International Master of Science in Advanced Research in Criminology: Border Crossing, Security and Social Justice
IMARC is an international, two-year programme with a focus on border crossing, security and social justice and involves three different universities in Europe. Increasing flows of people, goods and information raise new questions about how governments and societies respond to perceived and actual threats of crime. Current developments in Europe and beyond challenge not only our understanding of crime and crime control, but also the balance between demands for security and social justice.
What
The International Master of Science in Advanced Research in Criminology (IMARC) is an international two-year programme with a focus on border crossing, security and social justice and involves three different universities in Europe. IMARC aims to address the need for internationally oriented and interdisciplinary trained researchers that can offer original insights and analyses as well as innovative, effective and ethical solutions to advance policy, practice and academic research.
Increasing flows of people, goods and information raise new questions about how governments and societies respond to perceived and actual threats of crime. Current developments in Europe and beyond challenge not only our understanding of crime and crime control, but also the balance between demands for security and social justice. IMARC trains students to develop fresh and critical views on terrorism, human trafficking, cybercrime, corporate and organized crime, external and internal border control, EU criminal justice, policing and crime prevention, migration policies, human rights, social exclusion and urban safety.
The programme gives students the opportunity to study a broad range of substantive criminological issues, whilst simultaneously providing a robust theoretical foundation within which students can develop deeper analytical and critical thinking. As a research-intensive master’s programme there is also a strong emphasis on providing students with training in a variety of research approaches and methodologies and an extended dissertation.
A consortium of three European universities – Erasmus University Rotterdam, Ghent University and the University of Kent – established this two-year joint master’s programme and brings together learning, research and practice through collaboration with already well-established partners such as governments, NGO’s, corporate actors and other universities. IMARC’s cooperation with both private and public organisations boosts the innovation of IMARC and the employability of our students. IMARC provides asset of transversal skills related to lifelong learning and employment opportunities.
For whom
The admission requirements depend on previous degrees (type of degree, country of issue etc ...) or additonal experience.
Structure
The joint programme of the IMARC runs over two years full time, and is divided into four equally weighted semesters totalling 120 ECTS. Each semester comprises 30 ECTS (in the case of the UKent track semester two includes 35 credits). The first semester at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam focuses on central themes in international criminology. Students will take four modules: two modules introducing students to relevant themes in Global Criminology, which includes its historical and economic dimension, and two modules developing methodological skills specifically relevant to undertaking research in international contexts.
Both from a theoretical and from a practical perspective IMARC covers a range of themes, including theory and methodology, geopolitics, cities and urban transformations, inclusion and exclusion, migration, human smuggling and trafficking, culture and hybrid identities, radicalisation and extremism, European Union law and policy on justice and Home Affairs, and regulation and control.
Students choose a thematic track in the second semester and take taught modules and participate in a mandatory Common Session in Critical Criminology, which is a twice-yearly conference for students and staff.
In the third semester students will write four research papers in which they approach their research topic from each of the thematical angles of the second semester tracks. Students will continue their supervised research, for example through fieldwork, or a research internship (at network partner institutions), or desk-based data collection.
In semester four students write their master’s dissertation under supervision of the university at which they followed one of these tracks:
- Global flows of people, local dilemma’s and glocal answers
- European Union criminal policy and justice in context
- Border crossing – theory, culture, power, and the global
> Master’s dissertation
The master’s dissertation is a requirement for every candidate to obtain a master’s degree. The master’s dissertation is an original piece of research work. It aims to develop and strengthen the research capacity skills of the students. The student selects a topic and is given guidance by a promoter or supervisor. The research shall draw on and deepen subject area of the thematic track, build on the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the programme and show that the student is capable of original, independent research.
Labour Market
The programme will enable students to work not only as a researcher in academic, public, third sector and commercial organisations but also as a consultant, data analyst, compliance officer, policy adviser or policy maker, advocate or manager.
Kwaliteitszorg
People who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow, that is what we aim for. That is why education at our university is firmly anchored in six major objectives.
- Think broadly. Thinking as broadly as possible and offering the opportunity to question oneself. Not only Dare to Think, but also dare to change the way of thinking.
- Keep researching. Research is the foundation of our education. Ghent University keeps linking its way of educating to the dynamics of science.
- Support Talent. Everyone starts with equal opportunities. Every students gets the opportunity to develop their talents, regardless of gender, cultural or social background.
- Build with us. Students, staff, the government and the corporate world all get the chance to contribute to the contents and form of our high quality education. Ghent University is known for its particularly active students in student participation, of which we are very proud.
- Push boundaries. We want to prepare our students internationally and interculturally. We give them the opportunity to gain experience across borders. We also open our doors for students from all over the world and welcome teachers and academic staff from abroad.
- Choose quality. Constant quality assurance and improvement is an integral part of our culture and we communicate about it openly. We are proud of the level of our university.
Ghent University sees the quality of education as an internal self-evaluation process, in which faculties and programs compare the goals they have set themselves to the achieved results and adjust the policy accordingly. The portfolios constitute an important link in this process. The achieved results are based on quantitative and qualitative information from relevant stakeholders (students, teachers, professional field, international experts, alumni, etc.).The ‘peer learning visits’, the yearly quality meeting and the Education Quality Office (‘OKB’) make sure the PDCA cycle is closed at various policy levels and help to keep the improvement policy sharp.
A detailed description of how Ghent University is constantly paying attention to quality assurance and quality culture can be found in the Ghent University Conduct of Educational Quality Assurance (ERGO).
Quality of this study programme
This quality assurance system provides information on the assets, the strengths and the points for improvement for every study programme. A summary for this study programme can be found below:
Outstanding aspects
- Knowledge and creativity: students are taught to use legal methods to solve complex problems and to make a contribution to jurisprudential knowledge through research.
- Independence: through confrontation with real and contemporary issues students are challenged to do their own research and analysis.
- Critical thinking: students are taught to appreciate the international context and the relevance of national legal orders and cultures.
- Skills: LLM studies develop their competencies within a diverse, multi-national setting, with emphasis on legal English skills, autonomous legal writing, specific law terminology, presentation, argumentation and negotiation skills.
- Pluralism: LLM studies seek to foster awareness and openness towards the various national and cultural differences both through formal education and through informal experiences.
Strengths
- Intake guidance is essential. The LLM-programmes invest substantially in reaching out to the appropriate candidates and in guiding them towards application and admission. The guidance continues after the start of the academic year. Incoming students participate in an extensive Orientation programme.
- Curriculum flexibility: Ghent law school offers three different LLM programmes that reflect varying career aspirations. Within the framework of your personal position and ambitions, you are able to design the curriculum that best fits your needs.
- Active learning: the LLM-programmes attach great importance to teaching methods that ensure students are not passive absorbers of knowledge. Instead they are encouraged to do independent research and to think critically through class preparation assignments, small papers throughout the semester, essay questions and the like.
- International outlook: the programmes reflect their European and international outreach beyond the subject matters offered. The body of professors and lecturers consists of experts with wide international exposure and experience.
- Stakeholder engagement: a key strength of the study programmes is the strong link and interaction with the professional world and the broad institutional reality of EU and international law, providing students with information about the actual operations and common practices on the ground and preparing them for a professional career.
To work on
- Guarantee that all teachers have the same view on assessment.
- Increase student and alumni involvement in quality assurance and organize focus group interviews on a regular basis with students
- Benchmark the programme profile and outcomes with comparable programmes abroad.