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Key details

Start date(s)
September 2026
Study Mode
Full-time (1 year)
Part-time (2 years)
Location
Leeds City Campus
School
Social Sciences

The field of criminology and criminal justice is constantly developing, challenging both researchers and practitioners as new forms of crime and harm emerge from a range of perennial issues.

Whether it's established issues of crime and disorder or emergent problems attached to new technologies, changing demographic patterns of globalised structural networks, there is a growing demand - locally and nationally - for professionals with substantive, social-scientific knowledge and evidence-based practice along with the research skills needed for their development.

The MA Criminology and Criminal Justice aims to prepare you for a career in the broad field of criminal justice by developing your awareness of current problems in crime and harm and equipping you with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to and lead professional services across the criminal justice sector.

The Student Contract

About this course

This course is suitable for graduates from a wide range of academic disciplines, including criminology, policing, sociology, psychology and law, who are keen to build on their current knowledge to pursue a career in criminal justice and for professionals working in the criminal justice sector who want to expand their own skills, knowledge and competencies.

Throughout the course, you will explore current problems and ideas on both sides of the criminological discipline and have the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and competencies required to join the next generation of practitioners and researchers.

You’ll receive research training that roams beyond the established distinction between qualitative and quantitative to explore the new frontier of online methodologies.

You’ll learn from practitioners and researchers with interests that range across the social sciences and benefit from our established links with West Yorkshire Police, the probation service and a variety of connected organisations.

These experts will help you to develop strong analytical and research skills and support you as you conduct your own real-world criminological research, putting your ideas and interests into practice through the completion of a postgraduate research project.

Why study with us

  • Gain skills and knowledge vital to higher-level criminal justice practitioners.
  • Study alongside experienced researchers and practitioners with extensive experience working in and around criminal justice.
  • Foster your ability to identify, build and employ evidence-based practice.
Postgraduate student in a seminar.

Course modules

You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Core modules

You will study the following modules throughout your degree.

Current Criminological Concepts

You will be introduced to explanations of crime suited to the current times in which we live. It will build on the criticisms levelled at 20th-century theoretical frameworks and move forward to familiarise you with the latest 21st-century frameworks currently in use and/or under development. The module will place these emerging frameworks in the contexts of today's mutating crime and criminal markets alongside current transformations in contemporary political economy, culture, social theory, psychoanalysis and philosophy.  

Practical Criminological Research

Develop an advanced understanding of the processes and issues of social research. Drawing upon the philosophical underpinnings which are central to research methodologies, this module will encourage you to consider the relationship between theory, methods and data and to critically consider the need to balance theory with conducting research on real issues in the real world. This module will help you gain a coherent understanding of the decisions researchers make when deciding which research methods to use and to develop practical skills in using a variety of research methods. You will also be able to develop a sound understanding of ethical and practical issues in designing, conducting and analysing research.

Justice and Control in a Globalised World

This module examines the institutions, practices and processes that make up the criminal justice system. You will explore policing, punishment, surveillance and crime prevention, analysing the social, economic and political factors that shape these practices and their impact on different groups.

A key theme throughout is the balance between 'justice' and 'control', with particular attention to state power and accountability. The module also addresses contemporary global challenges, including policies to counter extremism and terrorism, and the use of new technologies in law enforcement across a range of national contexts.

 

 

Transnational Illicit Markets

You will build on foundational criminological knowledge by examining transnational illicit markets and profit‑driven criminal activities. Drawing on globalisation theories, you will explore how emerging criminal enterprises operate across borders, assess their social impacts, and consider law‑enforcement responses.

You will also investigate the how global criminal markets take shape within specific local conditions through the study of illicit commodities such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals and digital goods, as well as illegal markets including human trafficking and the sex trade. The module examines the nature and extent of organised crime, key trade routes and production centres, and how these activities are embedded in national and global political economies, before exploring specific networks of illegal trafficking.

 

 

Scholarly Project

You will demonstrate your awareness and skills in research and evaluation, and your ability to integrate, synthesise and critique criminological content, concepts and research methodologies through the production of an extended piece of independent work based on a criminological topic of your choice.

Course structures

September - Full-time
Year Semester Module Credits Contact hours
1 Semester 1 Practical Criminological Research 30 10 x 2.5 hours
Current Criminological Concepts 30 10 x 2.5 hours
Semester 2 Justice and Control in the 21st Century 30 10 x 2.5 hours
Illicit Markets 30 10 x 2.5 hours
Semester 2 and Summer Scholarly Project and Summer Staff and Student Research Conference 60 6 hours of introductory tuition plus 12 hours of supervision and additional support workshops
September - Part-time
Year Semester Module Credits Contact hours
1 Semester 1 Current Criminological Concepts 30 10 x 2.5 hours
Semester 2 Justice and Control in the 21st Century 30 10 x 2.5 hours
1 and 2 Semester 1, 2 and Summer Scholarly Project 60 6 hours of introductory tuition plus 12 hours of supervision and additional support workshops
2 Semester 1 Practical and Criminological Research 30 10 x 2.5 hours
Semester 2 Illicit Markets 30 10 x 2.5 hours

Learning and teaching

The Student Contract

We use a range of assessment methods throughout the course, which includes:

  • Essays
  • Podcasts
  • Group and individual presentations
  • Scholarly Project

Learning and teaching

At Leeds Trinity we aim to provide an excellent student experience and provide you with the tools and support to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional potential.

Our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy delivers excellence by providing the framework for:

  • high quality teaching
  • an engaging and inclusive approach to learning, assessment and achievement
  • a clear structure through which you progress in your academic studies, your personal development and towards professional-level employment or further study.

We have a strong reputation for developing student employability, supporting your development towards graduate employment, with relevant skills embedded throughout your programme of study.

We endeavour to develop curiosity, confidence, courage, ambition and aspiration in all students through the key themes in our Learning and Teaching Strategy:

  • Student Involvement and Engagement
  • Inclusion
  • Integrated Programme and Assessment Experience
  • Digital Literacy and Skills
  • Employability and Enterprise

To help you achieve your potential we emphasise learning as a collaborative process, with a range of student-led and real-world activities. This approach ensures that you fully engage in shaping your own learning, developing your critical thinking and reflective skills so that you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the extensive learning support system we offer to shape your own development.

We believe the secret to great learning and teaching is simple: it is about creating an inclusive learning experience that allows all students to thrive through:

  • Personalised support
  • Expert lecturers
  • Strong connections with employers
  • An international outlook
  • Understanding how to use tools and technology to support learning and development

Entry requirements

Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.

The following information is designed to give you a general overview of the qualifications we accept. If you are taking qualifications that are not included below, please contact our Admissions Office who will be happy to advise you.

  • An honours degree (minimum 2:2) in a relevant subject such as criminology, sociology, psychology, policing or the wider social sciences (politics, economics).

  • Alternatively, we will consider applicants with equivalent professional experience.

For more information on meeting English language requirements and academic requirements by country, visit our International Applicants page.

Please contact us for personalised advice on 0113 283 7123 or at admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Fees and finance

Funding

UK Home Students:

For information about our tuition fees please visit our Student Fees and Finance pages.

If you studied your undergraduate degree at Leeds Trinity University, you may be eligible for a discount of up to 50% on the cost of your tuition fees. This discount may be subject to change for 2027/28 entry.

International Students, including EU Students:

Visit our web page for international students.

Leeds Trinity Alumni Discount

Some Leeds Trinity graduates are eligible for a tuition fee discount on postgraduate courses of up to 50%, excluding PGCE Delivery Partner Model and Lead Partner Model, and Masters by Research courses. You will need to achieve a 2:2 or above in a Leeds Trinity undergraduate course to qualify. This discount may be subject to change for 2027/28 entry.

Postgraduate course Leeds Trinity Alumni Discount
MA programmes  50% for Leeds Trinity graduates with a 1st class honours degree
MA programmes  35% for Leeds Trinity graduates with a 2:1 honours degree
MA programmes  20% for Leeds Trinity graduates with a 2:2 honours degree

How to apply

If you need advice on your application, please contact our admissions team on 0113 283 7123 (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am to 5.00pm, or Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm) or admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Home applicants - How to apply

Applicants who require a Student Route Visa

Applications for September 2026 entry are now closed for applicants who require a Student Route Visa. 

Part-time study is not available for international students on a Student Route Visa.

For additional information, including academic requirements by country, visit our country and region page.

International applicants - How to apply

What happens next?

Our admissions team will acknowledge receipt of your application by email.

Where applications are submitted but references are still in progress, admissions will wait for the reference(s) to be received and then will process it, and forward it to the relevant Programme Leader within five days of receipt of the reference(s).

The Programme Leader will make a decision based on your application. You may be asked to provide a reference to demonstrate your academic and non-academic experiences, or you may be invited to attend an interview. If you are successful and are made an offer, the conditions will be outlined in your offer letter. 

Applications will be acknowledged within five working days. Applicants will be contacted within 15 working days with a request for additional information, an invitation to an informal interview or an application decision.

Made an offer?

You should accept or decline your offer by emailing admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk.

If you accept, you'll need to prove you satisfy the conditions outlined in your offer letter.

You may be asked to present the relevant supporting documentation in person to the student information point on campus - if originals are not needed, you’ll be contacted and given details of how to provide the supporting documentation.

Meet the team

Rob Hornsby.

Rob Hornsby

Rob Hornsby

Associate Professor of Criminology

Overview

Rob Hornsby is a UK-based criminologist with extensive international networks- specialising in organised crime, violence and illegal markets. His research has examined mid-level drug distribution, county lines networks, the laundering of criminal proceeds and the role of prisons as sites of exploitation and incubators of criminal capital. He has also published widely on gun crime, cigarette smuggling, child trafficking and illicit entrepreneurship, alongside work exploring race-related urban disorder, youth crime and the political economy of illegal markets. Running through this scholarship is a sustained concern with social justice, racism and the lived realities of working-class communities.

He is the MA Criminology and Criminal Justice Programme Leader and teaches on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules, including Illicit Markets, Organised Crime, Current Criminological Concepts and the MA Scholarly Project. He holds a PhD from Durham University, an MA in Criminal Justice Studies and a BA in Sociology and Social Policy.

His work has appeared in leading journals such as The British Journal of Criminology, Critical Criminology and Equity in Education & Society, and in major reference collections including the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Alongside academic publishing, he regularly contributes to public debate through media outlets including the BBC, The Conversation and regional press, translating research on organised crime and illicit economies for wider audiences.

Having entered academia as a mature student, he brings a strong commitment to widening participation and critical criminological inquiry into his teaching and supervision. Away from work, he has followed Sunderland AFC for most of his life, a loyalty that has required resilience as much as optimism.

Qualifications

  • PhD - Durham
  • MA Criminal Justice Studies
  • BA Sociology and Social Policy

Speciality Areas

Organised Crime, Violent Crime, Gun Crime, Youth Crime, and Illegal Markets.

Current Research

  • Mid-Level Drug Distribution
  • County Lines
  • Prison as Incubator of Criminal Capital in Illegal Drug Markets
  • Race Riots

Publications

Peer-reviewed journals

  • Hornsby, R. (2025). Babylon’s burning: An analysis of race-related rioting in the UK. Equity in Education & Society,

    Hornsby, R. (forthcoming). Linesman for the county: a case study of the implementation and management of a county line drugs distribution network. The British Journal of Criminology.

    Hornsby, R. and Andell, P. [2026-forthcoming] ’Imprisonment as a Site of Exploitation and Incubator of Criminal Capital in Illegal Drug Markets’ Critical Criminology

    Hornsby, R. (in progress) ‘Laundering the Proceeds of Crime: A case study of a successful mid-level cocaine dealer’

    Hornsby, R. [with Harvey, J. H., & Sattar, Z.] (2015). Disjointed service: An English case study of multi-agency provision in tackling child trafficking. British journal of criminology, 55(3), 494-513.

    Hornsby, R. [with Antonopoulos, G. A., Hobbs, D] (2011). A soundtrack to (illegal) entrepreneurship: pirated CD/DVD selling in a Greek provincial city. The British Journal of Criminology, 51(5), 804-822.

Books

  • Hornsby, R., & Hobbs, D. (2020). Armed robbery (commercial). In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

    Hornsby, R. [with Harvey, J., & Booth, D.] (2017). Trafficked, smuggled or exploited: Ignore the labels, they all involve abuse. The many faces of crime for profit and ways of tackling it, 325-348.

    Harvey, J. and Hornsby, R., (2016). The criminal entrepreneur: A case study of an organised criminal family. Narratives on organised crime in Europe, 167-193.

    1. Hornsby and Dick Hobbs [2007] Gun Crime

    Hornsby, R., et al. (2006). Organised crime is……. Findings from a cross‐national review of literature. The organisation of crime for profit: Conduct, law and measurement, 17-42.

Other

Professional Security Magazine-Cigarette Trafficking Study. https://professionalsecurity.co.uk/news/news-archive/cig-trafficking-study/

BBC News: 'Tab houses' target child smokers’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8329163.stm

The Conversation: Arbitrary austerity fuels organised crime in Europe

Chronicle Live: North gang culture changing as Triads and Yardies move in on drugs trade: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-gang-culture-changing-triads-1475344

BBC NEWS: Smoking out the gangs in the illegal tobacco trade

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12217738

BBC Gangster Series: Introducing Gangster: The Story of the Black Widow

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0ltfvxg

Chronicle Live: 66 people on North East crooks’ murder hitlist- https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/66-people-north-east-crooks-1410877

 

Email

Can you give an example of a professional career highlight and/or experience that informs your teaching of your subject area? 

The wonderful and often unexplained ‘stuff’ that goes on around us all. You can stand at a bus stop, a shopping trip to Asda, look at the litter blowing around in the gutter and find a worthwhile subject to research. Society-the gift that just keeps on giving!

Which fictional representation of policing or investigation do you think portrays it most accurately – and explain why? 

Currently, ‘Jackson Lamb’ Head of MI5 misfits at Slough House in the spy TV series ‘Slow Horses’.  A bitter, cynical, but well-meaning boss who doesn’t take fools lightly.

What do/did you enjoy the most about working in criminology/policing/sociology? 

Far too many to do justice to and mention-but here’s a few-Ian Taylor/Laurie Taylor/Dick Hobbs/Georgios Antonopoulos/Steve Hall/Petrus van Duyne/Bob Lily have all inspired me. So many of the research participants I was fortunate enough to meet and work with and who gave me their trust, time, experiences, and insights to provide a better understanding of society, and of course, the current CIP staff!
Shaun McDaid.

Shaun McDaid

Shaun McDaid

Senior Lecturer in Criminology

Overview

Shaun joined Leeds Trinity University in 2023 as a Senior Lecturer in Criminology. He previously was Senior Lecturer in the Department of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the University of Huddersfield, and was a Research Fellow on the Hillsborough Independent Panel project based at the School of Law, Queen's University Belfast.   

Shaun's primary research interests lie in the fields of political violence and terrorism, radicalisation, extremism, and counter-extremism. 

Recently, his work has focused on Covid-sceptic social movements and far-right groups, particularly in Ireland, which builds on an extensive and ongoing portfolio of research on both Ireland and Northern Ireland.  

At Trinity, Shaun teaches the modules “Victimology” and “Justice, Punishment and Human Rights” at undergraduate level, as well as modules on research methods and “Justice and Control in the 21st century” at postgraduate level.  

Shaun completed his PhD at Queen's University Belfast, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS).

Qualifications

  • PhD (Queen’s University Belfast)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Speciality Areas

Terrorism, Extremism and Counter-extremism, Victimology, Human Rights and State Crime, Policing divided societies.

Current Research

Shaun's research broadly focuses on terrorism, extremism and counter-extremism, particularly in relation to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain. More recently, Shaun has taken an interest in debates around radicalisation and extremism, including conspiratorial and anti-state extremism. He has also conducted research on free speech in universities and the teaching and learning of controversial topics.

Publications

Clubb, G., & McDaid, S. (2019). The causal role of ideology and Cultural Systems in radicalisation and de-radicalisation. Journal of Critical Realism, 18(5), 513-528. 

McGlynn, C., & McDaid, S. (2019). Radicalisation and higher education: Students’ understanding and experiences. Terrorism and Political Violence, 31(3), 559-576. 

Ferguson, N., McDaid, S., & McAuley, J. W. (2018). Social movements, structural violence, and conflict transformation in Northern Ireland: The role of loyalist paramilitaries. Peace and conflict: Journal of peace psychology, 24(1), 19. 

Kovras, I., McDaid, S., & Hjalmarsson, R. (2018). Truth commissions after economic crises: political learning or blame game?. Political Studies, 66(1), 173-191. 

Lewis, M., & McDaid, S. (2017). Bosnia on the border? Republican violence in Northern Ireland during the 1920s and 1970s. Terrorism and Political Violence, 29(4), 635-655.

Books

Radicalisation and Counter-Radicalisation in Higher Education (Emerald, 2018). With C. McGlynn.  

Template for Peace: Northern Ireland, 1972-1975 (Manchester University Press, 2013).

Chapters in books

McDaid, S. (2023). Pogroms, presence, myth and memory: August 1969 and the outbreak of the Northern Ireland conflict. In Troubles of the past? (pp. 37-55). Manchester University Press. 

McDaid, S., & McAuley, J. (2023). Radical right-wing politics on the island of Ireland. In The Routledge Handbook of Far-Right Extremism in Europe (pp. 244-257). Routledge. 

 

Podcast Credits

Invited guest, “From Troubles to the Good Friday Agreement. And what's next for Northern Ireland amid Brexit?” The Global Agora Podcast, 15 April 2023.  

Invited guest, “Radicalisation and Counter Radicalisation in Higher Education”, Secrets and Spies Podcast, 17 June 2022  

Email

Within your field, who do you most admire and why?

I am an historian by background, but when it comes to Criminology, I would have to say Professor Phil Scraton, a well-known critical criminologist and author of Hillsborough: The Truth. Phil has for many years scrutinised state power and injustice, and his work helped the victims of Hillsborough to “set the record straight” about that tragedy. But his research goes well beyond Hillsborough, exploring issues of injustice and the abuse of power in other settings such as the prisons system. I worked under Phil’s management as a researcher for the Hillsborough Independent Panel report after I completed my PhD, and I learned a great deal from him that I still draw upon to this day.

Which fictional representation of policing or investigation do you think portrays it most accurately – and explain why?

I would recommend the French drama “Spiral” (Engrenages) which was shown on BBC4 some years ago. It gives an interesting insight into the French criminal investigation process, which is judge-led, in contrast to the system here in the UK. It also isn’t afraid to tackle difficult issues such as political corruption, morally questionable or unethical police procedures, or wicked social problems such as the impact of inequality. It’s also brilliantly acted, with lots of sharp – and not always very polite – dialogue.

What do you enjoy the most about working in criminology?

I enjoy the fact that the subject area is truly interdisciplinary. To really understand some of the big social challenges like crime, punishment, human rights and state power, you can bring in history, politics, economics, psychology sociology and so on. I also believe a real strength of this subject is the fact that we don’t shy away from challenging or difficult topics – we confront them head on.