Overview
The MPhil in Criminology 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.
For further information contact the Graduate Administrators: Mrs Charlotte Caselton and Mrs Faith Payne.
Career Opportunities
Studying Criminology in Cambridge provides a useful preparation for a wide variety of careers. Students acquire a wide range of transferable skills such as the ability to write clearly and analytically about complex issues, to engage effectively in argument and debate, to analyse qualitative and quantitative data and to conduct independent research.
Graduates of the course are engaged in teaching and criminological research all over the world, and many have embarked on careers in the legal profession or in organisations working within the prison, police, probation, or social service sectors. Other former students of the Institute now hold positions in government and voluntary service organisation.
Course Aims
This course aims to:
- Offer an up-to-date and high quality degree course, introducing students to some of the most important theory, methods and research in criminology.
- Provide a solid 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 organisation.
Core knowledge you will acquire
- An understanding of core criminological and criminal justice theories.
- A critical awareness of current problems and debates within the field.
- Skills to critically evaluate theoretical and empirical literature relevant to criminological and criminal justice research.
- The ability to synthesize and apply criminological knowledge in new contexts or to new issues.
- The ability to use theoretical knowledge creatively and independently to guide their work.
- Skills in communicating criminological knowledge to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Research methods skills you will acquire
- A comprehensive understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods used in criminology.
- The ability to use acquired knowledge to propose new hypotheses and identify and address research problems.
- The ability to critically assess research designs.
- The ability to apply research competencies to practical issues.
- The ability to independently acquire and interpret additional knowledge relating to research.
- An understanding of the quality of work required to satisfy peer review.
Course Structure
The MPhil in Criminology is structured as follows:
Michaelmas and Lent Terms |
Easter Term |
| Two teaching terms | One research term |
| Students will attend two core courses: Criminological Theories and Criminological Research Methods; and two optional courses. | Devoted to the preparation of a dissertation |
Supervision
Each student will be assigned a supervisor. The main role of a supervisor is to provide general academic advice to students, and subject-specific advice relating to the dissertation. Students should expect to receive an average of 3 hours of supervision per term.
Course Assessment
The overall mark for the MPhil in Criminology is determined through five assignments, comprising of three units of assessment:
| Units of Assessment | Assignments | Format |
| Unit 1 |
Three Essays:
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Each essay should be of no more than 3,000 words, on topics which the student will choose from lists announced by the Examiners. |
| Unit 2 |
One Criminological Research Methods portfolio relating to the core course in Criminological Research Methods. |
This may include a written paper, one or more pieces of coursework or other exercises, or a combination of these. |
| Unit 3 | Dissertation | Not more than 18,000 words |
To be awarded the MPhil degree students are required to pass each of the units of assessment (i.e., achieve a mark of 60 or above), apart from the dissertation presentation.
A mark between 57 and 59 is considered a marginal fail and this may be compensated by a strong performance, normally denoted by a mark of 68 or above, in one of the other written units (not including the dissertation presentation). If a student receives a marginal fail overall and all their marks are below a 68 they may be required to participate in an oral examination. Ultimately, decisions regarding marginal fails are made by the Board of Examiners in light of all relevant information.
To be awarded a distinction, students must obtain an overall weighted mark of 75.
(Units 1 & 2): Essays and Portfolio
Essay Marking Scheme |
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80 and above |
Distinction level work. Marks in this range should be reserved for especially high-quality essays and assignments, showing a considerable degree of sophistication, and significant elements of originality and critical analysis. The work should be well written and well organised and, where relevant, should incorporate reference to both theory and empirical evidence. |
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75–79 |
Distinction level work. Marks in this range should be reserved for high-quality essays and assignments, showing a considerable degree of sophistication, and significant elements of originality. The work should be well written and well organised and, where relevant, should incorporate reference to both theory and empirical evidence. |
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70-74 |
This range of marks applies to essays and assignments showing extensive familiarity with relevant materials and strong analytical skills. The work should be well written and well organised and, where relevant, should incorporate reference to both theory and empirical evidence. |
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65-69 |
This range of marks applies to essays and assignments that provide a competent response to the question or issues posed and show reasonable familiarity with the materials as well as being adequately presented and organized. Where relevant, the work should incorporate reference to both theory and empirical evidence. The work might show some weakness in argument or evidence. |
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60-64 |
This range of marks reflects acceptable answers, but with some significant weakness in arguments, lack of knowledge of some significant material, major organisational deficiencies, failure to address the question fully, or other significant inaccuracies. Essays and assignments which achieve marks of 60-62 will be deemed to have achieved a Marginal Pass and may be subject to review at the Board of Examiners’ Meeting following oral examination. The matter of oral examination will be at the Senior Examiner’s discretion. |
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60 |
Pass Mark |
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57-59 |
Marginal Fail. These are unsatisfactory essays and assignments, but ones which may be reviewed, following oral examination, at a Board of Examiners’ Meeting. An oral examination will normally be required unless there is strong work on other written assignments to compensate. In these circumstances the matter of oral examination will be at the Senior Examiner’s discretion. |
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56 and below |
These are essays and assignments which fail to meet the academic standards of the programme. An oral examination will be required. |
(Unit 3): The Dissertation
MPhil in Criminology students must complete a dissertation of not more than 18,000 words on a criminological topic chosen by the student. Students are expected to demonstrate a critical understanding of research principles and analytical skills.
Students for the most part are free to choose their dissertation topic, although it must fall within the field of criminology, i.e., relate to the study of crime – e.g., the nature of crime, what causes or prevents crime, or how we respond to crime.
A Dissertation Ideas Booklet is provided to students in the Michaelmas Term, from which they can learn more about possible dissertation topics from academics in the Institute, as well as practitioners who may be involved in relevant projects that may be conducive to MPhil research. During the Michaelmas Term a student's supervisor will aim to help them decide on a dissertation topic, and over the course of their programme will be in regular contact to support them during their research.
Timescale
The dissertation is researched and written from the start of the academic year in October, but worked on most intensively from April to July (Easter Term). Students should be aware of the limited time frame, especially if they are considering carrying out empirical research.
Empirical Research - For MPhil in Criminology students the restricted time frame makes empirical research very challenging. However, if a student wishes to pursue empirical research they will need to discuss this with their supervisor at the earliest opportunity during the Michaelmas term. In particular, you should discuss the steps and time needed to plan your research design, gain access, and collect and analyse data.. An empirical piece of research may rely on a variety of quantitative or qualitative research methods, including, for example, a series of interviews, an observational case-study, documentary or discourse analysis, a small survey, an experiment or quasi-experiment, or secondary analysis of existing data.
Each student is also required to give a short presentation on their dissertation topic in January / February (Lent Term).
Dissertation Marking Scheme |
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80 and above |
Distinction level work. Marks in this range reflect work which addresses a criminological issue not well covered in the literature, approaches a topic from a new angle, or contains exceptionally high-quality empirical analysis or advances theory in a significant way. Work at this level also demonstrates an excellent grasp of a wide range of concepts and issues as well as sources and use them in a scholarly fashion. The work shows a superior understanding of relevant theoretical issues or, where appropriate, shows ingenuity and originality in applying a particular method to an empirical problem. A dissertation at this level presents a clear thesis (argument) – or provides a coherent analysis – which integrates criminological theory, methods and data (where appropriate) and shows insight and originality. The dissertation will also be well written and well presented. |
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75–79 |
Distinction level work. Marks in this range reflect work which addresses a criminological issue not well covered in the literature, approaches a topic from a new angle, or contains very high-quality empirical analysis or advances theory in some way. Work at this level also demonstrates a very strong grasp of a wide range of concepts and issues as well as sources and use them in a scholarly fashion. The work shows an advanced understanding of relevant theoretical issues or, where appropriate, shows ingenuity in applying a particular method to an empirical problem. A dissertation at this level presents a clear thesis (argument) – or provides a coherent analysis – which integrates criminological theory, methods and data (where appropriate) and shows insight and originality. The dissertation will also be well written and well presented. |
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70-74 |
Marks in this range reflect dissertation work which shows extensive familiarity with relevant concepts, issues, and relevant materials, and shows strong analytical skills; such work also demonstrates a good understanding of relevant theoretical issues. Where relevant, the dissertation shows that chosen research methods have been applied in an appropriate and sound manner. The dissertation presents a clear thesis (argument) which integrates criminological theory, methods and data (where appropriate) and shows some critical insight. |
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65-69 |
Marks in this range reflect dissertation work that suggests knowledge of relevant concepts and issues and reasonable competence in using a range of sources and research methods (where appropriate) in a scholarly manner. The dissertation also presents a clear thesis (argument) which adequately integrates criminological theory, methods and data (where appropriate). The work might show some weakness in argument or evidence. |
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60-64 |
This range of marks reflects acceptable dissertation work, but with some significant weakness in arguments, lack of knowledge of some significant criminological material, major organisational deficiencies, failure to address the issues fully, or other significant inaccuracies. Essays and assignments which achieve marks of 60-62 will be deemed to have achieved a Marginal Pass and may be subject to review at the Board of Examiners’ Meeting following oral examination. The matter of oral examination will be at the Senior Examiner’s discretion. |
|
60 |
Pass Mark |
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57-59 |
Marginal Fail. A mark in this range suggests unsatisfactory work, but the dissertation may be reviewed, following oral examination, at a Board of Examiners’ Meeting. |
|
56 and below |
This is work which fails to meet the academic standards of the programme. An oral examination will be required. |
Completing your Application Form
The application portal for entry in 2025-2026 will open in September 2024.
Before starting an application we recommend that applicants read the information provided on the University's Postgraduate Admissions Office website. The course code for the MPhil in Criminology is CRM1.
Supporting Documents and other Information
Applicants will need to provide the following documents / information when applying for the MPhil in Criminology. Please see the Postgraduate Admissions website for further details.
- Two academic references
- Transcripts
- CV/resume
- Evidence of competence in English
- Reasons for applying [see below]
- Statement of interest [see below]
- Sample of academic written work. [see below]
- Applicants for the Gates Scholarships will need to provide details of an additional referee who can provide a personal reference.
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Reasons for Applying |
On the application form your Reasons for Applying statement should be no more than 1500 characters long (including spaces and punctuation between words). This is your personal reasons for applying. Questions you might consider could be:
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Statement of Interest
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On the application form your statement of interest should:
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Sample of Work |
This must be uploaded as a Supporting Document. |
When Will I Receive a Decision?
Applications are considered as they are received and some early offers are made; however, the majority of decisions are made after the main funding deadline, in January and February. Applicants will be notified as soon as their application has been evaluated, if it has been accepted, rejected, or put on hold. Applications that are put on hold will be assessed as a gathered field in April, after the application deadline.
The Department is subject to restrictions on the number of offers it can make for these courses and whilst in some cases a decision on an application will be made following the first review, in a large number of cases an application will be held for re-consideration at a later stage. This may mean that a decision on your application is not taken until after the closing date for applications to the course.
Applicant Frequently Asked Questions
The Postgraduate Admissions Office has a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions relating to the applications process. Please refer to these while making your application and throughout the process of applying
| Qualifications |
For our MPhil course, we expect applicants to have an honours degree, with at least a high II.i (67 per cent) from a UK university, or equivalent from a non-UK institution (i.e. GPA 3.6/4 in the United States). If your degree is not from a UK institution, please check the International Qualifications section of the Postgraduate Admissions website to find the equivalent qualification standard in your country. |
| Previous subject discipline | Your degree should preferably in a social science discipline, although applicants from other disciplines will also be considered. |
- The Postgraduate Admissions website provides full details on course fees and living costs, and their finance overview tool will help you calculate your costs. They also provide information on possible funding opportunities at Cambridge University, and there is also a funding search tool which will help you identify possibly funding opportunities.
- If you wish to be considered for funding you must submit your MPhil application form by the date advertised on the Postgraduate Admissions Office website.
- Please note: If you are a USA citizen resident in the USA, and you wish to be considered for Gates funding, the application deadline is early October.
- The Institute also has several funding opportunities, details of which can be found on our funding page .
Continuation to the PhD degree course involves a separate application process, undertaken during the MPhil year. Prospective PhD students are encouraged to discuss their plans with their MPhil supervisor as early as possible during the MPhil year. The Institute's MPhil course provides excellent preparation for doctoral study, and many of our MPhil students choose to stay at Cambridge to pursue a Cambridge PhD.
Continuation from the MPhil course is subject to:
- A MPhil student achieving at least 74 overall (across all three units).
- A MPhil student deciding on a suitable research topic and proposal; and finding an available supervisor.
Michaelmas Term
Criminological TheoriesCourse Convenor: |
Criminological Theories introduces you to key explanations of crime, seminal texts and ongoing debates. The course is taught by a range of lecturers who have worked directly with, advanced, or even developed these theories. As part of the Criminological Theories course you will also attend Criminological Theories discussion groups. These groups provide an opportunity for you to discuss key theories and their application in further detail, helping to situate them in the wider scope of criminology. |
Criminological Research MethodsCourse Convenor: |
Criminological Research Methods introduces you to the basics of criminological research, from sampling and measurement of key variables to the most fundamental quantitative and qualitative methods. Seminars are taught by lecturers who have expertise in the given method. The course aims to familiarize you with key considerations regarding criminological research, and equips you to critically assess research designs. |
During Michaelmas Term, MPhil students are also required to attend at least one of the Optional Courses on offer that term.
Lent Term
Dissertation Presentation |
All students are required to present and attend all the MPhil student dissertation presentations at the start of this term. |
Criminological Research Methods WorkshopsCourse Convenor: |
In addition to the main seminars, you will also attend a series of workshops which provide you with an opportunity to put each key research method into practice. The aim is to familiarize you with some practical considerations which relate to each method and to give you hands-on experience conducting each method. These workshops are led by researchers with expertise in the given method and will involve practical activities, often in small groups. |
During Lent Term:
- MPhil students are also required attend to attend at least two Optional Courses on offer that term.
- MPhil in Criminological Theories students are also required attend to attend at least one Optional Courses on offer that term.
Optional Courses
We offer a variety of optional (seminar) courses each year, which cover a wide range of criminological topics. A brief outline of each course is listed below:
Global Perspectives on ViolenceCourse Convenor: |
In the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals the United Nations recognised that promoting peaceful societies, reducing all forms of violence, and providing justice for all are core elements of sustainability. This seminars series aims to introduce students to the increasing literature on violence, and violence prevention at a global level. Topics covered in this seminar series include, amongst others:
We will also aim to critically assess the current knowledge about how to achieve substantial reductions in violence. |
History of ViolenceCourse Convenor: |
The course will cover the following topics:
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Organised Forms of CrimeCourse Convenor: |
The course offers an analytical exploration of organised forms of criminality. It adopts a comparative approach to tease out similarities – and differences – between phenomena operating in different settings, i.e., countries and markets. Particular emphasis will be placed on the mechanisms underpinning organised crime operations. The course begins by discussing the concept of organised crime and its (contested) history. Next, it looks at drug production and trafficking; cybercrime; human trafficking and smuggling. The course then discusses topics related to gangs, Mafia-like organisations and protection rackets. The course is multidisciplinary and draws on concepts from sociology, law, industrial economics, political economy, and political theory. |
People, Places and (the explanation of) Crime
Course Convenor: |
(Renowned US criminologist Frank Cullen has argued that “Criminology risks being a field of study in which many ideas are developed and all are chosen—in which all theories have equal claim to legitimacy and in which only the most highly specialized scholars can separate the theoretical wheat from the chaff”.) Within criminological theory and research there are dozens of competing explanations of what causes crime (e.g., because people are poor, bored, impulsive, abused, unsupervised, cognitively impaired or undeterred) and as a consequence many conflicting ideas about how to best approach the problem of crime prevention (e.g., welfare provision, leisure activities, architectural design, focused policing, social skills training, parent training, drug treatment, restorative justice, or tougher sentencing). Against this background, it is not surprising that policy makers and practitioners may struggle to develop comprehensive crime prevention policies and devise and implement effective interventions. That people’s acts of crime have something to do with their ‘character’ (their personal morals and ability to exercise self-control) and something to do with the ‘circumstances’ they experience in their daily lives (the moral contexts of the opportunities and frictions they encounter) seems a reasonable proposition. After all, crimes are breaches of rules of conduct about what is right or wrong to do (or not do) in particular circumstances. Arguably, the causes of crime are situational. People express their character in actions in response to the circumstances of the settings in which they take part and, therefore, the explanation of why acts of crime happen ultimately depends on understanding the role of the interaction between ‘character’ and ‘circumstances’ (people and places) in crime causation. Arguing that the causes of crime are situational does not mean that cultural and structural and development factors and processes are unimportant in the analysis of crime causation. Quite the contrary, but they are best analysed as ‘causes of the causes’. Such factors and processes do not directly explain what moves people to commit particular acts of crime, but help explain (1) why people develop certain and different crime propensities (based on their personal morals and ability to exercise self-control), and why environments develop specific and different criminogenic inducements (depending on the moral contexts of the opportunities and frictions they provide); and (2) why particular interactions between kinds of people (‘characters’) and kinds of places (‘circumstances’) occur creating the criminogenic situations in which acts of crime may happen. In this course we will focus on addressing ‘Cullen’s dilemma’ and take an integrative approach, drawing on different theories, perspectives and interdisciplinary knowledge to comprehensively answer five key questions about crime causation and prevention:
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PolicingCourse Convenor: |
This course seeks to achieve three aims:
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Punishment and MercyCourse Convenor: |
This course is about the ways in which individuals and institutions respond to (perceived) wrongdoing. Amongst several such responses, the course focuses on two: inflicting punishment and granting mercy. Since whatever else punishment involves, it surely involves the effort to make wrongdoers suffer (in a broad sense of “suffering”) punishment, and is immediately in need of a justification. For millennia, humans have attempted to offer such elusive justification, yet nothing approximating consensus has ever been achieved. Course Aims: Rather than direct action-guidance, or direct policy recommendations, or direct engagement with current affairs, the course focus will be punishment and mercy in the abstract. Participants will do some intellectual history, and may indeed discuss actual political events, but always in the service of deep analytical points. Wilfrid Sellars once pithily stated: “the aim of philosophy, abstractly formulated, is to understand how things in the broadest possible sense of the term hang together in the broadest possible sense of the term”. This captures neatly the goals of this course, which will attempt to understand what punishment and mercy are, how they “hang together” with the rest of our worldview (if at all), and what could justify punitive or merciful behaviour, and we will tackle all these questions in their broadest possible senses. |
Socio-Critical Perspectives on Criminal Justice: Minority MattersCourse Convenor: |
This course covers sociological and critical perspectives on the treatment and experiences of minority groups in criminal justice systems:
Drawing on research and theory on the criminal justice experiences of minority ethnic communities, young people, women, LGBTQ populations, and prisoners’ families the seminars examine themes of social control, criminalisation, social exclusion, social justice, equality and citizenship. |
Sociology of Prison LifeCourse Convenors: |
This course provides an advanced introduction to the field of prison sociology, addressing questions of what prisons are for, how they work, what they signify, and what goes on in them, including the nature and determinants of the prisoner experience. Drawing on recent and classic literature, and on our own empirical research, it explores topics ranging from the aims of imprisonment to prison managerialism, psychological survival and the prisoner social world. The course seeks to explore the connections between penal sensibilities, practices and outcomes. The seminar is highly participatory and responsive, organised around an organised discussion of each week’s key readings. |
Victims and InjusticeCourse Convenors: |
This course offers an introduction to main themes of victimology:
These questions are addressed through a critical perspective, using examples from both the UK and abroad and also via a historical perspective. |