Master of Criminology (Professional)

Your career in Criminology

The upcoming semester for this program will be delivered in a multi-modal format, with classes designed to support and engage all learners. Whether they're on campus or abroad, all students will be able to access Bond's exceptional and personalised learning experience through dynamic and interactive lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops and lab sessions.

This program is not available to domestic students. Please see Master of Criminology.

Criminology is fast becoming a vital discipline! A career in criminology explores the motives behind criminal behaviour and analyses the criminal justice system. A Master of Criminology (Professional) at Bond prepares graduates for a career in the industry. Graduates are given the skills and training necessary to understand crime, justice, and forensic issues. Graduate sooner with Bond’s accelerated degree option!

Learn from industry professionals

Criminology Associate Professor, Wayne Petherick shares his research at TEDxBondUniversity!

Students in the Master of Criminology (Professional) program are taught by leading industry professionals, with a wealth of knowledge. Our Academics continue to actively work on cases, conduct regular research and are often featured in local publications. These attributes allow students to be immersed in criminology and learn first-hand from professional’s active in the industry. Students are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue a career in criminology.

Intensive mode delivery

To accommodate all of our students during ongoing COVID disruptions, classes are being temporarily offered in a multimodal format on a weekly basis until further notice.

The Master of Criminology (Professional) is delivered in intensive mode. Intensive Mode Delivery is a compact and time efficient way to complete a postgraduate qualification with minimal impact on professional and personal lifestyles. Subjects are generally delivered in either standard intensive or mixed mode. Standard Intensive delivery is generally scheduled over two sets of three-day sessions per subject. Mixed mode subjects will include a mixture of compulsory online activities and on-campus workshops. International students are required to be on campus every week. This mode of delivery will not impact the duration of the degree length.

Key features

Learn from leading industry professionals with a wealth of knowledge
Graduate sooner with Bond’s accelerated degree option
Small class sizes and a personalised approach to learning

About the program

The Master of Criminology (Professional) program provides students with skill development and training as well as scholarly appreciation of crime, justice and forensic issues. The program provides an understanding of a broad range of issues involving criminology theories, contemporary information on crime prevention, the theory and practice of punishment, criminal offenders, the police, courts and correctional institutions, including current crime and deviance issues. Students will be provided with both knowledge and research skills and techniques required for the analysis of criminological issues and an understanding of how to critically evaluate published research. At the end of the degree, candidates will have a professional portfolio detailing their research and practical expertise in their chosen vocational area. The program duration is 4 semesters and 20 weeks (92 weeks). Show less

Mode	On Campus and Remote Due to current travel restrictions, this program will temporarily be delivered using a mixture of on-campus, remote and multi-modal classes to support and engage all students, from all parts of the world.
Duration	92 weeks
Starting semesters	September 2021 January 2022 May 2022 September 2022 January 2023 May 2023 September 2023
Program type	Masters Coursework
Study area	Social Sciences, Psychology and Counselling
Program code	HS-23079
CRICOS code	063307D
Credit for prior study	For more details on applying for credit, please contact the Student Business Centre: [email protected]

Structure and subjects

View the Master of Criminology (Professional) Program Structure and Sequencing

Master of Criminology (Professional) comprises 165cp, as follows:

Foundation subjects (80cp)

Research Methods and Data Visualisation (HUMR71-100)
Research Project (HUMR71-705)
Genocide - A sociological and criminological approach (CRIM71-105)
Crime Analysis and Profiling (CRIM71-102
Security and Strategy (INTR71-102)
Transnational Crime (CRIM71-103)
Politically Motivated Violence (INTR71-315)
Forensic Criminology (CRIM71-320)

Professional (45cp)

Professional Portfolio (45cp) (CRIM73-100)

Electives (40cp)

Choice of four electives from the list of available postgraduate subjects from across the University

Available research topics for Dissertation/Portfolio

Please refer to Master of Criminology for a full list of available research topics.

Teaching methodology

Bond University’s teaching methodology involves a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, examinations, projects, presentations, assignments, computer labs and industry projects.

Program fees

The below fees are based on the total estimated program fee. Professional program fees include four standard full time semesters plus a final semester professional subject, which is charged at a different rate to a standard semester of coursework.

Total program fee:

Students commencing study in 2021: $57,680
Students commencing study in 2022: $58,310

Find out your financing options and other costs to consider.

Tuition fees are subject to change on an annual basis and will be charged at the appropriate fee for the year of enrolment.

* Note: for students commencing January 2021 the University has held the 2020 tuition fee amount in recognition of the current circumstances, with 2021 fees effective only from the University’s May 2021 semester.

Admission criteria

Academic entry requirements

Completion of an Australian Bachelor degree or equivalent at an approved institution in either criminology, sociology, legal studies, psychology, humanities/arts or business studies.

Please contact the Office of Future Students for further information.

English language proficiency requirements

As tuition is delivered in English, all students will be required to provide documented evidence of the required level of proficiency in the English language. Read more detailed information on English Language Proficiency Requirements for university study.

Credit for prior study

Subject credits may be awarded for previous studies. To apply for credits, you will need to submit academic transcripts including detailed subject outlines/course descriptions for each relevant subject and/or certified copies of testamurs to the Office of Future Students. Please refer to how to apply for credit for more information

Key dates

Bond University calendar

How to apply

In order to apply for study at Bond University, you will need to complete the Online Application Form. To find out more about the application process please refer to How to Apply.

Future outcomes

Professional outcomes

The Master of Criminology (Professional) program enables those with an existing knowledge or early career in Criminology to develop research skills as they relate to various areas of criminological enquiry, and communicate the results of any research findings to both technical and non-technical audiences. It will equip graduates with the critical thinking skills and strategic development required to expand their criminology careers.

Meet our academics

Dr Wayne Petherick is currently the Head and Associate Professor of Criminology in the Faculty of Society & Design. Dr Petherick teaches in the areas of Alcohol, Drugs, and Crime, Criminal Profiling, Applied Crime Analysis, Criminal Motivations, Crime and Deviance, Forensic Victimology, and Forensic Criminology. Dr Petherick is an author, editor, and coeditor of three textbooks including Serial Crime: Theoretical and Practical Issues in Behavioural Profiling, now in its second edition, Forensic Victimology, and Forensic Criminology. These works are published by Elsevier Science, the oldest publisher in the world, who also published Galileo. Show more
Dr Wayne Petherick is currently the Head and Associate Professor of Criminology in the Faculty of Society & Design. Dr Petherick teaches in the areas of Alcohol, Drugs, and Crime, Criminal Profiling, Applied Crime Analysis, Criminal Motivations, Crime and Deviance, Forensic Victimology, and Forensic Criminology. Dr Petherick is an author, editor, and coeditor of three textbooks including Serial Crime: Theoretical and Practical Issues in Behavioural Profiling, now in its second edition, Forensic Victimology, and Forensic Criminology. These works are published by Elsevier Science, the oldest publisher in the world, who also published Galileo.
His research areas of interest include criminal profiling, with his doctoral thesis Criminal Profiling: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Methods and Content examining criminal profiles to better understand the nature of logic employed and the types of characteristics offered by the different approaches. Other areas include stalking, where he is developing a Response-Outcome model to better understand the response style of victims of stalking and how this may perpetuate the cycle of harassment. In other work, Wayne is also working on the relationship between self esteem, personality disorder, crime, and criminal (and victim) motivations.
In addition to his teaching and research work, Dr. Petherick also works on a variety of cases including homicides, threat and risk cases, and stalking.
Recent media contributions
”Night stalker”: Gold Coast man alleged to be a sexual predator arrested
One year on, Gold Coast rapist, the night stalker, is still on the loose
Teens and young women among dozens of stalking victims on the Gold Coast each year
Drugs being sold online and delivered door-to-door 24/7 on Coast
Show less

Dr. Terry Goldsworthy has over 28 years policing experience in Australia as a Detective Inspector. He has served in general duties, watchhouse and as a motorcycle officer before moving to the Criminal Investigation Branch in 1994. He spent eight years as a Detective Senior Sergeant on the Gold Coast in charge of the CIB at Burleigh Heads before moving to the Legal and Policy Unit at Ethical Standard Command. Dr. Goldsworthy has completed a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws, Advanced Diploma of Investigative Practice and a Diploma of Policing. Show more
Dr. Terry Goldsworthy has over 28 years policing experience in Australia as a Detective Inspector. He has served in general duties, watchhouse and as a motorcycle officer before moving to the Criminal Investigation Branch in 1994. He spent eight years as a Detective Senior Sergeant on the Gold Coast in charge of the CIB at Burleigh Heads before moving to the Legal and Policy Unit at Ethical Standard Command. Dr. Goldsworthy has completed a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws, Advanced Diploma of Investigative Practice and a Diploma of Policing.
As a result of his law studies Dr. Goldsworthy was admitted to the bar in the Queensland and Federal Courts as a barrister in 1999. Dr. Goldsworthy then completed a Master of Criminology at Bond University. He later completed his PhD focusing on the concept of evil and its relevance from a criminological and sociological viewpoint. In particular Dr. Goldsworthy looked at the link between evil and armed conflicts using the Waffen-SS as a case study. Dr. Goldsworthy has recently published his first book titled Valhalla’s Warriors, which examines the genocidal actions of the SS in Russia during World War II. He has also contributed a chapters to the tertiary textbooks, Serial Crime and Forensic Criminology, published by Academic Press. He contributed a number of articles to the Australian Police Journal.
Research partners & collaborators
Probation and Parole
Drug Arm
Gold Coast Drug Council
Gold Coast Centre against Sexual Violence
Recent media contributions
Gold Coast roid abuse problem worse than ice epidemic
Police claims bikie violence eliminated at odds with their website
Queensland lawyers call for independent management of crime statistics
Show less

Robyn's academic background is in the social sciences with special interest in Aboriginal criminal justice issues. She has lectured at Bond University since 1994 and at other universities in Queensland (UQ, QUT and Griffith). Her research work has been conducted at UQ, QUT, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and Rutgers University in New Jersey. Robyn has experience in academic publishing and worked as Senior Editor at Aboriginal Studies Press in Canberra for five years. She was Managing Editor of the Journal of Sociology and the Australian Journal of Social Issues. Show more
Robyn's academic background is in the social sciences with special interest in Aboriginal criminal justice issues. She has lectured at Bond University since 1994 and at other universities in Queensland (UQ, QUT and Griffith). Her research work has been conducted at UQ, QUT, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and Rutgers University in New Jersey. Robyn has experience in academic publishing and worked as Senior Editor at Aboriginal Studies Press in Canberra for five years. She was Managing Editor of the Journal of Sociology and the Australian Journal of Social Issues.
While Robyn has broad-ranging interests in the criminological field, she has focused on the treatment of marginalised groups within the criminal justice system. In particular, her focus is on theoretical developments in the Aboriginal justice arena and concerns around juvenile justice such as the public identification of youth who come before the courts. Show less