New: MSc/PGDip Youth Justice at Queen’s University Belfast

The Masters and PGDip in Youth Justice has been designed for those who want to advance their understanding of youth issues, youth offending and social and criminal justice responses to young people. It is focused on developing critical analytical skills and enhancing the ability to assess policy and practice against international standards and benchmarks.

Targeted at practitioners, policy-makers and those interested in further academic study, it provides the opportunity to apply academic knowledge and critical analytical skills to practice. It aims to enhance understanding of young people’s lives, the criminal justice system and the discourse of children’s rights.

• The course has been designed to encourage students to consider the interface between social justice, criminal justice and children’s rights. Given increased policy attention in the area of youth justice and strategies impacting on children and young people more generally, the course reflects the concern to understand the needs and rights of children and young people, and to ground responses in evidence, best practice and international standards.

• The course ensures students receive a grounding in the field of youth justice and are also provided with opportunities to benefit from inter-disciplinary teaching and learning. This includes undertaking core and optional modules across the disciplines of: education, sociology, social policy, criminology, health and nursing, and psychology.

• Building capacity – The course will equip graduates with a range of knowledge and skills of direct relevance to work in areas including youth justice, youth and community work, criminal justice, public policy and research. For participants already employed in these areas, the programme will build on existing skills and knowledge and enhance the capacity to engage in comparative analysis alongside international standards. The MSc in Youth Justice includes modules on theory and research skills, and specially tailored modules focusing on research with children and young people.

Additional information about entry requirements and course content is available on the University’s Course Finder or alternatively you can contact: