Career prospects

As a graduate with an MA in Criminology, you’ll have the skills and training to become a researcher on global crime issues, with a strong orientation in qualitative research methods. You could conduct further research at a university (usually through writing a doctoral thesis) or at research institutes (NGOs, commercial research offices, etc.). 

The programme also offers you an excellent foundation for a career in any sector dealing with growing forms of global crime, including public, private and non-governmental organizations (both domestic and international) that are active in areas such as illegal markets, migration, terrorism, environmental crime and financial regulation. Additional career opportunities exist in the areas of law and social reform, policy making, law enforcement and research, particularly for positions within international organizations or organizations with significant international scope.

The Job Market Monitor 2013 indicates that many alumni from Utrecht University School of Law programmes find jobs immediately after graduating. At an average of four months post-graduation, all of them have found employment. A small percentage goes on to follow a PhD programme or other study after their Master. Many students come into contact with their future employer during their Master, for example during their internship, at a career fair or while carrying out (thesis) research on behalf of an organization or business. The Utrecht University Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance has strong links with practice.

Check the testimonials to get an impression of the jobs that alumni of the MA in Criminology have obtained.

Practitioner/policy maker/project manager

This programme offers excellent preparation for a career in different functions as a practitioner, policy maker, project manager or senior advisor in any sector dealing with growing forms of local and global crime, including all public, private and non-governmental international organizations that are active in criminology relevant topics (e.g. illegal markets, prisons, migration, terrorism, environmental crime, finance regulation, recidivism). Career opportunities exist in the areas of law and social reform, policy making, law enforcement and research, with a special emphasis on positions within international organizations or organizations with significant international scope.

Researcher

The MA in Criminology offers you the opportunity to become an academic or scientific researcher on global crime issues, with a strong ethnographic orientation. You’ll acquire the skills and training to conduct further research either at a university (usually through, at least initially, the completion of a doctoral thesis) or at a research institute (NGO, commercial research office, etc.).

PhD

On average, Utrecht University School of Law has 40 PhD students who are working under the supervision of a professor towards the title ‘Doctor of Law’. A PhD programme typically takes four years, during which you will produce and submit a thesis. We also encourage you to establish yourself as a researcher during this time by publishing articles related to your research, and contributing to seminars and conferences. If you wish to find out more about openings for paid PhD positions, please go to vacancies. 

Also look at the Erasmus Mundus Doctorate in Cultural and Global Criminology (www.dcgc.eu), a prestigious international PhD programme ─ in which Utrecht University is involved ─  funded by the EU.

LLM in Legal Research

If you are interested in studying for a PhD and would like to consolidate and improve your research skills first, we offer the LLM in Legal Research. The programme is an excellent introduction to academic research.

The MA in Criminology curriculum closely reflects the staff’s research interests and expertise. Criminological research at the Willem Pompe Institute at Utrecht University is multidisciplinary and critical, with a strong international and comparative dimension. The research staff work on both small and larger research projects, mainly in cooperation with anthropologists, psychologists and criminal lawyers. The research is predominantly based on qualitative and ethnographic methods (fieldwork) combined with normative and legal approaches.

Are you considering starting your own business? Now is a good time to prepare. Utrecht University can offer you a number of opportunities to explore entrepreneurship.

You could, for instance, take electives from Master's degree programmes that cover entrepreneurship in their curriculums:

• If you’re interested in becoming an expert at creating the prerequisites for running a successful business, take an elective at the Master’s programme Business Development and Entrepreneurship of Utrecht School of Economics.
• If you have a background in Economics and Business, and wish to do a Master’s programme in Entrepreneurship: check out the Master’s programme Business Development and Entrepreneurship.
• If you have a background in Science or Medicine, you can take classes Science and Business Management classes.
• If you're interested in sustainable business practices and sustainable innovation, take an elective at Sustainable Business and Innovation.

The Utrecht Center for Entrepreneurship (CE) also organises Spring schools, Summer schools, Winter schools, Honours classes and short seminars on entrepreneurship for non-Dutch students. All courses are offered in English except when the entire group is Dutch.

StudentsInc

Would you like to run a business while still at university? Do you want to graduate on running your own business? StudentsInc (Dutch language website) is home to a number of student businesses and offers programmes to develop your entrepreneurial skills.

UtrechtInc

Have you (nearly) graduated and do you want to start a business? UtrechtInc is the place to find financing, office space, expertise and coaching. UtrechtInc is there for

• starting entrepreneurs and alumni, doctoral candidates, and researchers (preferably from Utrecht University, Hogeschool Utrecht, UMC Utrecht)
• who are still in the ideas phase OR further along (less than five years) and have
• and have a (IT) start-up focusing on health, environmental sustainability, or education.

Would you like to know more? Visit the UtrechtInc site, register your idea, and drop by for a cup of coffee.

Enactus

Would you like to know whether entrepreneurship is right for you? Are you driven, socially conscious, and ambitious? Are you willing to spend a year working on a business for at least 8 hours a week? Enactus Utrecht (Dutch language website) offers you the opportunity to run a business and provides workshops and professional coaching.

Useful links

• Register at the Chambers of Commerce.
• You can read about all the other things you need to take care of on the Revenue Service (Belastingdienst) website.
• Join relevant groups on LinkedIn to share knowledge online and expand your network.
• Will you run an especially sustainable, innovative, and/or internationally oriented business? The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can support you with subsidies, knowledge, regulation, and more.

Upon completion of your current Master's degree programme, you can follow a one-year (Dutch language) teacher training programme. This will grant you a first degree teaching qualification for secondary education. That means you will be able to work in the upper and lower years of vmbo, havo, and vwo in the Netherlands.

Take a look at UU's Master's degree programme selection site.

When you complete your Master's degree programme, if you enjoy doing research in your area of expertise, perhaps you should pursue a PhD. You will start out as a research assistant or trainee research worker. Check the two-years Master's Programmes of Utrecht University.

The best way to find a research traineeship is to contact the professor in the field you want to specialise in. Another option would be www.academictransfer.nl.

If you'd like to pursue a PhD at Utrecht University, your PhD programme will fall under the auspices of one of the Graduate Schools. For more information, consult the Prout | PhD Network Utrecht website.