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Crime and Forensic Science MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Forensic science is a dynamic discipline that plays a crucial role in the investigation of crime, collection of evidence and intelligence, and securing justice. Join us on this multidisciplinary Crime and Forensic Science MSc to put yourself at an advantage for forensic science, crime investigation and policing roles.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£19,300
£9,650
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£39,200
£19,600
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

Normally a minimum of an 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).

Please note you are required to nominate at least one academic reference from someone who has taught you at degree level. If you have been out of higher education for more than four years you can provide a professional reference instead. Your second reference can be academic or professional. Please do not nominate personal referees, nor use non-institutional email addresses.

The English language level for this course 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


If you’re interested in forensic science, our one-year programme will help you get noticed in a competitive jobs market. 

The Crime and Forensic Science MSc has been designed to give you solid skills in crime scene investigation, evidence interpretation, experimental design and implementation, statistical analysis, and data analysis and modelling. 

You’ll learn all about the fundamental principles of crime and forensic science, alongside the key conceptual and philosophical frameworks relevant to this field.

You’ll have the chance to learn specialist techniques in areas such as forensic archaeology, digital evidence and forensic geoscience, and in academic research methods. You’ll also learn the precise skills needed in today’s criminal justice system. 

By the end of this course, you’ll be adept at evaluating forensic evidence for investigative and court purposes, putting you in a strong position to secure forensic science and crime scene investigation roles.

Who this course is for

This programme is ideal if you want to gain the skills necessary for a career in this field or for conducting world-class crime and forensic science research. 

Our Crime and Forensic Science MSc is suitable for applicants from a range of different disciplines.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities:

  • Get a world-class postgraduate degree from UCL, ranked 9th best university in the world (QS World University Rankings 2026).
  • Study in the UCL Security & Crime Science department, the world's first institution devoted specifically to reducing crime.
  • Work with UCL’s renowned academics from across the physical sciences, social sciences and humanities. 
  • UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Our graduates are fully equipped for exciting careers on the frontlines of crime scene investigation, forensic science provision, consultancy, policymaking, and policing.

Graduates of this MSc programme have gone on to leading roles at major police forces (including the Metropolitan Police and Swedish Police forces) and forensic science laboratories, such as Eurofins (Graduate Outcome Surveys 2017-2022). 

The knowledge and skills you’ll gain from this programme will also qualify you for high-level jobs in research and policy, ranging from the civil service and academia to NGOs and think-tanks.

Employability

Whilst studying on this programme, you will learn to think strategically and critically about crime and forensic science and gain transferable skills suitable for a wide range of careers.

You will also get practical crime scene investigation training, developed and delivered with input from London-based police forces.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to evaluate forensic evidence and have a good understanding of the key principles of crime and forensic science. You’ll also be adept at analysing problems and using appropriate scientific and professional skills to solve them. 

These skills, in addition to training developed and delivered with input from London-based police forces, will put you at an advantage compared to other applicants when applying for crime scene investigation and other forensic roles.

Networking

As part of our Crime Science MSc, you will benefit from our department's long-established links and partnerships with 60 industry and public sector partners, including police forces, academic research centres of excellence, policy makers at all levels and a range of security organisations both abroad and here in the UK.

We run an extensive programme of events that play a crucial role in informing the wider debates around crime prevention. Regular events include the annual International Crime Science Conference and the Women in Security Showcase, alongside an exciting schedule of seminars and expert guest speakers. 

Previous speakers include senior voices from within UK police forces, UK government departments, forensic science providers, and researchers from UK and overseas universities.

Students will have opportunities to network with practitioners and researchers through the Centre for Forensic Science seminar series. Seminars run during term time and are designed to expose students to the latest developments in forensic science and to provide opportunities to engage with experts from outside UCL.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars and practical workshops. 

This programme is assessed via unseen written examinations, coursework, practical exercises, oral presentations, and the dissertation.

Full-time students can expect 15-20 hours of contact time per teaching week. The exact number of contact hours, composition, and assessment varies throughout the terms, and depends on the module choices of the student.

You should expect a working schedule of approximately 35-40 hours a week, divided between 15-20 contact hours and 15-20 hours of self-directed learning and preparing for assessments.

Modules

The programme consists of 5 compulsory modules, 3 optional modules (8 modules in total) and a research dissertation. Places for optional modules are awarded on a first come, first served basis.

Please be aware that certain modules will have prerequisites, such as relevant first degree or specific A-Level subjects. Availability on external modules will be dependent on the home department. External modules may not run every year due to timetable constraints.

Compulsory modules

Research Methods for Crime Science






Optional modules















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 are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Crime and Forensic Science.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £19,300 £9,650
Tuition fees (2026/27) £39,200 £19,600

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

There are no additional costs associated with this programme.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

UCL Security and Crime Science has a bursary fund of £10,000 used to support outstanding applicants who have been offered places on one of our MSc programmes.

The total sum offered is dependent on the number of applications, with applicants being advised to be mindful that they should look for additional sources of funding, as the bursary is unlikely to cover all costs.

For further information, please visit our Security and Crime Science departmental website.

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

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

You will need to complete our application, making sure to address the points below in your personal statement.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • what attracts you to this particular programme
  • why you want to study this subject in the UCL Security & Crime Science Department, rather than elsewhere
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this programme
  • if you are aware and comfortable with the fact that the programme includes courses on statistics and quantitative analysis, as well as a general emphasis on the scientific method and empirical research
  • where you would like to go professionally after you graduate from this degree.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

If a student has graduated within the last five years, at least one academic reference is required. For the second reference, an academic reference is preferred, but a relevant workplace reference is also acceptable.

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

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Security and Crime Science
Security and Crime Science

scs-teaching@ucl.ac.uk

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