Criminology

Why study for an MPhil and not a PhD?

There are a number of reasons why you should study an MPhil over a PhD. One advantage of studying for an MPhil is that it gives you a taster of a PhD, without the 4 year commitment. An MPhil is shorter than a PhD, so you can complete your research and obtain a qualification for doing so in a relatively short period of time. It can also act as a stepping stone into a PhD. Subject to approval by the Department, you can develop your MPhil in to a PhD programme.

Duration:

One year full-time or two years part-time. The academic year (September to September) is divided into three semesters: September to January; January to June; June to September.

Contact Time:

During your MPhil you’ll be assigned 2 supervisors: a primary supervisor, and a secondary supervisor. During term-time you will normally meet with your primary supervisor every 2 weeks, hourly (or less, depending on how long you need). The frequency and duration of the meetings is likely to vary depending on the stage of research and writing you’re at.

Much like our PhD students, MPhil students are also encouraged to take advantage of the Aberystwyth Researcher Development Programme, where they can benefit from a host of research training modules and workshops. These are designed to not only help you over the course of your MPhil, but to also provide you with skills to help you beyond academia.

Course Fees:

Please see the tuition fee pages for current tuition fees. Please note that all fees are subject to an annual increase.

Funding:

Funding opportunities may be available, please check our funding calculator for details.

The Department runs internal seminars and conferences, which we encourage our postgraduate research students to partake in, to develop their speaking and networking skills. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of our conference fund to attend conferences outside of the university. Past students have taken advantage of this to deliver presentations to the British Society of Criminology Postgraduate Conference, and the Socio-Legal Students Postgraduate Conference.

Career Opportunities

Postgraduate study in Criminology at Aberystwyth University provides students with a requisite knowledge and skill set suitable for a wide variety of careers. Students acquire a wide range of transferable skills such as the ability research independently, to think analytically and critically about complex issues, to problem solve, to engage effectively in argument and debate, to analyse qualitative and quantitative data and to write clearly and concisely. 

Graduates from the Department of Law and Criminology are engaged in academic and criminological research all over the world, and many have embarked on careers in the legal profession or in organisations working within the prison, police, probation, or social service sectors. Other former students now hold positions in government and voluntary service organisations.

During your MPhil you’ll be assigned 2 supervisors: a primary supervisor, and a secondary supervisor. During term-time you will normally meet with your primary supervisor every 2 weeks, hourly (or less, depending on how long you need). The frequency and duration of the meetings is likely to vary depending on the stage of research and writing you’re at.

Much like our PhD students, MPhil students are also encouraged to take advantage of the Aberystwyth Researcher Development Programme, where they can benefit from a host of research training modules and workshops. These are designed to not only help you over the course of your MPhil, but to also provide you with skills to help you beyond academia.

The completed thesis will be assessed via an oral examination.