MSc Rural and Environmental Crime and Policing

Why study this subject?

With growing public awareness and concern about rural and environmental crime, and how to mitigate it, there is increasing demand for specialist practitioners in this field.

Whether your interest is in an enforcement or compliance capacity, a master’s degree in rural and environmental crime and policing will equip you with the skills and insights to help you prevent this multi-faceted form of offending and to tackle it when it happens.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

Throughout the distance-learning course, you will learn from skilled lecturers within the School of Aviation and Security who have a high level of working knowledge based on industry experience. Our tutors will give you the both the legislative knowledge and practical skills needed to help you with real-world enforcement and management of teams.

We offer students a supportive and flexible environment in which to develop and be able to apply this with confidence in their workplace. Whilst the course primarily consists of distanced-based learning, we do bring all students together at our High Wycombe campus for a dissertation workshop and our annual research colloquium. When away from campus, our Virtual Learning Environment meaning that students who are often deployed to remote areas have a comprehensive student experience, combined with a flexible approach to tutoring sessions.  

As a BNU student, you will automatically become a member of Bucks Students’ Union giving you access to a wide range of services that we offer for free. Upon graduation, you will become a member of the University’s alumni community giving you access to a wide range of benefits throughout your lifetime.

What will I study?

This course will help give you:

• a solid base of knowledge of the law relating to rural and environmental crime – areas of focus include: theft from farms and hare coursing; modern slavery and organised crime in the rural setting; heritage crime; environmental offences (e.g. fly-tipping)
• an understanding of the practicalities of that law, and how it is applied in different enforcement or compliance situations
• specialist subject knowledge in the area of rural and environmental crime that most interests you.

How will I be taught and assessed?

Designed as a flexible learning programme, you can study this course alongside your work or other commitments.

Teaching is primarily delivered through online lectures, supported by linked seminars. Online lectures include a mix of direct teaching from an academic and recorded interviews with subject experts. Seminars will develop the topic further through lecturer set online tasks that students will undertake independently.

Students will be able to have one-to-one support with the course team through our Virtual Learning Environment, as well as by email and telephone. Outside of the above, students are expected to undertake self-directed study which is essential for distance learning elements of this programme; typically, this will involve reading, using our online library resources, and completing coursework assignments.

Prior to embarking upon dissertation work, students will be encouraged to attend a two-day workshop. This workshop is designed to develop the skills and techniques required to conduct primary research and produce an original dissertation. Students will also be expected to attend an annual research colloquium where second year students will each make an assessed presentation of their research at the mid-point of their dissertation work. Dissertation work is supported through regular virtual meetings between the student and their allocated supervisor.

The assessments range from written assignments, presentations and reports to project and portfolio work.