Master (MA) in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice

The Master’s Degree in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice provides well-designed, practice-oriented, postgraduate education for those who practice, or seek to practice, the subject of financial criminal law as lawyers, prosecutors, judges or legal advisors in public and private financial organisations.

PROGRAMME INFORMATION

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1.5 YEARS

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90 ECTS

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ENGLISH OR GREEK

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FULL TIME

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AWARDED BY NEAPOLIS UNIVERSITY

OBJECTIVE OF THE MASTER (MA) IN FINANCIAL CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE

The Master in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice reflects the priorities of the University’s mission, is designed to provide a course of studies that meets local and national needs, promotes links with local communities and embraces modern pedagogy and learning technologies. The Master (MA) in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice will be offered by the School of Law that is dedicated to the academic excellence through teaching and research.

Specializing in a particular field is a smart choice for everyone interested in pursuing a career in that field. In that perspective the specialization in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice provides a well-designed, practice oriented, academic, post graduate education for those, on the one hand, practicing already criminal law as lawyers, prosecutors or judges, and for those, on the other, who are graduate students, aspiring to become leaders in the field of criminal law and criminal procedure in a national and European environment. During recent decades transnational Financial crime has become a major area of concern for politicians and policy makers and an increasingly important area of research. This has transformed Financial crime from a very specific area of practice, to a “day-to-day” practice, similar to civil litigation with a lot of research, drafting, factual development and argument, but with more significant client contact, which tends to be very close.

Our MA Specialization in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice intends to examine the phenomenon in terms of its recent emergence and further development, as well as to highlight typical forms and law enforcement responses to transnational organized crime. Accordingly, the aim of the program is not only to pursue an academic theoretical study, but also to enable theory to inform practice. The program is divided thematically between substantive issues of Financial crime and procedural issues within an Economic crime trial. In both cases emphasis is given on the transnational character of both the crime and the trial. Among the substantive areas which are covered are: Corporate Penal Law, Corruption – Bribery, Tax evasion, Organized crime, Money laundering, Misuse of Capital Market, Cybercrime, Fraud against the EU’s financial interests, Market Abuse, Cybercrime and Money Laundering. Participants will also learn how to deal with complex procedural matters arising in an Economic criminal trial with transnational elements, such as the principle of ne bis in idem, the rule of speciality in mutual assistance, the procedure in freezing property etc.

DURATION OF THE PROGRAMME

1.5 academic year (3 academic semesters, 90 ECTS) In accordance with the relevant announcements made by the Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education, students have the opportunity to complete their postgraduate studies in two academic semesters (12 months) as long as they start the conduction of their Master’s Dissertation during the first or second semester of their studies, including the summer period. In this case, the completion of the Master’s Dissertation may be prolonged during the summer period, for one or two months. In any case, the total ECTS remain 90. Furthermore, a more flexible part-time route is offered. Students have the opportunity to complete their postgraduate studies in maximum three (3) years. Students will have to complete minimum 15 ECTS per semester.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROGRAMME

  • Excellent academic staff with strong expertise in the taught subjects.
  • The field of fighting financial crime is growing rapidly
  • It is aimed at professionals of different disciplines and not just legal professionals
  • International collaborations with many Universities.
  • The use of advanced technology and resources.
  • Competitive tuition fees.

TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT METHODS

The Master (MA) in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice teaching methodology involves a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, examinations, projects, presentations, assignments, case-study applications and independent research. In addition, it is designed to provide an academic experience going beyond that of the traditional classroom, in which the flow of information is primarily from the instructor to the student. The intention of the Master (MA) in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice is that each participant will contribute to the education of the entire class though active participation in the learning procedure

Each course is evaluated through the mid-term exam or written assignment during the semester and the final exams at the end of the semester. If a student has not attended the exams or failed the mid-term or final exams, he or she is entitled to take a re-exam to be held in August or September after the final examination of the semester.

The mid-term exam or assignment that takes place during the semester corresponds to 30% of the final grade while the final exam at 70%. In order for the student to succeed in a course he / she must receive a final grade of at least 50/100 in both the mid-term assignment and the final exams.

In the third semester, students prepare their dissertation, corresponding to 30 Credits (ECTS). The dissertation must be relevant to the content of the postgraduate student’s studies, be original, be based on research or full use of the published sources and exhaustive study of the relevant international literature and concluding with convincing conclusions. The extent of the dissertation cannot be less than 10,000 words and more than 15,000 words. The conclusions, the bibliography and the abstract are included. After submission, the principal supervisor submits a written and reasoned report with his / her consent for public support, which is done publicly or via an electronic videoconference before a three-member committee.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

SEMESTER 1

CodeCourse titleCourse typeECTS
LLM502Economic Crime with Emphasis on AML/CFTCompulsory7.5
LLM501Anti-Corruption in Criminal LawElective7.5
LLM510Criminal Capital Market LawElective7.5
LLM511Economic and Financial Criminal Law: General PartElective7.5
LLM512The International Dimension of Corporate ResponsibilityElective7.5
LLM513Penal Protection of Professional SecrecyElective7.5
LLM514Introduction to the FATF Countries’ Mutual Evaluation SystemElective7.5

SEMESTER 2

CodeCourse titleCourse typeECTS
LLM515European Economic Criminal LawCompulsory7.5
LLM503Organized Crime: Substantial, Procedural, and International LawElective7.5
LLM504Prosecution and Investigation of Economic Crimes with Emphasis on Asset Freezing and ConfiscationElective7.5
LLM516Corporate Criminal Law and ComplianceElective7.5
LLM517Cybercrimes and CybersecurityElective7.5
LLM518Global Taxation Standards and Financial CrimeElective7.5
LLM575European Banking LawElective7.5

SEMESTER 3

CodeCourse titleCourse typeECTS
LLM600DissertationCompulsory30
The duration of the studies is three semesters. Postgraduate Program Enrolments for the Postgraduate Program are held in September and February / March of each academic year. Each course lasts an academic semester. All students enrolled in the Postgraduate Program either in the winter semester or the spring semester can choose from the courses offered in the relevant semesters. For successfully completing their studies, students need to accumulate a total of 90 Credits (ECTS). In accordance with the relevant announcements made by the Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education, students have the opportunity to complete their postgraduate studies in two academic semesters as long as they start the conduction of their Master’s Dissertation during the first or second semester of their studies, including the summer period. In this case, the completion of the Master’s Dissertation may be prolonged during the summer period, for one or two months. In any case, the total ECTS remain 90. Furthermore, a more flexible part-time route is offered. Students have the opportunity to complete their postgraduate studies in maximum three (3) years. Students will have to complete minimum 15 ECTS per semester. During the first semester the students attend four courses, one compulsory and three elective from the total offered. In the second semester, students also attend four courses, one compulsory and three elective, from the total offered. Each of the courses (compulsory and elective) is equivalent to 7.5 Credits (ECTS). During the academic year, for each of the courses (compulsory and electives), 13 lectures are held for three hours each with the instructor of each course, who is responsible for informing, guiding, advising and evaluating the students In order to obtain their Master’s degree, students are also obliged to conduct a master’s dissertation. . The research proposal is submitted by the student, who may propose as a supervisor one of the lecturers. The dissertation can be submitted for up to one academic year after the successful completion of the second semester of study. The dissertation must be relevant to the content of the postgraduate student’s studies, be original, be based on research or full use of the published sources and exhaustive study of the relevant international literature and concluding with convincing conclusions. The extent of the dissertation cannot be less than 10,000 words and more than 15,000 words. The conclusions, the bibliography and the abstract are included.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants can submit their application electronically or otherwise (by mail, by fax, in person at the University’s secretariat). The Program takes into account the academic background of the candidate from his/her previous studies, as well as his/her ability to complete the Program.

The necessary supporting documents to be submitted with the application include:

  • Completed application form
  • Official transcript of academic work (degree, etc.) completed to date.
  • Evidence of English language proficiency (B2 level language certificate). By decision of the Director of the Postgraduate Program, foreign language examinations may be held for candidates who are not adequately qualified, or another test, which demonstrates the candidate’s ability to meet the requirements of the Master’s Program.
  • Two (2) confidential recommendation letters, one of which must be from an instructor familiar with the student’s academic work.
  • A personal statement of interest in pursuing graduate studies

DISCLAIMER

The University reserves its right to define the electives offered on an academic year basis.

The programme structure may change without prior notice, as a result of quality assurance procedures or/and programme recertification.

APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAMME

Register your interest and one of our admissions consultants will contact you with guidance and additional information.

FACULTY & STAFF OF THE PROGRAMME

Georgios D. Pavlidis

Associate Professor Of International And European Economic Law

Jean Monnet Chair

UNESCO Chair

Coordinator in Greek Law

Dr. Georgios Pavlidis is Associate Professor of International and EU Economic Law at the School of Law of Neapolis University in Cyprus. Since 2020, he is holder of a Jean Monnet Chair funded by the European Union (Project: “Tracing Criminal Assets in the European Union”).

Thomas Nektarios Papanastasiou

Associate Professor of Public International Law

Coordinator of the Distance LLM (DLLM) in International & European Business Law

Director of the Legal Clinic

Thomas-Nektarios Papanastasiou is an assistant professor of public international law. He holds a doctorate (PhD), specialized in International Investment Law and a Master’s degree (MA) in International Relations...

George Demetriades

Assistant Professor in Law

Coordinator of the Master (MA) in Financial Crime and Criminal Justice

Dr. George Demetriades graduated with a law degree (LLB Law) from the University of Leicester in 2007. Later on, he joined the College of Law (Birmingham) for the Bar Vocational Course...

Artemis Savvidou

Assistant Professor in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure

Coordinator in Cypriot Law

Dr. Artemis D. Savvidou is a Lecturer in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure of Law School in NEAPOLIS University, Paphos since September 2013.....

Giannis Mpekas

Dean of Law

Professor in Criminal Law

Professor Dr. Giannis Mpekas is Member of the Teaching Staff of the Law School in NEAPOLIS University Pafos, (Criminal Law) since September 2020.....

Ioannis Gkountis

Visiting Lecturer in Criminal Law

Scientific Staff in Criminal Law

Dr. Ioannis Gkountis is Member of the Teaching Staff of the Law School in NEAPOLIS University Pafos, (Visiting Lecturer – Criminal Law) since September 2020.....
The programme aims to allow a constructive dialogue between Theory and Practice.

EVALUATION, RECOGNITION & COLLABORATIONS