Funding

Fully Funded · Self Funded

Program dates

Sep 1, 2026

Master's Scholarship•Netherlands · Rotterdam

International Master’s in Advanced Research in Criminology (IMARC)

Erasmus University Rotterdam (coordinator) with Ghent University, University of Málaga & Middlesex University London

Application Deadline

Closed · June 30, 2026

Reopens Feb 2027

Official Page

IMARC is a two-year, research-intensive joint master in international criminology. Erasmus University Rotterdam coordinates it, together with Ghent University, the University of Málaga and Middlesex University London.

The subject is border crossing, security and social justice: terrorism, human trafficking, cybercrime, corporate and organised crime, border control and EU criminal justice, migration policy, human rights and urban safety. Training in qualitative and quantitative research methods runs through all four semesters and ends in an extended thesis.

Everyone starts in Rotterdam. From semester two students follow one of four thematic tracks at one of the four universities, spend semester three on fieldwork or a research-based internship, and write the thesis under the track university’s supervision. Graduates hold a double or multiple MSc — the national degree of each university where they completed at least one semester of 30 ECTS.

Benefits & funding

  • Erasmus Mundus (EMJM) scholarship: a monthly contribution of up to €1,400 covering travel, visa, installation and living costs for the time spent on the programme.
  • About 15 scholarships a year — roughly 10 for the best applicants in the overall ranking, and about 5 reserved for applicants from Erasmus+ target regions; up to 60 in total across the academic years 2025/2026 to 2029/2030.
  • Every IMARC student, funded or self-paying, is insured by the consortium for the whole programme.
  • Extra support for students with pre-existing medical, physical or psychological needs may be paid from European Commission funds, against a detailed overview of the support and costs.
  • Without a scholarship, the 2026-2027 fee is €6,000 a year for EEA/EU students and €12,000 a year for everyone else.
  • An optional research-based internship in semester three, and two Common Sessions conferences a year — three days, with students and lecturers from 16 universities in 13 countries, and credit bearing.

Eligibility

  • Open to all nationalities; no residency requirement. Category 1 scholarships make no distinction between EU and non-EU applicants.
  • A bachelor’s degree in criminology; or a bachelor’s degree in another social science, in humanities or in law, if you can show knowledge of questions of deviance and social control and of both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
  • At least 180 ECTS from a three-year bachelor, or from a bachelor plus a master.
  • The research-methods bar is spelled out: interpreting correlation and regression, sampling and sample design, multivariate analysis in SPSS or comparable software such as NVivo or Atlas.ti, plus research design, data analysis and building a theoretically grounded argument.
  • English: IELTS 7.0 overall with at least 6.5 in each component, or TOEFL iBT 90 with at least 22 reading, 21 writing, 17 listening and 20 speaking. Results must be under two years old and institutional TOEFL is not accepted.
  • The English test is waived after at least two years of previous education in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA, or with certain European diplomas completed within the past five years.
  • Final-year students can apply with a provisional transcript from their institution.
  • No age limit and no work-experience requirement.

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  • Education required

    Bachelor · Bachelor Enrolled

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Application process

  1. 1
    Applications open on 1 February each year through the webform behind the Apply button; the next round opens 1 February 2027. Earlier submissions are not taken into account.
  2. 2
    Admission is coordinated centrally by Erasmus University Rotterdam and applying is free.
  3. 3
    Fill in personal details, previous education, language skills, your motivation answers and what you have studied of criminology and research techniques. No separate motivation letter or research self-report is uploaded any more.
  4. 4
    Upload a certified copy of your diploma or graduation declaration, a certified transcript showing GPA and grading system, two letters of reference, proof of English where applicable, and a CV.
  5. 5
    Apply by 15 March to be ranked for an EMJM scholarship. Anything arriving later is assessed as a self-paying application.
  6. 6
    Self-funding deadlines: 30 April for non-EEA applicants, 30 June for EEA applicants.
  7. 7
    The selection committee ranks applicants on quantitative scores together with the motivation answers, educational background and other relevant parts of the CV, and emails the outcome.
  8. 8
    A rejected applicant has seven days to appeal in writing to imarc@law.eur.nl.

Program timeline

  1. Applications open for the 2026 intake

    Feb 1, 2026

  2. Online Q&A session for applicants

    Feb 6, 2026

  3. EMJM scholarship deadline

    Mar 15, 2026

  4. Self-funding deadline, non-EEA applicants

    Apr 30, 2026

  5. Self-funding deadline, EEA applicants

    Jun 30, 2026

  6. Programme starts in Rotterdam

    Sep 1, 2026

  7. Applications open for the next intake

    Feb 1, 2027

  8. EMJM scholarship deadline for the next intake

    Mar 15, 2027

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