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Leading Diverse Teams in a Complex Environment (45 credits): This module will focus on communicating specialist knowledge and understanding of leadership and management theory, policy and practice within the context of the wider Criminal Justice System. It will provide an opportunity for you to reflect and interrogate practices in leading and managing practitioner staff providing an overview of the critical challenges, debates, dilemmas and tensions for policy and practice leaders.

The Reflective Leader (15 credits): This module will look at concepts of justice and systems of criminal justice and think about how to lead in criminal justice. It will look at how inequalities (such as race, gender, and social class) contribute to crime and victimhood and consider the lived experience of the criminal justice system. It will establish reflective practice as a key skill and apply reflection to real world issues.

Preparing to Undertake Research (15 credits): This module will focus on the practical ‘how’ of research, equipping you with the tools, techniques and procedures required to collect and analyse data. It introduces a range of methodological approaches, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, to support you in developing clear research aims, objectives and questions. You will gain familiarity with key methods of data collection, such as interviews, focus groups, Likert scales, and participant observation, and will be guided in selecting appropriate approaches to inquiry and analysis. Ethical considerations are a central component, including practical engagement with ethical approval processes.

Penology and the Sentence of the Court (15 credits): This module will engage with penological theories and will compare and contrast the role of formal and informal sanctions in both the custodial and community environments. You will consider issues related to risk and power in prisons and your own professional practice. The approach to incarceration in England and Wales will be positioned in a global context through comparisons with key countries to explore the use of incarceration as a tool of political and social control.

Criminology, Power and the Construction of Justice (15 credits): The module will support you in developing a reflexive and ethically informed understanding of how criminological knowledge is produced and applied in practice. It encourages critical consideration of whose voices are included or excluded, and how theoretical perspectives shape justice outcomes in real-world contexts. 

Dissertation (45 credits): You will design and undertake a piece of independent study on a topic of your own choice. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of action research and the role of the Practitioner-Academic as a particular type of applied criminologist.

Option Modules: Optional modules include the below, and will be dependent on the number of learners on the course:

• Leadership and Management in Contemporary Policing (30 credits): The purpose of the module is to critically examine and evaluate the key issues and challenges facing contemporary policing in a civil, neo-liberal, welfare society. Furthermore, to critically reflect and analysis how the multi-faceted challenges identified can be mitigated by effective leadership and management, so that policing can provide the service expected by the public.
• Leadership and Management in Contemporary Criminal Investigation (30 credits): The purpose of the module is to critically examine and evaluate the key issues and challenges facing contemporary criminal investigation in a civil, neo-liberal, welfare society. Furthermore, to critically reflect and analyse how the multi-faceted challenges identified can be mitigated by effective leadership and management, so that a sustainable criminal investigation can be conducted to the expectations and satisfaction of the public.
• International Perspectives on Practice and Leadership in Crime and Community Justice (30 credits): The purpose of the module is to place criminal justice development in a global context and to explore the implications for strategy, policy and practice. The module will examine and analyse the international justice framework of human rights, United Nations Treaty and charter-based mechanisms, the impact of the globalisation of crime, finance, narcotics and the internet, people smuggling, exploitation of women and children and accessing international organisations, identifying leadership and management links for academic, professional and management development.
• Risk Management and Desistance Approaches (30 credits): This module presents academic research, knowledge and understanding to better equip professionals to examine, discuss, debate and reflect upon the core components of risk management and desistance approaches. The module develops a critical understanding of risk assessment, risk management and desistance approaches utilised to underpin practice across the spectrum of risk, explores the impact of sources of bias, error and discrimination in risk decision making and examines risk and quality, including quality assuring risk practice and strategies to manage staff completing core risk assessment and risk management tasks.

This is an online learning programme which means that all of the teaching, tutorials, coaching and action learning sets are delivered and facilitated online.

Teaching and Learning

You will access your learning through a wide range of technology that will enable you to access information, develop knowledge and communicate with students and programme staff. These include the university’s online learning system – Learning Zone and MS Teams.

You will engage in online discussions, tutorials, and other activities with you from other areas and regions, as well as accessing a range of distance learning resources - for example, interactive module materials, module readings and exercises, tasks and activities intended to develop your knowledge and understanding. You can contact programme staff by telephone, MS Teams and email.

You will engage in online discussions, tutorials and other activities with you from other areas and regions, as well as accessing a range of distance learning resources, for example interactive module materials, module readings and exercises, tasks and activities intended to develop your knowledge and understanding. you will be able to contact programme staff by telephone, MS Teams and email.

A key element of our delivery is our use of Interactive Study Guides (ISGs) which accompany all modules.  ISGs cover a full exploration of the key learning for the module and reflecting the different skills and criticality required as you you progress through the academic levels.

Because of our team’s commitment to Universal Design for Learning (UDL), each module has different assessment to account for different learning styles. These may include:

• Critical reflection essay
• Academic assignments
• Written case study
• Presentations

Each module has learning outcomes that will be demonstrated in the successful completion of the assignments.