The MA in Socio-Legal and Criminological Research provides students with a systematic grounding in empirical research. Too frequently, legal researchers want to make claims about how law really works in society, only to realise that they lack the practical training in how to find that out.
That training is what this degree is designed to provide. It introduces a variety of research methodologies, as well as providing an introduction to the theoretical bases of research in law and in the social sciences more broadly.
It is assumed that students taking the course will have an area of law of interest to them. To that end, two modules may be taken from the school's LLM programme. A dissertation in the final three months of the programme is intended to provide students with a project to try out the methods of interest to them, in their chosen legal subject.
Many students will wish to move from this programme on to doctoral studies. The programme is however also relevant to students wishing to have a more structured and systematic understanding of how research is conducted, and what research is reliable. As such, it will be relevant for people looking for a career in policy-making and similar social science disciplines.
The programme meets the standards of qualifying year of the ESRC 1+3 scholarship scheme. The School has been awarded a fixed number of studentships under this scheme for students looking to do the MA followed by a doctorate in a socio-legal or criminological subject. For details of the scheme, email Joanne Bailey, Postgraduate Programmes Administrator.
Core Modules
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Legal Research Methods
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Research Management and Personal Development Skills
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Philosophy of Social Research
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Quantitative Political Analysis
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Designing Political Enquiry
Options
Students may choose from a wide range of modules, in consultation with the Programme Director, from the LLM programme