Global Criminology

Overview

Do you want to understand the role of Mexico in the cocaine trade, why a Dutch multinational dumps waste on an African country, or how human smugglers operate in war zones? Are you curious about phenomena such as Internet fraud, food criminality or mobile banditry? Old and new forms of global crime are rapidly expanding, as are the means to control it. The Netherlands serves both as a major crossroad in the illegal flow of goods, people and services and as a key host for international organisations such as Europol, Greenpeace and the International Criminal Court. Drug trafficking, human trafficking, international terrorism, corruption, environmental harm, financial and corporate crime and conflicts over natural resources all have global dimensions. Tackling these issues requires modern instruments that transcend national boundaries.

Tracks

You can choose from two distinctive tracks within the Global Criminology  programme:

• Global Crime
• Crime, Punishment and Security 

There is a growing demand for qualified researchers, legal practitioners and policy makers who can address these and comparable issues. Are you a multidisciplinary expert or criminologist who wants to make a significant contribution to the field? Are you someone who wants to work in the field of law and social reform – or any sector dealing with growing forms of local and global crime control? Do you want to be part of a Master’s programme with students from different continents? Then the Global Criminology programme offered by  Utrecht University  is the right choice for you!

The programme offers a multidisciplinary, critical and comparative perspective in criminology, open for students with a BA degree in law, criminology, social sciences, or any other related social discipline such as economy, history or media studies, to name a few.

Developing Essential Skills

During this programme, you’ll study key issues such as organised and corporate crime, police surveillance, (cyber)security policies or the relation between ethnicity and crime. You will also develop essential skills that will benefit you in both your professional and personal life. You will be able, among other things, to:

• Develop good insight into the causes and consequences of local and global crime.

• Analyse the behaviour of offenders from different disciplines and perspectives.

• Critically assess and evaluate criminal policies and the criminal justice system;

• Understand the cultural aspects of criminal phenomena;

• Conduct independent criminological research using qualitative research methods and connect the results with criminological theories.

• Present research results to an audience of both specialists and non-specialists.

Career Prospects

As a graduate with an MA in Global Criminology, you’ll have the skills and training to become a researcher on global crime issues, with a strong orientation in qualitative research methods. You could conduct further research at a university (usually through writing a doctoral thesis) or at research institutes (NGOs, commercial research offices, etc.). 

The programme also offers you an excellent foundation for a career in any sector dealing with growing forms of global crime, including public, private and non-governmental organisations (both domestic and international) that are active in areas such as illegal markets, migration, terrorism, environmental crime and financial regulation. Additional career opportunities exist in the areas of law and social reform, policy making, law enforcement and research, particularly for positions within international organisations or organisations with significant international scope.