Criminology PhD

Criminology research at the University of Brighton addresses challenges of social, health, psychological, spatial, and environmental injustice, seeking to transform policy and practice on global and more local scales.

We supervise critical approaches to the traditional concerns of criminology and criminal justice with research interests in social control, surveillance and security, as well as forms of deviance, protest and resistance.

The University of Brighton’s strengths in co-productive research methods, applied and impactful research and its cross-disciplinary frameworks, allow for Criminology PhD students to make academic contacts and take supervision from researches across a wide range of methodologies.

Career opportunities for Criminology PhD graduates include central and local government, non-governmental organisations, social research, teaching, journalism and the media. include academic posts as lecturers and postdoctoral research assistants at the University of Brighton and elsewhere, as well as roles.

Apply to 'Applied social Science' in the applicant portal

Key information

As a Criminology PhD student, you will benefit from

a range of social and research events and activities, including the Social Science Forum, a fortnightly opportunity for researchers to share their work and contribute to the development of each other’s research, an annual ‘Festival of Social Science’ for social scientists and their collaborators across the university, and an annual Social Science Public Lecture which is included in the Brighton Festival Fringe programme
desk space and access to a computer in a space specifically designed for research students. There are a range of facilities on the Falmer site include various catering options.
access to a range of electronic resources via the university’s online library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections in the Falmer Library and other campus libraries in Moulsecoomb and in central Brighton.
state-of-the-art research facilities in Watson Building and you will have access to the Creative Methods Lab on the first floor, including access to specialist technical support.

Academic environment

Our Criminology PhD students are members of the dedicated Criminology Research and Enterprise Group.

You will join a centre that carries out renowned research on social movements, gun control, sexualities and complexity in public policy, have nurtured partnerships with a range of organisations, locally nationally and internationally. For example, collaborative research into emotional and mental health is carried out with Sussex Partnership Trust and work on digital healthcare with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust and the Brighton and Sussex Medical School and clinical sites across five European countries.

International collaborations include the Ageing and Communication Technologies International Partnership (ACT) on generational engagements with digital technologies and research on sensory engagements with space with universities in Finland and Slovenia (SENSOTRA). Our research attracts funding from AHRC, ESRC, Wellcome Trust, NIHR, ERC Horizon 2020, Alzheimer’s Society, the Independent Social Research Foundation and others.

The Criminology Research and Enterprise Group is based in the School of Applied Social Science (SASS) with a range of expertise in co-designed and creative research methodologies and methods, including work with older people, children, LGBT communities, Afghan migrants and those affected by chronic health conditions.

SASS provides a vibrant environment for doctoral study, with opportunities to work with leading researchers in your field and to make use of our excellent research facilities. The school works primarily in three research areas: Crime, resistance and security; Care, health and wellbeing; Cultural identities and social spaces.

Depending on the nature of your PhD project, you may also become a member of one of the university’s Centres of Research and Enterprise Excellence (CORES), for example:

Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics

Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender

Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics

Centre for Digital Media Cultures

Some of our supervisors

Dr Roxana Cavalcanti

I am interested in supervising students working on the following topics: urban violence, gun control, state crime, Southern Criminology, crime and deviance in Latin America.

Dr Chris Cocking

I am interested in supervising people with interests in Social Psychology, such as Crowd behaviour & collective action. I am also interested in the area of collective resilience in response to adversity and would be keen to work with health professionals with an interest in this area.

Dr Mark Doidge

Mark is interested in supervising anyone with a passion for critically examining sport or fandom. This can be through the mobilisation of football fans around the world, challenging discrimination in and through sport, understanding sport governance and corruption or the role sport can play with refugees and asylum seekers.

Dr Raphael Schlembach

Raphael is interested in receiving proposals for doctoral studies in his areas of expertise, including critical approaches to:

protest and social movementscriminal justice and social policymigration and citizenshippolicing and securitynationalism and the far rightcritical and democratic theory

For current funding opportunities see: http://www.southcoastdtp.ac.uk/apply/

Dr Hannah Thurston

I have experience of supervising undergraduate, masters and PhD students. The projects these students have undertaken have been very varied, and have included topics such as: the importance of good food and nutrition to people in prison; parental strategies to reduce the risk of online bullying; narrative construction of political speeches about gun crime in America; reasons for abolition of the death penalty in specific US states; the Scandinavian prison system; the experience of offenders families and the Old Police Cells Museum in Brighton. The majority of my students have used qualitative methods which have included focus groups, interviews (both in-person and online) and ethnographic observation. In addition, many of my students have undertaken analyses of cultural products such as films, documentaries, news reports and exhibitions.

With regards to future projects, I would be happy to consider any application or idea although my own research interests include punishment and prison; narrative; the death penalty; museums and exhibitions; cultural memories and cultural forgetting and cultural comparisons.

For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit research staff on our research website.

Entry requirements

The normal entry requirements for registration for the degree of MPhil and EngD are:

A first or second class honours degree, or other qualification which is regarded by the University of Brighton as being equivalent, and which is normally relevant to the programme of study.
Appropriate research or professional experience at postgraduate level. An application made by someone with this experience will be considered on its own merits and will normally require independent academic references

All EngD students require an industrial partner for the professional placement.

The normal entry requirements for registration for the degree of PhD are:

We require candidates to have a recognised Masters degree or other qualification which is regarded by the University of Brighton as being equivalent, and which is normally relevant to the programme of study proposed
Substantial appropriate research or professional experience at postgraduate level which resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment. An application made by someone with this experience will be considered on its merits and will normally require independent academic references
Exceptionally, a first class honours degree, or other qualification which is regarded by the University of Brighton as being equivalent, and which is normally relevant to the programme of study proposed, where there is clear evidence of work at postgraduate level. An application made by someone with this experience will be considered on its merits and will normally require independent academic references

The normal entry requirements for the EdD (Professional Doctorate) are:

A qualification, normally at Masters level in a relevant subject or appropriate research experience. An application made by someone with research experience but with no Masters level qualification will be considered on its merits and will normally require independent academic references.
Applicants will normally have at least four years of appropriate professional experiences.

English language requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, the minimum standard of English competence accepted is normally equivalent to the following International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores:

Normally we require an overall score of 6.5 with 6.5 in reading and writing, 6.0 in listening and speaking. There are exceptions to this and they are as follows:

Research degrees in Arts and Humanities and Health Professions require 7.0 overall, 7 for writing, and none below 6.5.
Research degrees in Brighton Business School and the School of Sport and Service Management: 7.0 overall, 7 for writing, and none below 6.0.
Research degrees in Engineering, and Environment and Technology requires a minimum of 6.0 in each component

All SELT (Secure English language tests) must have been obtained within the preceding two years of the course start date.

Important information regarding changes to the approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) list:

The University of Brighton will continue to accept non-SELT tests such as ‘IELTS Academic’ and ‘Pearson Test of English Academic’, as long as your test results meet the course requirements.

If you are concerned that you might not reach the required level for the course, and therefore may need to take an English Language course, we would recommend that you take the ‘IELTS for UKVI Academic’ at an approved test centre details of which can be found on the government website.

If you have taken an English language test not listed here, please contact the Doctoral College for advice at Brighton-Doctoral-College@brighton.ac.uk.

Before you apply

We encourage potential applicants to look at the research currently taking place within the university and to find a suitable supervisor to support the proposal and assist with the application

If you are in doubt about whether we can offer the appropriate supervision, please contact the Doctoral College.

Application Deadlines

We operate a rolling intake so students can make applications at any time throughout the year. Start dates will always be on the first working day of the month and will normally be determined as follows:

UK/EU students: Normally one month after an offer is made

International students: Normally three months after an offer is made

Professional Doctorates and programmes with a taught component usually have one intake a year, which is normally at the start of October.

The university cannot guarantee that you can start at your requested date

Making an online application

All applications are made online and for most disciplines an approach to a lead supervisor is recommended, following which you will have help and support with. The RSAs can provide you with advice from your initial enquiry through to when a decision is made on your application, so help is always at hand.

The research proposal
Some areas recruit students to specific research projects, but in these instances you would still be expected to take ownership and shape it into an independent piece of work which would normally make an original contribution to knowledge. Other areas expect applicants to propose a research topic of their own prior to considering for them for admission.

We advertise PhD projects on our Funding and Opportunities page, so unless you are applying to an advertised project you would normally need to apply with a research topic of your own choosing.

Guidance for writing a research proposal – General or Arts specific.

If you are unsure if we can supervise your research topic, please get in touch with Brighton Doctoral College. In some instances we may have to tell you that we cannot supervise as it would not be in your best interests to accept you if we are unable to provide the necessary facilities and supervision.

Online applications can be made via our online portal.

Documents to include with your application
When you make your application please make sure you include the following:

Evidence of your degree(s) – you need to provide copies of your degree certificates and transcripts. Official translations should be provided where appropriate. If your degree has not yet been awarded please note this on your application form.
Evidence of English language (EU/International applicants) – this is normally an IELTS or Pearsons certificate. All language tests must have been obtained within the preceding two years of the course start date. If you cannot provide a language test, please contact us for advice.
References - you need to provide two references and one of these must be from your most recent period of study. All references must have been written within the last 12 months and need to be signed, dated and stamped with the organisation's stamp or on headed paper. Alternatively, you can provide contact details for your referees as part of the application process and we will contact them on your behalf.
Passport – please provide a copy of the photo page and where applicable a copy of your current visa. These documents can be uploaded to the ‘Education’ tab.

After you apply

Your Research Student Administrator (RSA) will assess your application to make sure you meet our entry requirements and you have provided all of the required documentation.

The complete application will be reviewed by the appropriate Director of Postgraduate Studies who will assess if we can offer supervision. If we can identify potential supervisors, your application will be sent to them for consideration. If we are not able to supervise you we will notify you of this as soon as possible.

It normally takes around four–six weeks to reach a decision on postgraduate research applications. However, this can be delayed if your application is incomplete and we require additional information from you. If you have not had a decision on your application within eight weeks please contact your RSA via the application portal.

If we have supervisors who are interested in supervising your project, you will be invited to attend an admissions interview. This can be held via Skype if you are not in the UK.

Types of offer

Conditional

If we have made you a conditional offer, the conditions will be stated in your offer letter. When you have met these conditions you should provide this to your RSA. When you have met all the conditions of your offer, we will provide you with a new offer letter.

Except where indicated in the offer letter, there are no specific deadlines for meeting the conditions of your offer. However make sure you leave enough time after meeting the conditions to make arrangements to start your course, for example if you need to arrange accommodation or a visa.

Unconditional offers

An unconditional offer has no conditions. You just need to let us know whether or not you wish to accept or decline our offer of a study place and you do this by accepting/rejecting the offer via the new applicant area.

Deferring your offer

If you have been made an offer of study, and for unforeseen circumstances you cannot attend at the start of your course, you may ask to defer your place to the next admission point.

To request a deferral you should contact your RSA via the new applicant area. Please note that a change of start date is at the discretion of your supervisors and Director of Postgraduate Studies. It is not automatically given and you may be asked to apply again.

Normally applicants are only permitted to defer their start date a maximum of two times.

Withdrawing your application

If you wish to withdraw your application please notify your research student administrator via the new applicant area and they will update your application for you.

Post offer

CAS number
International students who require a Tier 4 to study in the UK will need to apply for a CAS number. A CAS is a unique reference number that is 14 digits long that is given to you by the University of Brighton. It confirms to the Home Office that you have accepted an unconditional offer and met with the Home Office requirements regarding length of study in the UK and academic progression.

As part of your unconditional offer you will be asked to complete a visa questionnaire. Our visa compliance team will then review your eligibility and issue a CAS number as appropriate.

More information is available on our international pages.

Tuition fee deposit

If you are self-funded we cannot issue you with a CAS until you have paid your tuition fee deposit. We would advise that you pay this as soon as possible so that you are able to make your visa application in plenty of time.

More information about the tuition fee deposit and how to pay it is available international student fees page.

If you are a funded student you will need to provide proof of your sponsorship before the tuition fee deposit can be waived.

See more information on visa applications.

ATAS statement

You will need to obtain an ATAS certificate every time you make a Tier 4 Student application if you are studying or going to study one of the following research degree programmes:

Pharmacy
Biomedical Sciences
Healthcare Professions
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Engineering
Environment
Civil Engineering
Built Environment
Computing
Mathematical and Information Sciences
Information Technology.

Where an ATAS statement is required, the process of how to apply for this will be provided in your offer letter so do read your offer letter carefully.

For details about the scheme and how to apply for your ATAS certificate visit the Foreign and Commonwealth Office information about ATAS.

ATAS Certificates can take up to two months to be issued so you must apply for your certificate in plenty of time. The process of applying for an ATAS statement will be detailed in your offer letter.

Fees and funding

Funding

Undertaking a research degree requires an intellectual and financial commitment. The majority of students are self-funded; some are funded by their employer, through industrial partners, Research Councils and University studentships.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2018–19

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables, this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK/EU and international students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

MPhil/PhD

Full-time	Part-time
£4,260 (UK/EU)	£2,130 (UK/EU)
£14,400 (international)	N/A
£12,690 (international tuition fee for those students registered in the School of Humanities or in the Brighton Business School)	N/A

Professional doctorate

Full-time	Part-time
N/A	£2,672.50 (UK/EU)

EngD UK/EU only

EngD
Full-time	Part-time
£5,520 (UK/EU)	N/A
£15,830 (international)	N/A

PhD by Publication

Full-time	Part-time
N/A	£2139 (UK/EU)

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

Email the team at Brighton-Doctoral-College@brighton.ac.uk detailing your enquiry. Please provide as much detail as possible as this will help us address your questions promptly and thoroughly.