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Master of Philosophy in Criminology and Criminal Justice

  • 1. Candidates must follow for at least six terms a course of instruction in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

  • 2. There shall be a Board of Studies for the course, to be chaired by the Director of Graduate Studies for Criminology, and also comprising all the members of the Board of Examiners for the Master of Philosophy in Criminology and Criminal Justice for the current year, the Director or Assistant Director of the Centre for Criminology, and a student representative (the latter for open business only).

  • 3. Admissions

    Candidates may signify their intention to take the M.Phil. in Criminology and Criminal Justice when they apply for the M.Sc. in Criminology and Criminal Justice or after they have been admitted. In either case, a formal application, the form for which is obtainable from the Graduate Studies Office, must then be made by Friday of Week One of Hilary Term preceding the Michaelmas Term in which they wish to study for the M.Phil. Admission of those whose thesis topics are approved by the Centre for Criminology’s Board of Studies and for whom that Committee certifies the availability of supervision will always be conditional on a specified level of performance in the Part I examination.

  • 4. Residence

    Candidates must keep six terms statutory residence, which may include periods spent in residence while studying for the M.Sc. in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

  • 5. Courses and examination

    Candidates for the M.Phil. shall satisfactorily complete Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 and Part 2 shall be taken in that order and shall normally be taken in successive years. A candidate wishing to take Part 2 but not to proceed directly from Part 1 to Part 2 in successive years must seek permission from the Centre for Criminology’s Board of Studies. Part 1 shall consist of the courses and examinations as specified for the M.Sc. in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

  • 6. (a) Qualifying Test (Part 1)

    Every candidate must pass a qualifying test by the end of the third term from the beginning of the course, which shall consist of the elements as specified in cll. 3-6 of the examination regulations for the M.Sc. in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

    Candidates who fail the qualifying test may be allowed to be reassessed, as specified in cl. 7 of the examination regulations for the M.Sc. in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

  • 7. (b) Final examination (Part 2)

    Candidates shall follow a course of instruction in Empirical Research Methods, satisfy the examiners that they have completed to the required standard such tests or exercises in Research Methods as prescribed as part of such a course of instruction, and be examined by thesis which must not exceed 30,000 words and should not normally be less than 25,000 words. The thesis shall be submitted electronically by noon on Friday of Week 8 of the Trinity term in which the examination is taken. On submitting the thesis, candidates will also be required to submit an online declaration that the thesis is the candidate’s own work.

  • The course in Empirical Research Methods shall be Research Design and Data Collection, and either Qualitative Methods or Quantitative Analysis for Social Scientists, as specified for the M.Sc. in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Where candidates have already taken these courses as part of the M.Sc., they will not be required to take them a second time. Where a candidate has elected to write a thesis that draws significantly on legal research methods, the Director of Graduate Studies (Research) for Criminology, at the suggestion of the prospective thesis supervisor, may grant the candidate exemption from taking Research Design and Data Collection, and either Qualitative Methods or Quantitative Analysis for Social Scientists, and instruct the candidate to take the Legal Research Method Course, as specified for the M.Phil. in Law.

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  • 8. Arrangements for reassessment shall be as follows:

    Candidates who fail, or withdraw from, either Qualitative Methods or Quantitative Analysis for Social Scientists may resubmit assessments in line with cl. 7 of the examination regulations for the MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Such candidates who have completed successfully all or part of any of the other components may carry forward the marks gained for the successfully completed parts of the degree.

    Candidates who fail, or withdraw from, the Legal Research Method course as specified for the M.Phil. in Law (if they have received permission to take this course instead of Research Design and Data Collection and either Qualitative Methods or Quantitative Analysis for Social Scientists), may resit course elements according to the standard arrangements for reassessment for that course. Such candidates who have completed successfully all or part of any of the other components may carry forward the marks gained for the successfully completed parts of the degree.

    Candidates who fail, or withdraw from, the M.Phil. thesis may resubmit the thesis by noon on Friday of Week 8 of the term following publication of their results. Such candidates who have completed successfully all or part of any of the other components may carry forward the marks gained for the successfully completed parts of the degree.