Master of Arts in Global Criminology
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €17,500: International students
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Introduction
Do you want to understand the role of Mexico in the cocaine trade, why a Dutch multinational dumps waste on an African country, or how young Dutch Muslims are recruited for fighting in Syria? Are you curious about phenomena such as Internet fraud, food criminality, or mobile banditry? Old and new forms of global crime are rapidly expanding, as are the means to control it. The Netherlands serves both as a major crossroad in the illegal flow of goods, people, and services and as a key host for international organizations such as Europol, Greenpeace, and the International Criminal Court. Drug trafficking, human trafficking, international terrorism, corruption, environmental harm, financial and corporate crime, and conflicts over natural resources all have global dimensions. Tackling these issues requires modern instruments that transcend national boundaries.
The MA in Global Criminology is a one-year Master’s program that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and understanding required to work with local and global crime issues, crime policies, and crime control strategies. The program offers a multidisciplinary, critical, and comparative perspective in criminology, open for students with a BA degree in law, criminology, social sciences, or any other related social discipline such as economy, history, or media studies, to name a few.
There is a growing demand for qualified researchers, legal practitioners, and policymakers who can address these and comparable issues. Are you a multidisciplinary expert or criminologist who wants to make a significant contribution to the field? Are you someone who wants to work in the field of law and social reform – or any sector dealing with growing forms of local and global crime control? Do you want to be part of a Master’s program with students from different continents? Then the MA in Global Criminology at Utrecht University is the right choice for you!
Program Outcome
Developing Essential Skills
During this program, you’ll study key issues such as organized and corporate crime, police surveillance, (cyber)security policies, or the relation between ethnicity and crime. You will also develop essential skills that will benefit you in both your professional and personal life. You will be able, among other things, to:
- Develop good insight into the causes and consequences of local and global crime.
- Analyze the behavior of offenders from different disciplines and perspectives.
- Critically assess and evaluate criminal policies and the criminal justice system;
- Understand the cultural aspects of criminal phenomena;
- Conduct independent criminological research using qualitative research methods and connect the results with criminological theories.
- Present research results to an audience of both specialists and non-specialists.
Distinctive Education
The MA in Global Criminology is an English-taught program that consists of small-scale, interactive, and intensive courses. During the course of your studies, you will learn a wide range of qualitative research methods, including ethnography, open interviews, visual and digital methods. A minimum of 60 ECTS points is necessary to complete the MA program. Utrecht University’s MA in Global Criminology differs in many respects from comparable programs offered by other Dutch universities. The latter are often taught in Dutch, admit large groups of students, focus on single issues, or are dominated by mainstream approaches and quantitative research methods. In contrast, our Master’s program offers you:
- a small-scale program with intensive personal contact between staff and students;
- a broader scope than that of single-issue master’s programs (e.g. on international crimes or conflict studies);
- a critical view on global crime issues and dominant criminological approaches;
- a strong focus on the cultural dimensions of crime;
- international staff with strong expertise in organized crime, crimes of the powerful, green and cultural criminology, security and qualitative research methods;
- training in various research methods with a strong emphasis on qualitative research techniques, including ethnography, interviews, and visual and online methods;
- a focus on the specific role of the Netherlands in the fields of drugs (and drug policies), human rights (international courts and tribunals), and illicit trade;
- a wide range of opportunities to conduct research or to participate in internships abroad;
- staff that maintain a large network of international contacts, particularly in Latin America and South and Eastern Europe; and
- excursions, study trips, and expert guest lecturers with a strong international orientation.
Career Opportunities
Towards a Professional Career
As a graduate with an MA in Global Criminology, you’ll have the skills and training to become a researcher on global crime issues, with a strong orientation in qualitative research methods. You could conduct further research at a university (usually through writing a doctoral thesis) or at research institutes (NGOs, commercial research offices).
The program also offers you an excellent foundation for a career in any sector dealing with growing forms of global crime, including public, private and non-governmental organizations (both domestic and international) that are active in areas such as illegal markets, migration, terrorism, environmental crime, and financial regulation. Additional career opportunities exist in the areas of law and social reform, policymaking, law enforcement, and research, particularly for positions within international organizations or organizations with significant international scope.
After finishing your study, you can work as:
- Practitioner/policymaker/project manager
- Researcher (mainly on global crime issues)
Practitioner/policymaker/project manager
This program offers excellent preparation for a career in different functions as a practitioner, policymaker, project manager, or senior advisor in any sector dealing with growing forms of local and global crime, including all public, private, and non-governmental international organizations that are active in criminology relevant topics (e.g. illegal markets, prisons, migration, terrorism, environmental crime, finance regulation, recidivism). Career opportunities exist in the areas of law and social reform, policymaking, law enforcement, and research, with a special emphasis on positions within international organizations or organizations with a significant international scope.
Researcher
The MA in Global Criminology offers you the opportunity to become an academic or scientific researcher on global crime issues, with a strong ethnographic orientation. You’ll acquire the skills and training to conduct further research either at a university (usually through, at least initially, the completion of a doctoral thesis) or at a research institute (NGO, commercial research office).
Towards an Academic Career
On average, Utrecht University School of Law has 40 Ph.D. students who are working under the supervision of a professor towards the title ‘Doctor of Law’. A Ph.D. program typically takes four years, during which you will produce and submit a thesis. We also encourage you to establish yourself as a researcher during this time by publishing articles related to your research and contributing to seminars and conferences. We have an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching and our academics are at the cutting edge of scholarship.