The main aim of the MA in Probation Services is to prepare you to work within the criminal justice system as probation officers. Besides providing you with required knowledge (with emphasis on probation and parole legislation, risk management, report writing and work ethics) the course attempts to strengthen your communication, leadership and team-building skills. You are also instructed on how to manage work-related stress.

Probation / parole officers are court officials. They seek to rehabilitate sentenced offenders by enforcing the conditions of court orders, conduct offender risk assessments and advise the courts, managing and enforcing community orders as well as working with offenders during and after sentence. Thus probation / parole officers collaborate and work with various officers within as well as outside the criminal justice system (such as drug rehabilitation centres and employment training centres). If you are aiming to work as a probation officer, you need not be afraid to work with people having a criminal background. Moreover, the profession requires probation officers to be able to cope with stress, work on their own initiative, be capable of handling emergencies, and be able to respect confidentiality and ensure integrity in their work.