At least a 2.1 honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject.
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Join our supportive and expert community of researchers as a student on our MSc by Research or PhD programme. We produce innovative research offering insights and solutions for society’s most pressing challenges.
We welcome proposals for research degrees on a wide range of topics relating to criminology or policing. Our team’s particular research strengths lie in:
Students can study either full time or part time alongside employment or family commitments. In recognition of the fact that no two research projects – or research students – are the same, we offer a flexible approach to supporting you. You will have access to hot-desk office space and library and ICT support. MSc students will typically take two research methods training modules, which are also available to PhD students.
Contributing original knowledge to your chosen specialism in criminology and policing, you will develop your own research project under the guidance of an expert team of our academic supervisors. You will develop a 30,000-word thesis on the MSc by Research programme, or an 80,000-word thesis on the PhD programme. You may also have the opportunity, subject to progress, upgrade from the MSc by Research programme to the PhD programme if you wish to develop your MSc project into a PhD.
You will be supported to develop an extensive range of research skills and professional aptitudes to ensure you graduate as an expert independent professional researcher. This training is delivered through an exciting research design and methods programme and a range of bespoke workshops – connecting you to researchers and research students across the university. You will be invited to participate in our Academic School’s research seminar series and to attend events and training arranged by our Early Careers Researcher network. Dedicated office space is provided for postgraduate researchers at our Francis Close Hall campus in Cheltenham.
*This course is 'subject to validation' which means it is in the final stages of approval. Courses are normally approved, but if it is not then we will contact applicants and those who register interest to help you find a suitable alternative.
At least a 2.1 honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject.
A master’s degree or equivalent in a subject area relevant to the proposed research topic.
We actively encourage applications from students from a range of diverse backgrounds who demonstrate appropriate research experience and achievement.
EU and international students need IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in any other component) or equivalent.
Please provide a copy of your research proposal. This should be 1,000 words (excluding references and appendices) following the structure outlined in this research proposal guide.
Please note; we’re unable to process applications without a proposal for the School’s consideration. Not supplying one will delay the processing of applications.
When funded projects arise, they will be advertised on the University webspages but we are also very happy to talk to potential students about self-funded or government loan-funded research and developing a project; please contact Dr Matt Wood [email protected] in the first instance.
You're viewing fees for the course option. Choose a different course option to see corresponding course fees.
| Start date | Course code |
Fee (UK) Fee per year |
Fee (international) Fee per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | — | £5,350 | £13,425 |
| October 2025 | — | £5,350 | £13,425 |
| February 2027 | — | TBC | TBC |
| October 2026 | — | TBC | TBC |
|
International students can benefit from a range of scholarships and bursaries across many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. |
Find out more | ||
Our postgraduate research students cultivate a diverse set of skills that are highly valued in the UK and internationally, preparing them for successful careers within academia and beyond.
As a postgraduate research student at UoG, you’ll develop and refine a range of skills across research, academic practice, project management and critical analysis to equip you for your future. Whether it’s contributing to ground-breaking academic research or applying problem-solving skills in the workplace, we’ll ensure you’re ready to take on your next challenge.
This versatility opens doors to opportunities across various sectors, from education and research institutions to commercial organisations and NGOs, where you’ll have the confidence to apply your researcher skills and develop innovative solutions to meet your ambitions.
With research submitted in each of our research areas judged to be internationally excellent according to the results of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF2021), our research supervisors have a broad range of specialisms across a diverse range of subjects.
Get in touch to find out how we can support your research interests by emailing [email protected].
You’ll be part of our Academic School’s research seminar series, enabling you to learn about the range of cutting-edge research taking place at the university, and network with the wider academic community. You’ll also have the opportunity to share your own research as part of the seminar series– great for developing your research dissemination skills and receiving feedback from a range of academic expert – and to join our Early Career Researcher network.
The School of Business will support you to present your research at academic conferences. These opportunities ensure that you stay abreast of the latest developments in your field and can develop your external research networks.
Gain new skills and develop innovative projects using cutting-edge facilities, labs and suites. Work with expert lecturers and professionals from across the industry.
“Studying for a PhD provides a great opportunity to become an expert in an area you find interesting and important. Being at the cutting edge of understanding in your discipline and dedicating a portion of your time to generating new knowledge and new understanding is a fantastic challenge. We enjoy supporting research students on their journey, working with them to understand their topics and often involving them in our research and conference presentations. Where we can, we also like to offer students the chance to teach, particularly if a career in academia is something they would like to pursue.”
“My research looks at the intersection of power, systemic injustice, social harm, and deviance in a globalised world. This has included examining state and corporate harms, green and blue criminology (environmental harm, maritime piracy, terrorism), decolonising criminology, and restorative justice. My current projects include studying the deviant causes of Earth System damage (which includes climate change), environmental justice and maritime piracy, state co-offending, and decolonising criminological knowledge production using an anti-racist foundation. In addition, I am collaborating on various restorative justice projects and developing a restorative justice technology platform.”
“My research is focused on interpersonal violence and especially how we can prevent homicide, and I have developed a new theoretical framework for tracking homicide risk in cases of domestic abuse and stalking that has influenced police forces and decision-makers nationally and internationally. I also work with professionals in reviewing homicides, including chairing statutory Domestic Homicide Reviews, providing investigative support on current and cold homicide cases, training professionals in risk and threat assessment, and providing risk assessment in current cases of coercive control and stalking.”
“My work primarily focuses on alternative justice and critically examining systems of punishment; following on from my PhD examining the role of community in criminal justice policy. I am currently supervising students working on policing in transitional states and the use of the presumption against short sentences in Scotland as a means to reduce their use. I am currently evaluating a project called ‘Custody in the Community’ working with Gloucestershire Police, the Nelson Trust, YMCA and others on the use of accommodation retrofitted with surveillance technology to support the rehabilitation of women leaving prison, with complex needs.”
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