Find details about studying the Master of Criminology at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

The MCrim, PGDipCrim, and PGCertCrim make up a tiered family of qualifications. These are “staircased”, so that courses completed for a smaller qualification can count towards a larger one.

• Postgraduate Certificate in Criminology (60 points)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Criminology (120 points)
• Master of Criminology (180 points)

Or, if you’re not quite ready to commit to the MCrim, you can enrol in the PGDipCrim or PGCertCrim. Then, once you’re sure this is the pathway for you, you can easily move into the Master’s programme.

The MCrim includes two compulsory introductory courses, along with a selection of courses that focus on core and cutting-edge criminological issues and concepts. The taught courses are followed by a dissertation project that you’ll complete under staff supervision.

Here’s how your timetable would look if you want to complete the Master of Criminology in three consecutive trimesters:

Trimester 1

• CRIM 430—Criminology Theory (15 points)
• CRIM 431—Criminology Research Methods (15 points)
• 400-level option 1 (30 points)

Trimester 2

• 400-level option 2 (30 points)
• 400-level option 3 (30 points)

Trimester 3

• 500-level dissertation (60 points).

The PGDipCrim programme includes the courses from Trimester 1 and 2 of the MCrim programme, but does not include the dissertation.

The PGCertCrim programme includes just the Trimester 1 courses and has no internship or dissertation.

In the MCrim programme, you’ll be assessed through a combination of written and oral assignments. Assessments include essays, oral presentations, reviews, and commentaries. You’ll also complete a research proposal and a 60-point dissertation.

To get a balanced understanding of the field of criminology, you can choose from courses that cover a wide range of topics.

Courses include:

• Issues in Crime Prevention (CRIM 414)
• Digital Criminology: Harm, Power, and Activism (CRIM 417)
• Drug Use and Misuse: Key Issues and Debates (CRIM 420)
• Liberties, Rights, and Justice (CRIM 423).

You can study the MCrim, PGDipCrim, or PGCertCrim full time or part time.

You’ll typically complete the MCrim in three trimesters of full-time study. Studying part time, it may take up to three years.

If you’re studying the PGDipCrim full time, you’ll study five courses over two trimesters. If you’re studying the PGCertCrim full time, you’ll study three courses in one trimester.

Full-time students can expect a workload of around 40 hours a week. Part-time students will need to do around 20 hours of work a week. Make sure you take this into account if you are working.

You can estimate your workload by adding up the number of points you’ll be doing. One point is roughly equal to 10 to 12 hours of work.