Master of Criminology
2021 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2021 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Master of Criminology |
| Course Map | These course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2021: These course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2021: Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central. |
| Campus |
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| Duration | 1 year full-time or part-time equivalent |
| CRICOS course code | 0102046 Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong) |
| Deakin course code | A704 |
| Approval status | The course is approved by the University pursuant to the Higher Education Standards Framework. |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9. |
*This course will be offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong) from Trimester 1 2023. Cloud commences 2022
| |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Alternative exits
- Fees and charges
- Course Learning Outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
Course overview
Studying the Master of Criminology will challenge you to think laterally about emerging discourses in power, harm and justice. You'll develop a deeper understanding of how we can approach criminal behaviour, crime policy and prevention as a society.
Want the skills to deliver justice in a way that makes a difference to both perpetrators and victims?
Deakin's postgraduate criminology courses are designed with input from a variety of industry partners and relevant stakeholders including police, policy and regulatory agencies, so you can be confident that the skills you develop studying Deakin's Master of Criminology will be relevant to your future or existing career.
You'll push the boundaries of the way we currently look at justice and creatively examine three key areas of ongoing and emerging criminological concern: the state, the digital and the environment. Get ready to engage and debate pressing issues of local, national and global concern.
To understand the balance of state and private control, you'll dissect how corporations have become embedded in the development and delivery of security, prevention and other traditionally state-run criminal justice roles.
The cyber world and the rise of robotics, artificial intelligence and new technologies within online and virtual platforms have created immense opportunities for criminal enterprises and challenges for regulatory authorities. You'll critically examine the ways in which digital technologies are shaping offender and victim relationships, while posing challenges for authorities in the fields of detection, prevention and prosecution.
You will explore the importance of security and sustainable development of the natural environment in the context of local, national and global governance and how damage and threats to the natural environment create complex challenges.
You can choose electives to create a degree built for your unique career goals. Some of your elective unit options include:
- Environmental Offenders and Victims
- Human Rights in World Politics
- Governance and Fraud
- Computer Networks and Security
- The Carceral Society and Prison Futures
While the course is conveniently offered on our premium online learning platform, there are also opportunities to engage in practical learning. During the course, you can utilise Deakin's cutting edge immersive learning environments to experience lively and engaging content.
Career opportunities
As a graduate, your complex understanding of niche criminological situations will be in high demand by agencies focused on specific areas of the community. If you're already in the workforce, you'll be prepared for senior roles that require advanced knowledge, ensuring you're capable of making well-rounded decisions that will positively impact lives.
If you're passionate about committing to further study, organisations such as the Australian Institute of Criminology seek to promote justice and reduce crime by finding motivated individuals to undertake and communicate evidence-based research to inform policy and practice.
The graduate diploma and graduate certificate components of the Master of Criminology also give you a chance to exit the course early, with a glowing industry-recognised qualification.
As a graduate of the masters, you'll have the in-demand knowledge and real-world experience in crime science and management that industry needs. You can confidently enter the role of a corrections officer, case manager/worker, specialist adviser or criminologist, and explore a variety of areas including:
- anti-corruption agencies
- correctional facilities and prisons
- community services
- criminology research
- government agencies
- intelligence and security services
- sociology and youth work
- state and federal police
Participation requirements
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. Click here for more information.
Alternative exits
| Graduate Diploma of Criminology (A604) |
Fees and charges
Fees and charges vary depending on your course, the type of fee place you hold, your commencement year and your study load. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website or our handy Fee estimator to help estimate your tuition fees.
Course Learning Outcomes
| Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes | Course Learning Outcomes |
| Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities | Engage in independent and self-directed research that leads to the application of advanced and integrated knowledge of criminological studies to review and critically analyse key issues in the definitions, history, causes, harms and prevention of different types of crime and criminal behaviour within Australia and internationally |
| Communication | Communicate research findings and analyses of criminological theories, concepts and their application to real-world contexts, in a broad range of written, oral and digital formats, to different audiences, including the public and individuals and groups associated with or engaged in criminological activities whilst meeting academic and professional standards |
| Digital literacy | Employ a broad range of digital technologies to communicate types and forms of crime and appropriate responses to a diverse range of audiences, including the public and individuals and groups associated with or engaged in criminal justice policy and practice |
| Critical thinking | Exercise independent research skills and critical judgement to organise, synthesise and evaluate complex theoretical approaches to defining and understanding crime and criminal behaviours in a variety of forms and contexts, and critically analyse and make creative recommendations to improve current policies and practices of governments and criminal justice agencies in Australia and overseas intended to prevent and/or respond to crime and criminal behaviour |
| Problem solving | Critically analyse differing perspectives and approaches to preventing and responding to crime and criminal behaviour in a variety of contexts, nationally and internationally, and employ initiative, creativity and sound judgement to investigate complex problems in a systematic manner as well as generate creative solutions to crime and criminal behaviour that are sensitive to a diversity of contextual factors and the ethical, logical political or cultural dimensions of the problem |
| Self-management | Critically engage in reflective practice that evidences initiative, autonomy, responsibility, accountability and a continued commitment to self-directed learning, research and skill development personally, academically and professionally in the field of criminological studies |
| Teamwork | Collaborate productively in teams to research and evaluate explanations for and responses to complex issues in crime and criminal behaviour in a variety of national and international contexts |
| Global citizenship | Critically analyse and respond to issues in criminological studies, in domestic, regional and international contexts, as a reflective scholar and practitioner, taking into account cultural and socio-economic diversity, social and environmental responsibility and adherence to professional and ethical standards in a variety of contexts |
| Approved by Faculty Board March 2020 | |
Course rules
To qualify for the Master of Criminology, a student must successfully complete 8 credit points of study comprising 4 credit points of core units, plus 1 research option totalling a further 4 credit points
Course structure
Core Units
| AAI018 | Academic Integrity (0 credit point unit) |
| ACR705 | Cyber Crime and Digital Surveillance |
| ACR706 | Environmental Crime and Regulation |
| ACR707 | Populism and Policing Futures |
| AIX706 | Research Design |
Options 1, 2 & 3
Plus one of the following research options totalling four credit points:
Option 1 - Research Paper (Non PhD pathway)
| AIX701 | Research Paper |
plus 3 credit points of course electives
Option 2 - Minor Thesis (PhD Pathway)
| AIX704 | Minor Thesis A |
| AIX705 | Minor Thesis B |
plus 2 credit points of course electives
Option 3 - Major Thesis (PhD Pathway)
| AIX702 | Major Thesis A (2 credit points) |
| AIX703 | Major Thesis B (2 credit points) |
Course Electives*
| ACR703 | Critical Criminology Theory |
| ACR704 | Public Criminology and Criminological Knowledge |
| ACR708 | The Carceral Society and Prison Futures |
| ACR709 | Global Crime, Prevention and Responses |
| ACR710 | Environmental Offenders and Victims |
| AIP746 | Challenges to Democratic Governance |
| AIR748 | Security and Strategy |
| AIR732 | Terrorism in International Politics |
| AIR726 | Human Rights in World Politics |
| AIX707 | Qualitative Research |
| AIX708 | Quantitative Research |
| MAA763 | Governance and Fraud |
| MLM788 | International Financial Crime |
| SIT716 | Computer Networks and Security |
*Students who have previously completed any of these units within the Graduate Certificate of Criminology are required to substitute with an alternate unit from the course elective list
Further information
Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.
- Contact Student Central