The Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology is a coursework degree for graduates seeking an interdisciplinary specialised education at an advanced level in criminal justice law, policy, theory and practice. It is jointly offered by the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences drawing on the acknowledged excellence in research and teaching of criminal justice and criminology in each Faculty. The program provides graduates from a variety of disciplines with a strong understanding of criminological and legal research, and legal and criminological perspectives on the practices and regulation of criminal justice institutions and processes. The Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology will not itself lead to a professional qualification for legal practice but will enable a student to acquire expertise in criminal justice and related fields.

The program requires satisfactory completion of 48 units of credit, to be chosen from a selection of courses offered by the School of Law and the School of Social Sciences and International Studies, and any other postgraduate courses subject to approval by the program authority.

The Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology may be taken full-time in two semesters or part-time in a minimum of four semesters. Postgraduate courses may be offered in a variety of formats spread across first semester, second semester and the summer term. All courses in the Law School contain a research component. While many courses require attendance at class for two hours per week over a teaching semester, in others the class hours are arranged more intensively to permit students to focus more fully on a research project. Some courses may be taught in the CBD.

The objectives of the program are:

Candidates must complete 48 uoc for the Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology. Except as indicated, each course is worth 6uoc.

There are THREE compulsory courses:

LLB graduates will not be required to complete LAWS8101 Legal Concepts, Research and Writing for Criminal Justice and Criminology or LAWS8090 Conceptualising Criminal Laws. Instead, they will be required to complete other postgraduate courses approved by the Program Convenor.

Similarly, those who have completed undergraduate studies in criminology will not be required to complete CRIM5001 Explaining Crime 2. Instead, they will be required to complete another postgraduate course approved by the Program Convenor.

ENROLMENT
The Enrolment Guide for the Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology (MCJC) can be found on the Enrolment UNSW Law website.

Not all electives are available every year or each semester and unless otherwise indicated, each course is 6 uoc. Other courses may be added as new courses are developed and changed.

Students may choose to take up to two courses (12uoc) from non-approved Law electives or non-Law courses offered at UNSW. Students are also permitted to complete two courses (12uoc) via cross-institutional study at other universities in Australia. If you wish to complete an elective NOT on this approved list of electives you must seek the approval from the Program Convenor prior to enrolment. These enrolments must be approved by the Program Convenor Professor Julie Stubbs, j.stubbs@unsw.edu.au .

Students are permitted to complete 1 research thesis towards the Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology: either LAWS8423 Research Thesis OR CRIM5000 CJ Research Thesis but not both.

The following electives are available towards the Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology:

1. The degree of Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology by formal coursework may be awarded by the Council to a candidate who has satisfactorily completed a program of advanced study.

Qualifications

(1) A candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate Bachelor degree from the University of New South Wales or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution at a level acceptable to the Faculty Education Committee of the Faculty of Law (hereinafter referred to as the Committee).

(2) In exceptional cases an applicant who submits evidence of such other academic and professional qualifications as may be approved by the Committee may be permitted to enrol for the degree.

(3) If the Committee is not satisfied with the qualifications submitted by an applicant the Committee may require the applicant, before being permitted to enrol, to undergo such examination or carry out such work as the Committee may prescribe.

Advanced standing

At the discretion of the Faculty of Law advanced standing may be granted for approved postgraduate courses up to an amount of 12 units of credit.

Enrolment and Progression

(1) An application to enrol as a candidate for the degree shall be made on the prescribed form and lodged with the Registrar by the advertised due date.

(2) A candidate for the degree shall be required to undertake such formal courses and pass such assessment as is prescribed.

(3) The progress of a candidate shall be reviewed at least once annually by the Committee and as a result of its review the Committee may cancel enrolment or take such other action as it considers appropriate.

(4) No candidate shall be awarded the degree until the lapse of two academic semesters from the date of enrolment in the case of a full-time candidate or three semesters in the case of a part-time candidate. The maximum period of candidature shall be three academic semesters from the date of enrolment for a full-time candidate and six semesters for a part-time candidate. In special cases an extension of these times may be granted by the Committee.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html