On Tuesday, 30 January 2018, the School of Law at the University of Limerick was delighted to welcome fourteen senior-ranking members of An Garda Síochána onto the School's newest postgraduate programme- a Master of Arts in Serious Crime Investigation. The programme was launched by Professor Helen Kelly-Holmes, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Limerick and by Sergeant Andrew Lacey, Course Director of the Postgraduate Diploma in Serious Crime Investigation at the Garda College in Templemore.

Representing the first programme of its kind in Ireland, this new MA degree is a one-year, full-time course specifically designed for graduates of the level 9 Postgraduate Diploma in Serious Crime Investigation, delivered at An Garda Síochána Training College in Templemore. By interrogating modern investigative policing practice in light of contemporary legal debates, the programme allows learners to capitalise on their existing expertise and to develop a range of additional analytical skills that are essential in navigating the challenges associated with modern crime investigation. Learners are expected to develop these skills by completing a dissertation of approximately 15,000 words on an aspect of serious crime investigation under the supervision of a faculty member with expertise in the area of criminal justice.

We wish the candidates on this innovative Master of Arts programme every success in their studies for the year ahead.