Master of Arts in Criminology and Sociolegal Studies

The primary aim of the graduate program at the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies is to provide students with opportunities for advanced multidisciplinary study and supervised research experience in the areas of crime, the administration of criminal justice, and social studies of law and regulation. The program familiarizes students with existing bodies of criminological and sociolegal research, and develops critical, analytical and methodological skills. It is not a training program in forensic science, nor in professional legal studies. Rather, it is designed to educate students for careers in teaching or research, as well as jobs in which the ability to evaluate criminological or sociolegal research critically is necessary or desirable.
The graduate program is identified with two fields: criminology and sociolegal studies.
The criminology field includes the study of patterns in crime, criminal behaviour, and the administration of criminal justice. Subject areas include, for example, theories of crime and order, politics and crime, the psychology of criminal behaviour, policing, the criminal process, sentencing, penology, youth crime and justice, and criminal justice history.
The sociolegal studies field includes the study of how various types of law (e.g., criminal, civil, administrative, regulatory), as well as different mechanisms of social regulation, are used to prevent manage and sanction harmful conduct and effect security. Subject areas include, for example, theoretical perspectives on law and society, regulation, law, crime, and the economy, and, risk, regulation, and security.
Students can complete the MA program on a part-time or full-time basis. Full- and part-time MA students programs begin in September. In all cases students are required to complete the program within the time limits set for the MA degree under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies.

Applicants must have an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university. An appropriate bachelor's degree normally consists of 20 full-course equivalents (FCEs). Applicants with arts and science degrees will normally be required to have at least a B+ standing. Applicants from law schools who have already completed a JD degree or its equivalent will normally be required to have at least a B standing.

It is essential that all incoming graduate students have a command of English. Proficiency in the English language must be demonstrated by all applicants educated outside Canada whose primary language is not English, and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English. This requirement must be satisfied using a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a verbal and a written component. To be considered for admission, applicants must achieve the following minimum scores:

• paper-based TOEFL exam: 580 and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)
• Internet-based TOEFL exam: 93/120 and 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections.

Official copies of these scores must be submitted to the University of Toronto before a formal offer of admission can be made.