Where Will Postgraduate Study in Law Lead You?
Overview
The Master of Criminology (Research) enables you to further explore aspects involving criminal law, forensic psychiatry, drug policy and the law, gender and race relations, youth and crime, policing in society, and other social and cultural aspects of criminal justice.
The Master of Criminology is available full-time up to two years or part-time over four years and is awarded on the basis of a supervised thesis of 50,000 words.
The thesis must make a substantial contribution to the knowledge of the subject concerned. Students are also required to undertake the compulsory research-support coursework unit, LAWS6077 Legal Research 1.
Subject areas
Shared pool
Your entry requirements
English language proficiency
Find out if you need to prove English language proficiency (depends on your country of origin and educational background).
For academic requirements check the ‘Admission requirements’ section on this page.
Your fee
How to apply
Please apply by 31 October for commencement on 1 March and 30 March for commencement on 1 July. If your application cannot be assessed in time for commencement, it will be considered for the next possible start date. You may not apply until an Expression of Interest has been accepted by the School.
Starting date
Research Period 2: 1 March and Research Period 3: 1 July
Please apply by 31 October for commencement on 1 March and 30 March for commencement on 1 July. If your application cannot be assessed in time for commencement, it will be considered for the next possible start date. You may not apply until an Expression of Interest has been accepted by the School.
Starting date
Research Period 2: 1 March and Research Period 3: 1 July
Research areas
Master of Criminology researchers perform original research in an area of criminal law, justice and criminology under the supervision of a member of the University of Sydney Law School who is an expert in the subject matter.
Learn more about Sydney Law School research
What you'll study
The Master of Criminology (Research) is awarded on the basis of a supervised thesis of a maximum 50,000 words. The thesis must make a substantial contribution to the knowledge of the subject concerned. Students are also required to complete the compulsory research-support coursework unit, LAWS6077 Legal Research 1 within the first 12 months of their candidature.
Changes to higher degree research in 2021
From 2021, the University is introducing a new coursework curriculum to support research success. Masters students will complete 6 credit points of coursework and be able to choose from a pool of 270+ units from any faculty. The pool comprises a range of development opportunities that include specialist analytical methods, professional development units and discipline-specific subjects relevant for research students.
Refer to the Interdisciplinary Studies handbook
There is no separate tuition fee cost for the coursework units of study you will undertake, it is part of the tuition fee for the course.
See the ‘Your Fee’ section for fee information. Additional non-tuition course costs vary depending on the units of study.
You will be able to see and enrol in any of the units available, subject to capacity restraints and your own background. Note that your faculty may elect to make certain units compulsory for a given degree.
Applying for admission
There are two steps involved in making an application to a Law research program:
- Expression of Interest - To guide you in making a formal application, we ask that you provide us information about your intended research area and motivation, academic qualifications, professional or other qualifications, research activities and publications, and any other information relevant to the application by completing an Expression of Interest form
- Expressions of Interest should be sent as early as possible and no later than:
- Domestic students: 3 months prior to the application closing date
- International students: 6 months prior to the application closing date
- Expressions of Interest should be sent as early as possible and no later than:
- Formal application for admission - If your Expression of Interest is accepted, you must submit a formal application through the University's Online Application portal. Please ensure that all required supporting documents which include a full research proposal and motivation statement for doing a research degree, curriculum vitae and course completion timetable are submitted with your online application. You will also need to provide us with two referees who will support your application. Apply now
If you have already commenced a research degree, there are additional requirements, please contact law.postgraduate@sydney.edu.au
Also visit Research Scholarships
Completion requirement
To qualify for the award Master of Criminology, a student must:
(a) complete the unit of study LAWS6077 Legal Research 1 within the first 12 months of their candidature; and
(b) complete a thesis in the subject approved by the Associate Dean, having an upper limit of 50,000 words that may be exceeded only with the permission of the Associate Dean; and
(c) satisfy the examiners that the thesis is a substantial contribution to the subject concerned. Thesis submission requirements and examination procedure as set out in the Academic Board resolutions for this course and the Higher Degree (HDR) Rule 2011.
Admission requirement
A successful applicant for admission to the Master of Criminology by research requires an Honours degree with first or second class honours. Applications for admission to candidature for the Master of Criminology are assessed on the basis of: suitability and sufficiency of merit of the applicant's prior qualification (Bachelor's degree or equivalent); suitability of proposed topic; and availability of appropriate supervision.
Domestic students
International students
