertaking any exercises that might be prescribed in advance. Independent study is integral to this programme – not just to prepare for classes but to develop research abilities and other critical skills.

The LLM Degrees Director will be your personal supervisor and will support you throughout the programme.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed using a variety of methods but for most modules you’ll be required to write an essay of up to 4,500 words at the end of each module. You’ll also be expected to write a final dissertation.