2025/26 entry
MSc Policing and Criminal Investigation
About this course
Study for a Policing and Criminal Investigation MSc at LJMU and work with crime victims and witnesses to enhance your knowledge and key skills in this area.
- Explore investigative issues to gain the knowledge and practical skills to operate as a crime investigator in serious and complex cases
- Consider the links between investigation, forensics and psychology
- Work with crime victims and witnesses
- Choose this programme if you are a serving officer or about to embark on a policing or academic career
- Look forward to excellent employment opportunities in policing/investigative work, private investigation and governmental bodies
- Progress to doctorate study
Whether your career aspirations lie in investigative work within the police service, within private security or with other public bodies, this new MSc will develop your investigative skills and prepare you for career success. Working with crime victims and witnesses, you will explore the links between investigation, forensics and psychology.
You will receive specialist supervision and study within a diverse community of fellow researchers. Staff have significant research expertise in a wide range of fields
including: Data Science; Evidence-Based Practice; Forensic Science; Leadership, Governance and Ethics; Professional Development and Knowledge Exchange; Transnational and Public Order Policing; Urban Intelligence and Informatics; Victimology and Domestic Violence; Serious and Organised Crime and Intelligence Led policing.
The programme will challenge your intellect and encourage you to explore and critically analyse key developments in the field of criminal investigations and policing. You will consider links between investigation, forensics and psychology, and by working with crime victims and witnesses, you will gain practical skills and knowledge to enable you to operate as a crime investigator.
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- access to programme-appropriate software
- library and student IT support
- free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.
Employability
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
This programme prepares you for further study, employment or new roles in your current profession.
Policing and other related public sector fields currently suffer a skills gap in relation to quantitative research. This programme aims to fill that gap. It teaches the advanced skills of research, conceptualisation, analysis, argument, and presentation – all highly valued in many areas of employment.
Students with an interest in pursuing an academic path will be encouraged to progress to PhD level. This MSc plays an important development role in this process.
On completion of your MSc, you may consider a career in the police service or in areas connected to investigation, security or criminal justice e.g. the armed services, prison service, social work or criminal justice-related roles within the Civil Service. If you are already in employment, the MSc will prepare you to specialise in your area of interest.
The student experience
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Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
Your programme is made up of a number of core modules which are part of the course framework. Some programmes also have optional modules that can be selected to enhance your learning in certain areas and many feature a dissertation, extended report or research project to demonstrate your advanced learning.
Core modules
Drugs: Recognition and Identification
20 credits
This module will examine the unique difficulties posited during a drugs investigation and the importance of investigative ethics. It aims to:
- recognise the differences and street identification of illicit and licit drugs
- examine the impact that drugs have upon criminal behaviour and criminal tactics
- make you capable of ‘problem-solving’ in the field of drugs investigations
- assist in the recognition of drug-related items, and equipment that is used to produce, conceal and consume illicit drugs and the differences between specific drugs
- recognise the crime scene dangers in clandestine labs
Advanced Research Skills
20 credits
This module aims to prepare you for the dissertation in semester three by introducing key epistemological and methodological issues that impact on research into crime, security, community safety and criminal justice. While exploring the politics and practice of research in these areas, the module will introduce research theories and methods.
Advanced Investigation Skills
20 credits
This module will examine the administrative difficulties posited during a criminal investigation and the importance of investigative ethics. It aims to:
- examine the contributions that forensics bestow upon criminal investigations
- make you capable of ‘problem-solving’ in the field of criminal investigations
Forensic and Medicolegal Death
20 credits
Discover core foundational concepts of criminal investigations, enabling you to understand, explain, analyse and evaluate causes, sustainment and consequences of processing a death scene
Forensic Cognition: Violence and Victims
20 credits
Cognition is recognised as a key component in the way people think and behave. This course will examine influential theories that have been developed to aid in investigating sexual/violent offences. This module also aims to explore the investigative niche area of serial offending and why offenders chose certain victims.
Investigative Interviewing
20 credits
The aim of the module is to critically explore the intersection of psychology and policing. It will also examine current practices, techniques and applications of police interviewing. You will be exposed to comparative international techniques in interviewing, interpretation of verbal and physical behaviour, causes of denial, deception and defensiveness.
Dissertation - Policing
60 credits
The aim of the dissertation is to develop the ability of students to analyse and interpret an issue in their chosen field, drawing on the relevant body of knowledge, collecting data and completing a piece of writing in a manner conforming to the tenets of disciplined, lucid and critical scholarship. Supervision will be led by the most appropriate academic tutor with full support from the Policing Studies module team.
Teaching
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
Full-time students are expected to physically attend sessions 12 hours a week and part-time students should expect to participate 6 hours per week with additional outside study hours.
Teaching methods
The course offers a range of approaches to learning, with peer and tutor feedback greatly encouraged. Workshop activities and tutor support facilitate formative feedback to enable you to work on your weaknesses and build on your strengths.
Applied learning
All Policing Studies students have opportunities to learn directly from practitioners via workshops and masterclasses. The latter are held each month and include talks from a range of eminent experts, professionals and practitioners, from Leader of the North West Circuit, David Steer QC to UN Police Advisor, Chief Inspector Cecilia Dunster and Marie McCourt, mother of 'no-body' murder victim, Helen McCourt.
Assessment
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Assessment methods on this programme include: academic essays; annotated bibliographies; reflective research exercises; position papers; exams; reports; case studies; portfolios; online blogs and wikis; workplace practice; posters; oral presentations (individual and group); debates; reviews; group work and the dissertation/research project.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
Dr Heather Panter
Programme leader
Heather is programme leader for Policing and Criminal Investigation. Her research interests include LGBT+ criminology, investigative science and crime scene processing, and death studies. Her past publications have focused on social biases, gender theories, psychological conflict theories, issues surrounding social acceptance of those in stigmatised minority groups within policing, and LGBT+ bias within death investigations. Heather is a retired police detective with a combined 13 years of American law enforcement experience with local and federal police agencies.
I am a passionate teacher who draws on my previous police experience to create an innovative pedagogic environment which enables students to both grasp and apply complex criminological and investigative ideas.
School facilities
What you can expect from your School
Based within the John Foster Building, in the Mount Pleasant Campus, the School of Justice Studies is equipped with everything you require for your studies, including a bespoke crime scene investigation facility, well-equipped IT Suites, a light-filled Student Common Room and dedicated postgraduate study areas. At the back of the John Foster Building is the Aldham Robarts Library, which provides an exceptional range of materials to support your studies.
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
Undergraduate degree
- a minimum 2:2 in Policing, Criminology, Criminal Justice or a related subject
or
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evidence of current and relevant academic learning, including a Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP) qualification and/or relevant CPD learning
International requirements
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IELTS
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IELTS English language requirement: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each component)
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Further information
- Extra Requirements
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RPL
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RPL is accepted on this programme
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Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
Applications are assessed on: your application form, academic transcript (or equivalent) and reference.
You will need to:
- demonstrate sufficient knowledge to embark on the programme
- display the potential to develop high level research skills
- demonstrate the ability and commitment to work at postgraduate level
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.