Criminal Justice and Security (Taught)

The MSc Criminal Justice & Security at Cardiff Metropolitan University is a career-focused postgraduate Criminal Justice degree, designed for ambitious graduates and professionals seeking to start or progress their career across policing, probation, prisons, youth justice, safeguarding, community safety, criminal justice policy, and third-sector organisations such as victim support and prison reform. This master’s degree in Criminal Justice and Security is built around the realities of modern justice practice, equipping you with advanced analytical ability, policy insight, and the professional confidence required to operate in complex justice and security environments.

The MSc Criminal Justice & Security sets itself apart by directly engaging with the most urgent issues shaping contemporary criminal justice systems. You will critically examine how criminal justice institutions function, where they fail, and how reform can be achieved at the national and international levels. The degree places strong emphasis on transnational and organised crime, illicit drug markets, trafficking, and the exploitation of vulnerable people. A defining strength of this Criminal Justice Master’s degree is its sustained focus on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), including coercive control, serious sexual violence, honour-based abuse, and femicide, alongside rigorous analysis of safeguarding practice, victim protection, and institutional accountability.

This postgraduate degree also confronts the wider challenges of war, instability, and atrocity, exploring genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the impact of conflict on justice systems. You will critically assess miscarriages of justice, wrongful convictions, public trust, and systemic accountability. A dedicated research methods module strengthens your ability to evaluate evidence and influence policy, leading to a dissertation aligned to your career ambitions.

Upon graduating, you will leave with specialist knowledge and highly transferable skills that will position you competitively for careers in criminal justice, security, policy, and reform across the UK and beyond.

Possible exit points - MSc/PgD/PgC