Master in Criminology and Criminal Justice System

Presentation

The Master's programme in Criminology and Penal Theory has been taught for 23 years now, first as a collaborative project between the Centre d'Estudis Jurídics i Formació Especialitzada (Centre for Legal Studies and Specialized Training) and the Department of Political Science and Public Law of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), and later between Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the University of Girona (UdG), with the aim of providing specialized training in the field of criminology and penology from the perspective of the different disciplines involved. This is the second academic year in which the interuniversity master's degree has become official. 

Objectives

The interuniversity master's programme in Criminology and Penal Theory is designed to lend students advanced, specialized training oriented towards the exercise of research and academic work.

Thus, upon completion of the master's, students will:

• Have gained advanced knowledge in criminology and penology.
• Be able to apply knowledge on criminal theory in order to formulate hypotheses for research and conduct rigorous empirical research in the sphere of penology.
• Be capable of formulating conclusions coherent with the empirical research conducted and proposing solutions to the penological problems analyzed that are sensitive to the social consequences.
• Be able to clearly and concisely communicate the hypotheses, methodology used, results and practical implications of the research conducted, to a specialized audience as well as the general public.
• Have developed research skills allowing them to independently undertake new areas of study. 

Competences you will acquire through this master's programme 

Specific competences

• CE1. Sound knowledge of advanced criminological research in penology.
• CE2. Design of coherent research projects in penology.                                                             
• CE3. Correct use of qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques in conducting a research project.
• CE4. Writing of scientific articles suitable for publication in specialized journals, in both Spanish and English.
• CE5. Draw up of research reports covering different analysis perspectives as a team.

Cross-disciplinary competences

• CT1. Teamwork
• CT2. Capacity for independent work.
• CT3. Correct management of time allowing increased productivity.
• CT4. Planning of tasks according to resources available.
• CT5. Draw up of structured final research reports clearly presenting the objectives of the research, methodology used, results and conclusions.
• CT6. Coherent extrapolation of the practical implications of empirical research, with appropriate analysis of the costs and possibilities of conducting it.
• CT7. Formulation of an independent doctoral thesis project that includes a working hypothesis, sources, methodology and implications of the research.
• CT8. At scientific congresses or seminars, proper communication of empirical ideas and work conducted, both to a specialized and a non-specialized public, in Spanish and English.

Academic content

Compulsory modules

• Module 1: Penology. Theories justifying punishment. Penitentiary systems. Alternative sentences other than prison terms. Juvenile penal system. Restorative justice. Public opinion.
• Module 2: Criminology. Criminological theories. Training programmes. Re-entry programmes.
• Module 3: Methodology. Research methods in penology: quantitative and qualitative. Introduction to scientific work. Research project design.
• Module 4: Introduction to Research and Final Project. Introduction to research methodology. Conducting an integral research project.

Optional modules

• Module 5: Immigration and the Penal System. Immigration and delinquency. Immigration and the penal system. Immigration and penitentiaries. Immigration and re-entry policies.
• Module 6: Women and the Penal System. Domestic violence and gender violence. Sexual violence and other crimes against women. Feminist analysis of the penal system. Delinquency among women and policies of intervention.
• Module 7: Crime prevention. Crime control and prevention. Basic principles on the design and assessment of preventive schemes.

Career prospects

Generally speaking, we feel that anyone working directly with criminality (dealing with subjects, i.e. delinquents and victims; crimes, offences; penitentiary systems) should have training in criminology; hence, this programme should be basic, compulsory training for anyone working in any way in the spheres of crime prevention, crime control and reaction to crime.

More specifically, the following can be considered career prospects:

• The police
• Criminal technical advisory teams
• Criminal justice system
• Alternative penal measures
• Victimology
• Juvenile justice
• Restorative justice
• Penitentiary centres
• Penitentiary surveillance
• Social exclusion
• Social reinsertion
• Design of criminal policy
• Criminological research
• Private security

Grants

This master's degree is included in the postgraduate grant programme for Latin-American students of the Carolina Foundation.

Other grants: http://www.upf.edu/postgrau/es/beques