Why study Criminal Law at Northumbria?

Looking to refine your existing law degree with a specialist Masters in criminal justice? Advance your career as a solicitor or barrister, or change direction from your current undergraduate degree, with a Masters in the field of law at Northumbria University.

This Masters in law is part of Northumbria University's innovative and flexible?LLM Law framework,?which will allow you to study for your LLM with a specialism.

 

The teaching staff at Northumbria Law School have a remarkable international reputation. They are carrying out cutting-edge research in established and emerging areas of law, and many are respected practitioners as well as theorists.

Lecturers on this course have expertise and experience in the areas of forensic science, sentencing, evidence and human rights law and policy; knowledge that you can draw on for your LLM project.

Northumbria Law School is home to the Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies and the award winning Student Law Office. You will be able to write your dissertation under the supervision of a large number of specialists and leading experts on issues around Criminal Justice.

You will also profit from the research environment at Northumbria University, with regular talks given by internal and external speakers, organised by the Centre for Evidence or one of the various Research Interest Groups (e.g. RIG Science and Justice).

Northumbria Law School provides first-class teaching in a world-class environment. You will be based in our award-winning City Campus East building, which houses our mock courtroom and Student Law Office as well as an array of lecture theatres, classrooms and a dedicated postgraduate study area.

It is also home to our specialist Law Practice Library,which contains practitioner materials as well as a wide variety of journals, databases, and law reports. The range and depth of resources reflects our position as the largest law school in the North East region.

The 24/7 University Library achieves some of the highest levels of student satisfaction in the UK, and has held the Cabinet Office accreditation for Customer Service Excellence since 2010.

You will be immersed in research-rich learning from the outset of your studies. The lecturers who lead each specialism are at the forefront of research in that area, and will take every opportunity to engage you in their ongoing work.

You will also develop your own skills as a researcher. You will learn to critically reflect on your own and others’ work, challenge your own thinking, and justify your own work in the context of wider theories and practice.

As the programme is fundamentally underpinned by the research of staff in the Law School, you will be immersed in research-rich learning from the outset of your studies. The programme, as well as allowing research active staff to produce modules which will showcase their internationally recognised research, also has the advantage of providing flexibility in provision, and increased choice for you.

All branch specialisms have the requirement that you are assessed in workshops for Research for Advanced Legal Study. This is to help promote a diverse and inclusive approach to assessment, providing tutor-led diagnostics and helping you succeed no matter what your background.

The Legal Research Project in semester three is your opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of legal research on a topic that you are truly passionate about, guided by a tutor with relevant expertise.

The programme will be attractive, irrespective of whether you are from the UK, Europe or an International student. You will benefit from the experience of staff who have taught International students for many years and the multicultural learning environment within the Faculty and the University.

You will graduate from this course with independence of thought, boundless curiosity and a talent for collaboration – traits valued by every employer.

If you already have a qualifying UK law degree, this course will help you to enhance your CV with a specialism so that you stand out when competing for training contracts or pupillages.

An LLM (Criminal Justice) will provide students with a thorough structural analysis of the essential aspects of the criminal justice system. Analytical skills and understanding of the complexity of criminal justice will be crucial across a range of different career paths, particularly the fact-finding skills and understanding of the various issues around forensic sciences in the context of criminal justice.

This LLM Criminal Justice course is an excellent specialism for;

• Existing barristers, solicitors and forensic practitioners
• The fields of rehabilitation
• the police service
• private investigation across the public, private and volunteer sectors
• PhD study

Studying a branch specialism in a cutting-edge area of law will provide you with the currency of academic knowledge and skills that employers and businesses crave. You will be taught by world leading experts, you will be engaging with the latest thinking and you will be developing the Northumbria graduate attributes that will give you a significant advantage in your chosen field.

If you are joining us from another legal jurisdiction you will be able to apply your specialist skills and knowledge in your home country, contributing to local priorities for growth in relevant areas. For students from countries that follow the Bologna Process and require two year of postgraduate study, it will be possible to study the LLM framework twice,choosing a different specialism each time. You will qualify for an alumni discount on the second year.