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Criminal Justice

The MA – Criminal Justice is a two-year part-time programme that explores the key issues in the management of the criminal justice system. It seeks to raise the level of analysis within the Irish criminal justice system and to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary for effective management in this area.

On completing the first year of the programme, students receive the interim award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management. The second year of the course is divided into two semesters. In the first of these, students study three key subjects in criminal justice. In the second, they write a dissertation on a specific criminal justice issue. Year two will normally only commence in autumn of each year. If you do not wish to take all three subjects in any particular semester, you may choose to study one or two on a phased basis. 

Master of Arts – Criminal Justice

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Key Facts

Delivery Method

This programme is delivered through blended learning and can be taken from anywhere in the country. Students receive comprehensive course manuals and all the essential textbooks. They study this material at a time and place of their own choosing. 

Students also attend the IPA on six weekends over the course of the academic year for lectures and seminars. These weekend events also allow them to meet with their classmates and obtain advice from lecturers and subject coordinators. 

Entry Requirements

Applicants must have a primary degree or equivalent qualification.

Duration

Two academic years.

Interim Awards

Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management.

Accreditation

NUI

Place on NFQ

Level 9 (Masters Degree) what is this?

Commences

September 2018

Application Deadline

August 2018

Fees

The cost of the programme is €5,000 per annum (includes all matriculation and examination fees, all seminars, textbooks and course material), payable in two instalments. 

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The Programme

The MA – Criminal Justice is a two-year part-time programme that explores the key issues in the management of the criminal justice system. It seeks to raise the level of analysis within the Irish criminal justice system and to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary for effective management in this area.

On completing the first year of the programme, students receive the interim award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management. The second year of the course is divided into two semesters. In the first of these, students study three key subjects in criminal justice. In the second, they write a dissertation on a specific criminal justice issue. Year two will normally only commence in autumn of each year. If you do not wish to take all three subjects in any particular semester, you may choose to study one or two on a phased basis. 

Is This Programme for you?

This degree will be of particular interest to those working in the administration of justice and related fields, to members of An Garda Síochána and to prison officers. The programme is delivered through a blend of distance education and intensive weekend seminars and workshops at the IPA. Students can, therefore, pursue this programme no matter where they live and can remain in full-time employment.

Subjects

Year One 

Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management (Interim Award)

The first year of the MA programme is divided into two semesters and each semester is devoted to the study of three key subjects in public management.

Semester One
  • Economics
  • Managing Human Resources
  • Finance
Semester Two
  • Organisation and Strategy
  • Research Methods
  • Managing Service Delivery/Managing in Europe

Year Two 

Semester One 
Crime and Society

This course examines how to understand the effect of crime on society and vice versa. It examines theories of criminal behaviour, environmental criminology, situational crime prevention, influences on crime, forms of crime, drug-related crimes, and changes in crime rates in Ireland

The Management of Policing

This course provides a history and analysis of policing in Ireland and elsewhere. It considers, among other things, the current functions of An Garda Síochána, global changes in policing, the growth of non-governmental policing, the role of the community in policing itself, and the future of policing.

Criminal Sanctions and the State

The third module of this semester turns to the sanctions that the State applies for criminal behaviour. It explores sociological explanations for the development of modern punishment, the expansion of criminal sanctions in Ireland, contemporary developments in the Irish penal system, sentencing, incarceration, alternatives to custody, the challenge of restorative justice and contemporary theories of prison rehabilitation.

Semester Two

In the second semester of year two, students write a dissertation on a specific criminal justice management issue. 

Assessment

Students are assessed by means of assignments, examinations and a dissertation.

Seminar Dates

Autumn 2018

  • Orientation Seminar: September 7-9
  • Review Seminar: October 6-7
  • Final Seminar: November 3-4
  • Examinations: Week of December 10

 

Spring Semester 2019

  • Orientation Seminar: January 4-6
  • Review Seminar: February 2-3
  • Final Seminar: March 2-3
  • Examinations: Week of April 8
Prospectus

Postgraduate Prospectus 2018 / 2019

Full details on all IPA postgraduate programmes are available in the prospectus, which you can view or download here.

Click here for Application Form
 

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