A-Z

About the project

Postgraduate research

Criminology PhD/MRes

A vibrant research community in criminology supports students to become excellent researchers who are theoretically informed, methodologically skilled and actively engaged in public dialogue about crime and justice.

Our Online Application Form and Applicant Self Service will be unavailable from 08:00-14:00 (GMT) on Thursday 29 October for essential maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

• PhD: 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time; Thesis of 70,000-100,000 words MRes: 1 year full-time; 2 years part-time; Thesis of 12,000-15,000 words
• MRes: 1 year full-time; 2 years part-time; Thesis of 12,000-15,000 words

Overview

Broadly, our work aims to better understand the harms and conflicts that we criminalise and penalise, the harms and conflicts that criminalisation and penalisation cause, and how we might develop responses which could create fairer and safer societies rather than exacerbating social injustices and inequalities.

Our staff are involved in many research projects and networks in Scotland, the UK, and internationally. As well as guaranteeing support from postgraduate researcher supervisors at the cutting edge of the discipline, this creates opportunities for students to engage in dialogue with related government departments, criminal justice organisations, NGOs, people with lived experience of criminal justice and activist groups seeking justice reform and/or abolition.

Glasgow is a founding partner and administrative base of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) which spans five Scottish universities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier, Stirling and Strathclyde). For staff and postgraduate researchers, SCCJR provides access to a wide range of activities and development opportunities.

Though we draw on a wide range of disciplines, our approach to criminology at Glasgow is rooted in and informed principally by sociological analyses of crime and punishment. We insist on interrogating the relationships between criminal and social justice andinjustice.

In particular, our staff have expertise in:

Our research degrees offer unique opportunities:

We host and support numerous training and professional development activities for students, many of them student-led, often in collaboration with our partners in SCCJR. We also offer a diverse programme of regular seminars features leading scholars in the field and informal working lunches, where we seek regular postgraduate researcher contributions.

• Young people, crime and youth justice (especially youth violence and gangs)
• Social and legal responses to gender-based violence
• Criminalisation and punishment of women
• Inequalities and intersectionality (including in relation to disability)
• Security studies, including policing and regulation
• Sentencing and the penal system, particularly imprisonment, parole and probation
• Desistance from crime, rehabilitation and reintegration
• Media, culture and representations of crime and punishment
• Criminological theory, including urban criminology, cultural criminology, critical criminology, digital criminology, sensory criminology, punishment and society studies, and feminist perspectives
• Creative and collaborative approaches to criminological research
• Illicit markets, including the contemporary global trade in looted cultural objects
• Collaborating with and access to others who care about doing justice in better ways and to better effect
• Training in research methods and skills, not just in established quantitative and qualitative methods, but also in mixed methods research and in more recent or emerging approaches such as creative, visual and digital methods.
• Developing new theoretical, conceptual and interdisciplinary approaches to studying crime and justice.

Study options

PhD in Criminology: 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time. Thesis length 70,000-100,000 words (Students may enrol in either the PhD in Sociology or PhD Criminology)

MRes : For students who do not already have a Masters degree in relevant research methods, the PhD programme can include initial admission to our MRes in Criminology.

If you are new to Criminology as a subject, you might also want to consider one of our taught Masters programmes in Criminology & Criminal Justice .

Contact us

• For any questions about our PhD programme, please contact criminologyphd@glasgow.ac.uk
• For any questions about our Masters programmes, please contact: socpol-pgt-criminology@glasgow.ac.uk

Entry requirements

Our regular standard of admission is usually a Master's degree or a 2.1 honours degree.

Required documents Applicants should submit: Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates CV Research Proposal Two References Named Supervisor information

Required documents

Applicants must contact and secure the agreement of an academic member of staff to supervise them in order for an application to be processed. Applicants who have not done this will have their application rejected. If applicants are unsure about how to find potential supervisors, they should email the Criminology PGR Convenor at: CRIMINOLOGYPHD@GLASGOW.AC.UK

Students applying for PhD admission while CURRENTLY enrolled in a Masters degree but who have not yet had their result, can have their application considered for unconditional acceptance with certification of a good quality undergraduate degree (2.1 classification on Honours degree or equivalent).

It helps to have qualifications in criminology or a closely related subject (like law, psychology, social work or sociology) but this is not essential.

• Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates
• CV
• Research Proposal
• Two References
• Named Supervisor information

English language requirements

For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government , the University sets a minimum English language proficiency level.

Accepted English language tests

We accept a wide range of English language tests for entry to this programme. Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date, and requirements must be met using a single test.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

• 7.0 overall with no subtest less than 6.5
• IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
• We do not accept General Training

TOEFL iBT (Including MyBest and Home Edition)

Tests taken up to 20 January 2026

Tests taken from 21 January 2026

• 96 Overall, no subtest lower than Reading 23; Listening 23; Speaking 23; Writing 24
• 98 overall with no subtest less than Writing and Listening at 5 and Reading and Speaking at 4.5

Pearsons PTE Academic (test centre only)

• 70 overall with no subtest less than Reading 62; Listening 62; Speaking 75; Writing 68
• We do not accept the online PTE Academic

Cambridge C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency

• 185 overall, no subtest less than 176

Oxford ELLT

• 8 overall with Reading and Listening no less than 7 and Writing and Speaking no less than 8

LanguageCert Academic SELT/Academic/Academic Online

• 75 overall with two subtests at 75 and no subtest less than 70

Password Skills Plus

• 7.0 overall with no subtest less than 6.5

Trinity College Integrated Skills in English II

• 105 overall with no subtest less than 105

Kaplan Test of English

• Any two subtests at 510 or higher, and any two subtests at 480 or higher

PSI Skills for English

• C1 Pass

Duolingo English Test

• 130 overall with Writing at 130 and no subtest less than 120

Oxford Test of English Advanced

• 146 overall with no subtest less than 136

Alternatives to English language qualification

Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)

TNE degree for UK University taught at a campus outside of the UK.

• Students must have studied for a minimum of their final year at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within 6 years of programme start.
• Students must be awarded the degree by the UK university and must have completed the degree within 6 years of programme start.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

• direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
• essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
• flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.
• Pre-sessional courses
• Heriot Watt
• Kingston Upon Thames
• Middlesex University
• Manchester University
• Reading University
• Edinburgh University
• ST Andrews University
• UCL
• Durham

2027/28

Fees are based on the annual fee for full-time study. Tuition fees for part-time study will be charged at half the full-time annual fee.

Irish nationals who are living in the Common Travel Area of the UK, EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status, and Internationals with Indefinite Leave to remain status can also qualify for home fee status.

• UK: To be confirmed [26/27 fee was £5,238]
• International & EU: £28,275
• Fee status and policies

Alumni discount

We offer a 15% tuition fee discount to eligible self-funded alumni starting a Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Masters or Postgraduate Research (PGR) programme in the 2027/28 academic year.

This includes University of Glasgow graduates and those who have completed a Study Abroad programme, Exchange programme, International Summer School or Erasmus programme with us. This discount can be awarded alongside most University scholarships. No additional application is required.

• Full details of our Alumni Discount

Possible additional fees

Depending on the nature of the research project, some students will be expected to pay a bench fee (also known as research support costs) to cover additional costs. The exact amount will be provided in the offer letter.

• Re-submission by a research student £540
• Submission for a higher degree by published work £1,355
• Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed £350
• Submission by staff in receipt of staff scholarship £790

Fully funded scholarships

• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Studentships
• James McCune Smith (JMS) PhD Scholarship
• China Scholarship Council (CSC) PhD Scholarships
• Sanctuary PhD Scholarship

Support

The College of Social Sciences Graduate School draws together internationally recognised scholars and respected practitioners to offer a range of research programmes.

Our programmes are based on thorough training in research methods and we encourage you to take part in numerous exciting seminars, conferences and events. We offer modern library, IT services and a wide-range of support services. You will be living in one of Europe’s most exciting cities which has a vibrant cultural and social life .

Our Graduate School Researcher Development Programme will support you to plan your professional development over the course of your PhD and ensure your employability.

Identify potential supervisors

All Postgraduate Research Students are allocated a supervisor who will act as the main source of academic support and research mentoring. You may want to identify a potential supervisor and contact them to discuss your research proposal before you apply. Please note, even if you have spoken to an academic staff member about your proposal you still need to submit an online application form.

You can find relevant academic staff members with our staff research interests search .

Required documents

Our Online Application Form and Applicant Self Service will be unavailable from 08:00-14:00 (GMT) on Thursday 29 October for essential maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

• Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates
• CV
• Research Proposal
• Two References
• Named Supervisor information

Contact us

• If you have any questions about your application: contact our Admissions team
• Any references may be submitted by email to: pg-research-admissions@glasgow.ac.uk

International Students

• Advice on visa, immigrations and the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) can be found on our International student pages

Our research environment

• Discover how we support and develop postgraduate researchers

Induction

• Getting started with PGR development: how postgraduate researchers are welcomed into our community

Postgraduate researcher blogs

• A community blog, written by and for postgraduate researchers at the University of Glasgow

Related links

• The Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research
• School of Social & Political Sciences
• College of Social Sciences

Research areas