Open Universities Australia

Dashboard

Find key dates

Access my LMS

Change my studies

Support

Manage my account

View statements & reports

Request online support

Refer a friend

Architecture & construction

Art & creative design

Business & management

Community services & care

Education & teaching

Engineering

Health & medical science

Humanities & social science

IT & computer science

Law & justice

Media & communication

Psychology & mental health

Science

Search all courses

Explore study online

Undergraduate degrees

Postgraduate courses

University certificates

Pathways and pre-university

Single subjects

Microcredentials

Short courses

Study types

Help me choose a course

Chat with a student advisor

Compare courses

Degrees vs single subjects

Choosing a course

Study online

How OUA works

Key dates

How to enrol

Applying for credit

Study planning

Minimum age requirements

Textbooks & study materials

Computer requirements

International students

Getting started

Student loans

Study allowances

Commonwealth supported places

Fees

Financial options

Study support

Study preparation

Disability support

Elite athletes

Exams

Special Circumstances

Your studies

Advice

13 6736

Study graduate diploma online through Open Universities Australia. Explore all degrees, subjects and short courses now.

The Graduate Diploma of Criminological Research Studies is an 80 credit point program designed to provide graduates in the criminology and criminal justice discipline with the opportunity to undertake advanced study in research methodology and to undertake supervised research work in the discipline area appropriate to their research trajectory.The program provides the necessary preparation for entry into a higher degree research program (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or equivalent program) for applicants who do not possess the required qualifications for direct admission into these programs. The program will also be available to students who wish to undertake advanced studies in the identified disciplinary fields but who may not wish to progress to MPhil or PhD study.Upon successful completion of the program, students will be eligible to apply for admission to MPhil or PhD candidature subject to fulfilment of the requirements for candidature as specified in the <a href="http://policies.griffith.edu.au/pdf/Higher%20Degree%20Research%20Policy.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Higher Degree Research Policy</a>. The grade achieved will determine eligibility for admission to either a PhD or MPhil candidature.The Program Director will be responsible for the overall supervision of students in the program and for monitoring their progress throughout the program.Students may choose to exit the Graduate Diploma program (after successfully completing the specified courses) with the Graduate Certificate in Criminological Research Studies.

Become an expert in criminal justice methodology. Develop a thesis on the subject of your choice. Hone your skills under the guidance of an academic supervisor. Use your qualification as a stepping stone into a Masters Degree or PhD.

Graduate Diploma of Criminological Research Studies

Crime and Mental Health

Understanding Victims and Offenders

Fraud and Cybercrime

Crime and Criminal Justice

White Collar Crime

Gender, Crime and Justice

The Criminal Justice System

Introduction to Criminology

Criminology Skills

Psychological Contributions to Understanding Crime

Although associations between crime and mental illness have a long history, the relationship is complex and contentious. Problem areas include media representations and social constructions of violent offenders, methodological and conceptual inconsistencies, and limited appreciation of the heterogeneity of mental health issues. This subject of study aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the evidence concerning the crime-mental health relationship. Factors other than mental illness that may be associated with violence and general criminality are explored, as are ethical challenges relating to this area. Particular mental disorders most often linked with criminality are examined and the relevant evidence is evaluated. Based on the content of this subject of study, students will demonstrate knowledge of ethical challenges and provide recommendations for best practice for both empirical research and policy.
Please Note:  If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Delve into the complex relationship between crime and mental illness. Examine links between offending, violence, mental disorder, and substance abuse. Get critical with an evidence-based approach that separates media representations from actual research.

This subject considers the history of thinking and practice with respect to forensic mental health, and the implications of this history for current forensic mental health practice. Particular attention is given to contemporary legal constructs of insanity and fitness to plead, and psychiatric constructs of intellectual disability, mental disorder, psychosis, psychopathy, personality disorder and paraphiliacs. An attempt is made to integrate criminological and psychiatric theories and evidence concerning problems in forensic mental health.Assessment details will be advised at the beginning of the subject offering.

Investigate the legal constructs of insanity and the psychiatric constructs of intellectual disability and mental disorders. Evaluate the relationship between crime, dangerousness and mental disorders in the context of forensic mental health.

Mental Disorder and Crime

Some people are more likely to commit particular crimes than are other people. Some people are more likely to become victims of crime than are other people. This subject of study explores variables that relate to victims and offenders. Serial victims and serial offenders are examined. Sexual crimes, violent crimes and family violence will be spotlighted and evidence relevant to victims, offenders and the decisions that they make will be assessed. Students will explore the methodological challenges associated with researching victims and offenders, and consider how the research evidence can translate to good practice within criminal justice contexts.
Please Note:  If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Understand why some people are more likely to commit particular crimes than others, and why certain citizens are more likely to be victims of these crimes. Cover sexual crimes, violent crimes and family violence in particular. 

This subject provides an opportunity for students to integrate theoretical knowledge and empirical analytic skills acquired in their program through a practical research problem. Students will be expected to complete a small research project (based on topics provided by the degree convenor).
This subject integrates the knowledge and skills acquired through the Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice or Master of Forensic Mental Health. As a capstone degree, it provides an opportunity for students to put into practice this knowledge and skills through conducting a small research project. For feasibility and ethical reasons, the degree convenor will provide a list of research problems. Under the supervision of the degree convenor, students will select a problem, develop and implement a design, and write up a report. Although the project is an individual responsibility, students will work collaboratively to discuss problems and issues at different stages of the process.
CCJ747 should be completed in the final session of study. Students must have permission of the Program Director or Advisor to enrol earlier in their program.

Combine your criminological knowledge and research skills into your individual project. You’ll define a complex crime or criminal justice problem, then develop and implement a project design, and write up your research report.

Individual Project

This subject helps students develop deep understanding of the organising categories and central claims of a range of modern criminological perspectives of criminology. The main problems, questions and ideas that have shaped modern criminological thought are explored and attention is paid throughout to the contexts that shape the emergence and reception of modern criminological theory and to the modes of social intervention that different criminological perspectives expressly or implicitly propose. Topics covered will vary from year to year but are likely to include: crime and the urban environment, developmental and control theories, routine activities and rational choice theories, crime, inequality and opportunity, crime and culture, and social reactions to crime.

Critically evaluate criminological theory and empirical research for crime policy and practice. Study crime and the urban environment, control and rational choice theories, inequality and opportunity, and social reactions to crime.

Advanced Criminological Theories

This is a survey subject that aims to introduce students to the central concepts of modern theories of crime, linkages with their historic antecedents and criteria for evaluating theoretical validity. A range of different perspectives will be presented covering the dominant sociological and psychological explanations of crime and criminality. On completion, students will have an understanding of the nature of theory, the ideas of key theorists and have the ability to critically evaluate theoretical explanations.Using an inter-disciplinary approach, this course explores how offenders and offending have been conceptualised, and the consequent implications for the criminal justice system and interventions /programs that we develop and implement to address offending. There are a diverse range of theoretical frameworks used to understand crime; in this course we will particularly focus on sociological, psychological, biological, and situational/environmental perspectives. The types of policies and interventions which have been promoted, and adopted to respond to offenders, have been influenced by the extent to which weight is given to individual, social or environmental factors.This subject will consider how different theoretical approaches can be applied to understand a selection of contemporary crime problems, the strengths and weaknesses of different explanations and the implications for prevention and intervention.

Through the lens of sociological, psychological and biological perspectives, you’ll appreciate how offenders and offending have been conceptualized. Use your learning to articulate the resulting implications on the criminal justice system.

Criminological Theories

This subject examines the major, cutting-edge questions for criminology today. These include penal politics, policing, media and crime, restorative justice, the prison and state crime. It introduces students to the contemporary key thinkers and contributors in the field in Australia and overseas. Attention is given to the relationship between research, policy and politics in linking knowledge to social change.In this subject, students will read and discuss challenging and thought-provoking work of both Australian and international scholars in the field of criminology and criminal justice. As the purpose of the subject is to deepen students&#39; understanding of criminolology through examining cutting-edge theory and research, the issues of focus will vary, but may include penal politics, policing, restorative justice and other emerging innovations, trafficking, transnational crime and state crime.Assessment details will be advised at the beginning of the subject offering.

Contemporary key thinkers present cutting-edge criminology questions on penal politics, policing, media and crime, restorative justice and state crime. Probe the relationship between research and  policy in linking knowledge to social change.

Justice and Crime

This subject was formerly known as PICX952 Simulation in Criminology
This subject provides students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired during their program of study to a real world crisis. After being exposed to theoretical concepts of scenario-building, role-playing and decision-making, students will experience the challenges of solving problems and finding solutions to real world crises during a dynamic simulation. They will be part of a team that includes students with different skill sets and knowledge, including strategists, intelligence analysts, criminologists, counter terrorism experts, and cyber security analysts. Students enrolled in Simulation in Criminology will perform the role of the criminologist. Their mission will be to formulate policy-oriented solutions by applying their theoretical knowledge and practical skills, including the use of crime prevention/deterrence tools. As part of a team, students will learn how to develop ministerial briefing papers during a crisis situation and how to make policy recommendations.

Work with peers on a simulated real-world crisis. Calling on your studies to date, apply criminology theory to your team role as a criminologist. Draft briefing papers and make policy recommendations to combat crime in this role-playing scenario.

Simulation in Criminology

The subject was formerly known as PICX889 Applied Criminology Practice and Policy
This subject offers an invaluable scholarly perspective to analyse the effectiveness of contemporary criminal justice practice and policies. This unit enables students to develop a criminological understanding of the operation of various facets of the criminal justice system, particularly police, courts and corrective services. Students will critically evaluate crime reduction and prevention strategies currently employed both in Australia and overseas, and will formulate practical and effective solutions to real-world contemporary crime problems. This includes using official crime information and data to present and report on policy outcomes and agendas. Students will be able to critically understand the structure and functioning of the criminal justice system, evaluate criminal justice policies, design and develop crime prevention and reduction strategies.

Drawing on your knowledge of Australian and international criminal justice practices and policies, formulate solutions to real-world crime problems. With a focus on police, courts and corrective services, evaluate current crime reduction strategies.

Applied Criminology

This subject was previously known as MAQ-PICX888 Advanced Criminology Theory.This unit introduces students to advanced criminology theory. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of how theory directs critical understandings of crime and, in turn, relates to the broader social world. This includes criminological beliefs, held within the discipline of Criminology and by practitioners in the Criminal Justice System, that help understand the common attitudes and rule systems that contribute to the intellectual atmosphere of a particular time or place. Topics focus on two ‘waves’ of criminological theory; the first, contemporary criminological theory, focuses on the ‘grand theories’ that are rooted in the discipline. The second, future directions in criminology, explores the challenges the discipline presently faces and how theory can contribute to expanding a critical understanding crime.

Understand how crime intersects with social, political, cultural and economic elements of life. Learn and evaluate advanced contemporary criminology theory. Cover left and right realism, cultural criminology, opportunity and deterrence theories.

Course results for Postgraduate Criminology Degrees

Need help choosing a course?

Related searches