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Use the apply button to begin your application.
If you require a Student visa and wish to study a postgraduate course on a part-time basis, please read our how to apply information for international students to ensure you have all the details you need about the application process.
Why study this course?
Make a difference to the criminal justice, national and international security sectors, while having the opportunity to enhance your career on this professional doctorate programme.
This part-time distance learning course is aimed at people working within the criminal justice and security sector, you’ll combine your professional experience with new research into a particular area of interest to you. We’re particularly interested in applications if you want to further the social justice agenda within your field of expertise or professional experience.
Take your career to the next level
Aimed at people working within the criminal justice and security sector, you’ll combine your professional experience with new research into a particular area of interest to you
83% student satisfaction
Our postgraduate research programmes received 83% overall satisfaction in the 2024 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES)
Benefit from our links to the industry
The department has strong links with the Met Police, the Probation Service, the Youth Justice Board, plus various embassies and high commissions
Course Modules
- Research Methods (core, 20 credits)
- Security and Policy in a Global Context (core, 20 credits)
- Leadership and Ethics (core, 20 credits)
- Security, Policy and Society (option, 20 credits)
- Addressing Disproportionality and Vulnerability (option, 20 credits)
- Developing and Shaping Policy (core, 20 credits)
- Option module from other level 7 modules from criminology or politics and international relations subject areas (option, 20 credits)
- Advanced Professional Learning Module (core, 60 credits)
- Thesis (core, 360 credits)
You’ll take four 20 credit core modules, two 20 credit option modules, one 60 credit core module and the 360 credit thesis module.
Lectures have been designed to support fitting in your study with your work commitments, so modules will be taught through a blended learning module. This means you’ll take part in both face-to-face and online workshops.
Course details
You’ll be required to have:
- a master’s degree and at least three years of experience within a managerial role within the specific sector you’re looking to research; or
- a minimum of a 2:1 bachelor’s degree and at least five years’ experience at a senior level within the sector you’ll be researching.
All applicants will be interviewed before being accepted and be expected to present a research plan at the application stage.
English language requirements
To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa (previously Tier 4) you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.
If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.
You’ll be assessed through a variety of coursework and digital submissions that connect the module’s subject matter with your proposed area of study for your thesis.
The Research Methods module will be assessed through mixed methods data analysis exercises.
You’ll also write a 50,000-word thesis that will be assessed by one internal and one external examiner through the postgraduate research viva process, which is an oral examination where you’re expected to answer questions and support your thesis to a panel of experts. Your thesis will be assessed for its knowledge and understanding of theory and practice, as well as your contribution to the original knowledge.
This course is designed to help you progress to more senior or specialist roles within the criminal justice sector, government or the civil service.
You could move into an influential role within the Metropolitan Police, the Youth Justice Board, the probation service, prison service, plus local, national and international government and intergovernmental departments.
Due to the research nature of this course, you could also move into an academic career.
Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.
Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.
How to apply
Use the apply button to begin your application.
If you require a Student visa and wish to study a postgraduate course on a part-time basis, please read our how to apply information for international students to ensure you have all the details you need about the application process.
When to apply
You are advised to apply as early as possible as applications will only be considered if there are places available on the course.
To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.
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