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 or LAWS8090 Conceptualising Criminal Laws. Instead, they will be required to complete electives in lieu of these courses.

Students who have completed CRIM2020 Criminal Law and Justice 1 in their undergraduate degree at UNSW will not be required to complete LAWS8090 Conceptualising Criminal Laws. Instead, they will be required to complete an elective in lieu of this course.

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 an elective in lieu of this course.

In addition, all students in the program must take a minimum of 2 of the remaining elective courses from the Research-Based Course List. The requirement to take two courses from the Research-Based Course list can, in the alternative, be satisfied if the student takes the single course LAWS8423Research Thesis: 6 uoc.

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 must complete the online Manual Enrolment Form on Law Website.

Students are also permitted to complete two courses (12uoc) via cross-institutional study at other universities in Australia. Please read the Cross Institutional Information Sheet for further information.

Students are permitted to complete 1 research thesis towards the Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology: either LAWS8423 Research Thesis: 6 uoc OR CRIM5000 CJ Research Thesis but not both.

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

Research-Based Course List:

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 UNSW Australia or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution with a minimum of credit average, or

(2) A candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate Bachelor degree from UNSW Australia or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution with a minimum of two years' relevant professional experience.


Advanced standing

For information regarding Advanced Standing for Program 9285, please refer to the ‘Credit Transfer Rules and Regulations (PG)’ on Law website.

Enrolment and Progression

(1) An application to enrol as a candidate for the degree shall be lodged online on the UNSW website, 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:  UNSW Fee Website.