Admission requirements
Only students admitted to the master’s programme in Comparative Criminal Justice are eligible to take this course A prerequisite for this course is that students have achieved a ‘pass’ grade for the course Research Proposal.
Description
Every student is required to write a final thesis on a topic of their choice. The thesis should align with the student’s academic interests, showcase their research skills, and be feasible within the timeframe allocated. A well-chosen thesis topic not only crowns the student’s academic work but may also serve as a stepping stone to future employment or further academic pursuits.
The thesis must represent an original contribution to the field of criminal justice or criminology. It should go beyond summarising existing literature and engage with a clearly formulated research question that has not been addressed extensively in prior studies. A discussion of relevant literature forms the foundation of the thesis, situating the research question within ongoing academic debates. In line with the comparative orientation of the programme, the thesis must also incorporate an international or cross-jurisdictional perspective. The thesis builds directly on the preparatory work completed in the Research Proposal course. By this stage, students will already have identified a research topic, reviewed relevant literature, and designed a methodological approach. The thesis phase involves further refining this plan and carrying out the full research cycle: (1) conducting the research, (2) analysing the data or sources, and (3) writing the thesis. Your thesis research can take several forms. Examples include:
Empirical social-scientific or socio-legal research offering new insights into a criminal justice topic;
Evaluation research examining the effectiveness or unintended effects of specific laws, policies, or interventions (impact evaluation);
Evaluation research analysing how laws or policies are implemented in practice (process evaluation);
Systematic literature reviews or case law analyses, potentially combined with expert interviews. While not required, students are encouraged to combine their thesis research with an internship. Internships can offer practical insights, facilitate data access, and support professional orientation. The programme will communicate any available research opportunities with faculty members and support students in their search for internship placements.
Course objectives
Upon completing this course, you will be able to (depending on the thesis format):
- Analyse a criminal justice problem using relevant legal and social-scientific theory; Independently design, conduct, and report on original research; Formulate policy recommendations based on empirical or desk-based research.
Employability and (academic) career
This course prepares participants to plan and carry out an independent and original piece of desk-based or empirical research and showcases the skills and knowledge acquired during the master’s programme. The following skills that play a central role during this course are directly transferrable to the labor market:
Writing skills
Academic/research skills
Critical thinking
Policy development
Timetable
Check MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
Individual supervision
- 3-5 supervisions
Assessment method
- Final thesis (100%)
Submission procedures
- All assignments must be admitted via Turnitin (Brightspace)
Registration
Registration for courses and exams takes place via MyStudymap. If you do not have access to MyStudymap (guest students), look here (under the Law-tab) for more information on the registration procedure in your situation.
Contact
Course coordinator: dr. B.C.M. van Hazebroek
Availability: Through the secretariat.
Phone: 071-527 7462
E-mail: criminologie@law.leidenuniv.nl
Consultation hour: If you have any questions or problems you can send an email to the course coordinator (criminologie@law.leidenuniv.nl) or you can come by during the consultation hours. The time and location will be announced through Brightspace at the start of the course. If you want to make use of this option, please send an email in advance to notify that you are coming. In principal, it is not possible to schedule an appointment at another time.
Institute/department
Institute: Criminal Law and Criminology
Department: Criminology
Opening hours: 9.00 to 16.00
Telephone secretariat: 071 – 527 7462
Room number: B3.11
E-mail: criminologie@law.leidenuniv.nl