UCL Department of Security and Crime Science

Aims and objectives

The MSc in Crime and Forensic Science will train graduates to think strategically and critically about crime and forensic science, equipping them with transferable skills suitable for a wide range of careers. It is a new multidisciplinary programme with modules provided by departments across UCL including Security and Crime Science, Psychology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Biosciences, Management Science and Innovation, Archaeology and Laws.

Core modules will concentrate on understanding the scientific principles behind forensic science and how these are interpreted in the courtroom. Optional modules will include forensic archaeology, molecular biology and the psychology behind decision making, enabling students to specialise in a particular area of forensic science if they wish. In addition to UCL-based modules there will be a practical component provided by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Crime Academy: students can attend a week-long course on crime scene investigation at their specialised Forensic Faculty in London.

Outcomes

By the end of the programme students will be prepared for a variety of different career paths including research, crime investigation, forensic science provision, policy making and public sector careers such as the civil service.

Download the MSc Crime and Forensic Science leaflet.

Download the MSc Crime and Forensic Science leaflet.

Full-time students

Full-time students will complete the MSc in one calendar year.

Programme structure

The MSc in Crime and Forensic Science is composed of 5 core/compulsory modules and 3 optional modules. 180 credits are required for this programme (75 credits of compulsory courses, 60 credits of dissertation, plus 45 credits of optional courses).

Core modules (worth 15 credits each)

• Designing & Doing Research (Term 1): Gives students an understanding of the general principles of scientific endeavour and progress. It looks specifically at the nature of scientific knowledge, what counts as evidence, the role of theory development and the importance of hypothesis formulation and testing. It examines general principles of enquiry and investigation, the role of rationality and dealing with uncertainty in a complex world.
• Foundations of Security and Crime Science (Term 1): The purpose of this module is to set out the foundational concepts, theories and approaches that underpin the MSc programmes offered in the Department of Security and Crime Science. In this way the module provides an overarching framework for the modules that follow. It outlines the distinctive nature of the crime science approach to understanding, preventing, detecting and investigating crime and security problems. It presents the key theories that explain the temporal and spatial patterning of crime and terrorism events, and introduces students to associated strategies for disrupting these patterns. The need for a multidisciplinary approach – especially the integration of the social and physical sciences - to addressing crime and security problems is emphasised, with the contributions of the forensic sciences and security technology highlighted.
• Judges, Courts & Judicial Decision Making (Term 1): This module explores the crucial role judges and courts play in the modern state, and provides students with a unique opportunity to understand what it is like to be a judge, how judges make decisions, what skills they require and what pressures and controversies they face. Leading judges, policy-makers and academic experts share their first-hand knowledge with students, and students gain experience of judicial decision making through a series of hands-on seminars.
• Quantitative Methods (Term 1): Provides an understanding of the principles of research design and statistical analysis and those methods most appropriate to the application of crime and forensic science. It will enable students to apply these principles to the real world problem of crime control, understand how to read and interpret research reports and decide what conclusions can be drawn from different designs and statistical analyses.
• Interpretation of Forensic Evidence (Term 2): This module will introduce students to the key themes concerned with the interpretation of forensic evidence. It will include evaluation of evidence, assessing the weight of evidence, Bayesian theory, specific issues for DNA evidence interpretation in forensic contexts and a broad introduction to the various different forms of forensic evidence that are routinely used in criminal investigations.

Optional modules (worth 15 credits each)

• Frontiers in Experimental Physical Chemistry (Term 1): This module covers three topics of current research interest in experimental physical chemistry: surface science, excited molecules and atmospheric chemistry. Examples of topics covered include: the various experimental techniques used to investage the interaction of molecules with metal surfaces, examples of excited state chemistry such as combustion and plasma chemistry, and the factors controlling atmospheric composition.
• Fundamentals of Molecular Biology (Term 1): Students will learn about the structure and properties of DNA, with an emphasis on the practical aspects of DNA manipulation. They will gain an understanding of DNA as genetic materials and the properties of the enzymes used in in vitro DNA manipulation. They will learn the basic techniques of molecular biology such as electrophoresis, blotting, sequencing, cloning and the polymerase chain reaction, undertaking practicals to gain hands-on experience of these techniques.
• Structural Methods in Modern Chemistry (Term 1): This module will present the theoretical and practical aspects of the four main methods for the characterisation of molecular species and solids. Students will develop an appreciation for the strengths and weaknesses of each method. They will acquire the skills needed to solve problems in crystallography, NMR and IR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, and to appreciate the complementarity of the information provided by each method.
• Crime Scene Investigation (Term 2): Students will attend a week-long practical course at the Metropolitan Police Service Crime Academy. They will be introduced to a variety of crime scene investigative techniques and then given the opportunity to investigate a mock crime scene and collect forensic evidence, culminating in the presentation of their evidence in a mock courtroom setting. Lectures before and after the practical element will consolidate the techniques learned.
• Forensic Geoscience (Term 2): This module will introduce students to the field of forensic geoscience from the macro to the micro scales; discussing key concepts concerning the philosophical approach and forensic practices. It will introduce students to the capacity of the geosciences to yield temporal and spatial intelligence of use in forensic investigations and evidence that can be useful in building a case for presentation in court.
• Fraud, Ethics and Forensic Accounting (Term 2): This module provides students with an understanding of the drivers for and practices associated with corporate fraud represented within published financial statements. It establishes a framework for detective work where fraud may suspected but is hidden. Prior accounting/finance studies are not presumed.
• Information Security Management (Term 2): Provides students with an understanding of how to apply the principles of information security management in a variety of contexts, and an appreciation of the relationship between the various elements of information security management and its role in protecting organisations. Topics covered will include: governance and security policy, threat and vulnerability management, forensic computing, security awareness and security implementation considerations.
• Judgement and Decision Making (Term 2): Students will be introduced to normative and descriptive models of judgments and choice. Formal models will include the axioms of probability, Bayesian networks, decision theory and game theory. Current psychological models of judgment and choice will be presented, including heuristics and biases, prospect theory, decision field theory, sampling approaches and rational analysis models. These will be evaluated and linked with more general principles of cognition.
• Forensic Archaeology (Term 1): This module will provide an introduction and background to forensic archaeology and related fields, and their application in forensic science/crime scene investigations. Students will be introduced to key concepts including: scene of crime management and archaeological intervention, police procedures and the forensic archaeologist, archaeological techniques and when to apply them, human rights investigations, working within a multidisciplinary approach and responsibilities and accountability. 
• Forensic Osteology (Term 2): This module will provide an introduction to the role of the dead body in crime and forensic science, initially introducing the student to the newly deceased and discussing how the process of decomposition finally results in skeletal remains. Students will be introduced to skeletal anatomy and in particular to the forensically relevant skeletal elements that can be used to help identify an individual. They will have the opportunity to examine human remains both with and without soft tissue and to see how human remains can be involved in forensic cases.

Dissertation
A dissertation of 10,000 words (worth 60 credits) will be submitted in September 2013.

Entry requirements

Normally a minimum of a good upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Relevant disciplines will generally include science subjects: for example chemistry, biology, physics, engineering or computer science; psychology, archaeology or geography. Alternatively candidates may qualify for entry if they can offer five or more years of relevant professional experience (for example in the police service, or with a forensic science provider).

How to apply

From January 2012 you may choose to apply online or download application materials, for details visit the UCL Admissions website.

Applications are accepted throughout the year; however, students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship/bursary funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

*Please note that on 1 April 2011 UCL introduced an application processing fee for all postgraduate taught programmes. The online application fee will be £25, with a higher fee of £50 for paper applications. Such charges are already made by many other universities and the UCL charges are the same or lower than our main competitors.

Fees are paid on an annual basis.

PLEASE NOTE THE DEADLINE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS HAS NOW PASSED

This year the UCL Department of Security and Crime Science and the UCL JDI Centre for the Forensic Sciences are offering up to 14 bursary scholarships that will be worth between 25% to 100% of the course fee for students applying for one of our MSc courses:

• MSc in Crime Science
• MSc in Crime & Forensic Science
• MSc in Countering Organised Crime & Terrorism

When completing their application for the MSc, students wishing to be considered for a bursary should do the following:

• In the Funding section of the application form please tick the box next to  'Studentship/Scholarship'
• In the 'Other' text box please write: "Bursary Scholarship: 25%-100% of course fees, during the full term of the course"

Applications will be considered following the deadline - April 30th 2013. Students will be informed as to whether or not they have been awarded a bursary, and if so for what percentage of the course fee, sometime in May/June 2013.

After April 2013 you can of course still apply for one of the MSc programmes, but not for a bursary.

Due to the highly competitive nature of these bursaries we strongly encourage all applicants to seek additional sources of funding.

The Jill Dando Institute Centre for the Forensic Sciences is a new initiative at University College London. Its mission is to contribute significantly to the development of the forensic sciences through high quality multidisciplinary research, teaching & learning, and through the establishment of collaborative projects with external partners.