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Security Science MRes + MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

The Department of Security and Crime Science is widely recognised for the impact of its research on real-world crime problems. It has long established links with police forces, policy makers, academic research centres of excellence and security organisations from both the UK and further afield.

Our MRes allows students from a wide variety of backgrounds to use our taught modules to gain the skills needed to succeed with their research studies towards an MPhil/PhD.

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

£6,035

£3,015

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)

£34,400

£17,200

Duration

4 calendar years

6 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2024

Applications accepted

All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Candidates with a UK Master’s in a science-based subject, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard are encouraged to apply.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 3

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The Department of UCL Security and Crime Science (SCS) uses evidence-based techniques to prevent and control crime and security problems, and to detect offenders. SCS is devoted to reducing crime and terrorism through teaching, research and public policy analysis.

The department has strong links with security practitioners and policy makers as well as researchers and institutions worldwide. It is multidisciplinary in its approach and draws on both the social and physical sciences.

We focus strongly on providing interactive classrooms where a mix of practitioners and new students keen to work in these fields can learn from each other.

Who this course is for

Security and Crime Science is a multi-disciplinary subject, drawing on expertise in psychology, social science, statistics, mathematics, architecture, forensic sciences, design, geography and computing. This is reflected in our students, who come from a variety of backgrounds. As a result, our department is an interesting and stimulating environment in which to study.

We seek graduates from all disciplines who want to solve real-world security and crime problems. The MRes + MPhil/PhD program is aimed particularly at those who bring in relevant expertise from other fields but are less familiar with the foundations of research in security and crime science.

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

UCL Security and Crime Science is devoted specifically to reducing crime through teaching, research, public policy analysis and through the dissemination of evidence-based information on crime reduction. Our mission is to change crime policy and practice.

The MRes will provide you with the foundations of security and crime science and the skills to effectively conduct independent research. From the start of your degree, you will work together with your research supervisor. Together you will choose further optional modules that support your proposed research direction. The MRes features a substantial research project to explore this direction and create research aims that augment your subsequent research.

After successfully completing the MRes, you will move on to the MPhil/PhD research degree.

A PhD at Security Science allows you to pursue original research and make a distinct and significant contribution to your field. We are committed to the quality and relevance of the research supervision we offer and as an MRes and MPhil/PhD student, you will work with academics at the cutting-edge in their field.

As a research student, you will also be an integral part of our collaborative and thriving research community in the department and beyond.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

The four-year PhD programme is a well-established programme that draws in students from around the world who have gone on to exciting careers in security and crime sectors.

It is the first programme to combine a multidisciplinary crime or security doctoral degree with a programme of taught modules (focusing on the application of scientific method to crime reduction) and professional skills training.

Graduates from our research programmes go on to research careers and to take up lecturing posts in academic institutions. Others have taken up policy-related positions in the public and private security sectors.

Employability

Our aim is to produce a new generation of crime and security practitioners with the skills to tackle modern and evolving crime threats. With over 60 partners in industry and the public sector and some of the world's leading academics at UCL working in these areas, we provide excellent supervision and career prospects.

Our students possess skills modern employers in these sectors are looking for such as:

how to work in multidisciplinary teams
how to apply their knowledge to practical interventions
how to engage with industry
a PhD from a world-renowned research institute at one of the world's most highly ranked universities

Networking

We have long-established links with police forces, policy makers at all levels, academic research centres of excellence and security organisations from in the UK and internationally.

The department attracts leading figures in the field to our extensive programme of events which inform debates around crime prevention. Regular events include the Women in Security showcase, annual International Crime Science conference, regular seminars and external speakers.

These events provide a platform for students to connect with crime science practitioners and researchers across academia, government, and industry, offering a chance to learn from their expertise and establish valuable contacts.

Collaborative working within UCL is also an important aspect of this multidisciplinary programme, and the MRes + MPhil/PhD in Security Science gives students the opportunity to mix with peers from backgrounds including architecture, computer science, statistics, electronic engineering, chemistry, forensic sciences, psychology, philosophy, ethics and laws.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, projects and practical exercises.

The structure of the MRes + MPhil/PhD Programme includes both a one-year MRes Degree and a three-year MPhil/PhD Degree. The MRes is only delivered as a full time, one year programme.

Automatic progression from year one (MRes) to year two (MPhil/PhD) is subject to achieving an average mark of not less than 60% in the independent, original research components of the programme, and not less than 50% in the taught elements.

Students take a total of 180 credits in the MRes year. In instances where students have taken similar modules before, or if their research would benefit from a different selection of modules (for example for research in forensics, laws, or psychology), the list of modules can, in agreement with the programme director and the student’s supervisor be altered.

Please refer to UCL’s module catalogue for module descriptions and the full list of modules on offer in our department and across UCL.

Compulsory modules:

The remaining 45 credits should be spent over three modules (worth 15 credits each). Two of these should be from the list of optional modules below, and one elective module (worth 15 credits) can be chosen from level 7 modules from across UCL (please bear in mind that any modules taught by other departments at UCL will be at the discretion of the department concerned and we cannot guarantee availability in advance).

Optional modules may include (all 15 credits each):

Applied Cryptography, Introduction to Cryptography
Introduction to Cybersecurity, Computer Security 1, Computer Security 2
Cybercrime, People and Security
Risk and contingency planning, Information Security Management, Research in Information Security
Quantitative Methods, Statistical Models and Data Analysis, Spatial-Temporal Data Analysis and Data Mining (STDM)

Years Two, Three and Four:
• Research years, ending with submission of PhD thesis and viva.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Research area and structure
Our students conduct research across a wide range of areas covering four domains: crime and security analysis, design and technology, forensic science, and future crime.

Crime and security analysis

Design and technology

Forensic science

Forensic geoscience
DNA
Fingerprints
Trace evidence dynamics
Forensic archaeology and forensic anthropology
Inference and interpretation
Cognitive forensics

Future crime

Applications e.g. drones, autonomous vehicles, non-GPS navigation, Blockchain, performance-enhancing prosthetics
Background changes e.g. climate change, mass migration, antimicrobial resistance, new finance/banking models, commodity scarcities
Generic technologies e.g. AI, robotics/nanobots, quantum computing, 3D printing, hyper-connectivity, smart materials, Internet of Things (IoT), wearable ICT

The structure of the MRes + MPhil/PhD Programme includes both a one-year MRes Degree and a three-year MPhil/PhD Degree (for full-time students).

During the first year, students will be assessed as required by the compulsory and optional modules chosen.

These may include individual and group coursework, oral and written exams and class tests. Please refer to the specific modules information for specific details about assessment.

As a full-time student you are expected to devote at least 35 hours per week to your studies for the full duration of your programme. If you are studying part-time, you should expect to spend at least 17.5 hours per week.

During the MRes and in terms one and two, you will typically be spending 12 hours per week in lectures and seminars, small tutorial groups, fieldwork. The remaining time will be spent on student-led class work, group work with peers and independent study.

During the first two terms you should meet with your principal research supervisor at least once per term.

In subsequent years, as a research student, your principal supervisor will establish a timetable of regular meetings where all matters relating to your work can be discussed.

These meetings should take place at least once per month. Subsidiary supervisors should stay acquainted with the progress of your work and be present at annual supervisory meetings, as a minimum.

Research areas and structure

Our students conduct research across a wide range of areas covering four domains: crime and security analysis, design and technology, forensic science, and future crime.

Crime and security analysis

Design and technology

Forensic science

Forensic geoscience
DNA
Fingerprints
Trace evidence dynamics
Forensic archaeology and forensic anthropology
Inference and interpretation
Cognitive forensics

Future crime

Applications e.g. drones, autonomous vehicles, non-GPS navigation, Blockchain, performance-enhancing prosthetics
Background changes e.g. climate change, mass migration, antimicrobial resistance, new finance/banking models, commodity scarcities
Generic technologies e.g. AI, robotics/nanobots, quantum computing, 3D printing, hyper-connectivity, smart materials, Internet of Things (IoT), wearable ICT

Research environment

Our department has a distinctly interdisciplinary outlook on the prevention of crime, terrorism and organised crime. Consequently, we have long-established links with police forces, policy makers, academic research centres of excellence, and security organisations from both the UK and across the world.

The department has a successful track record of working closely with practitioners and is widely recognised for its knowledge transfer and exchange activities, as well as the impact of its research on real world crime problems.

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, the department’s research environment was deemed to be 87.5% ‘world-leading' and 12.5% ‘internationally excellent’, placing it 6th in this area of REF assessment.

As a Security and Crime Science MRes and PhD student, you will have the opportunity to learn from, and contribute to, this research culture.

The length of registration for the MRes is one year. The MRes is only delivered as a full-time, one-year programme.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is three years for full-time.

This PhD programme is part of the department doctoral programme. It follows successful completion of the MRes Security Science and cannot be taken as a stand-alone programme. Automatic progression from year one (MRes) to year two (MPhil/PhD) is subject to achieving an average mark of not less than 60% in the independent, original research components of the programme, and not less than 50% in the taught elements.

After you successfully complete the MRes, you will be registered initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva 9-18 months after initial registration.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration, you may start a writing time period called Completing Research Status (CRS), in which you write up your thesis.

To successfully upgrade to a PhD, you are required to submit a piece of writing (this is usually a literature review of your topic plus one empirical chapter from your thesis and a chapter plan for the remainder). You are also required to present and answer questions about this work to a panel consisting of your subsidiary supervisor and another member of the faculty who acts as an independent assessor.

The length of registration for the MRes is one year. The MRes is only delivered as a full-time, one-year programme.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is five years for part-time.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration, you may start a writing time period called Completing Research Status (CRS), in which you write up your thesis.

You are also required to present and answer questions about this work to a panel consisting of your subsidiary supervisor and another member of the faculty who acts as an independent assessor.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Security and Crime Science PhD Open Evening

Join our open event series to learn more about our PhD programme, future career opportunities and what it's like to be part of our fantastic community. There are also questions for our academics, admission tutors and current students.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£6,035	£3,015
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£34,400	£17,200

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs associated with this programme.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

See our website for details.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

: CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholarship

Value: Fees, maintenance and travel (Duration of programme)

Criteria Based on academic merit

Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Next steps

We only offer a full-time programme with a single intake in September. Entrance is therefore every September. Applicants must also consider whether the UCL Department of Security and Crime Science has the relevant expertise available to offer sufficient supervision in their chosen area of research.

If you meet the entry requirements, you will need to identify at least two UCL academics to supervise your research before applying. To support with this, please check our departmental website to identify the interests and areas of expertise of current academics.

Before applying, please write a personal statement with a research proposal, the main skills and knowledge you could contribute to this programme and your reasons for selecting this integrated taught doctoral programme. The research proposal should include a brief description of the research fields and research questions you are most interested in studying during your PhD.

Following consideration of applications at the department's Graduate Research Committee, students may be requested to attend an interview with prospective supervisors (either in person or remotely).

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.