Crime Science with Serious Organised Crime MSc

This interdisciplinary MSc shows you how to use science-based approaches to detect and disrupt organised crime networks and groups. Using these tools, you’ll rise to the challenge, reducing harms and mitigating the influence of organised criminals who persistently target some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£18,400
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£36,500
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Completed applications (those submitted successfully and application fee payment received) will be assessed in batches and you should receive a decision according to the following dates:
Application complete by 3 January 2025 – Decision by 10 March 2025
Application complete by 28 March 2025 – Decision by 26 May 2025
Application complete by 27 June 2025 – Decision by 31 July 2025

Entry requirements

Normally a minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Relevant disciplines include science subjects, for example engineering or computer science; or social science subjects, for example, psychology, criminology 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 as a crime prevention worker).

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


Join us on this degree and learn how to apply scientific methodologies drawn from a diverse range of disciplines to the problem of serious organised crime.

This Master’s provides you with a robust conceptual toolkit, allowing you to critically evaluate any manifestation of organised crime and devise evidence-based strategies in response.

You’ll examine the group structures and governance models found in organised crime, and develop a sophisticated understanding of how crime groups try to embed themselves in communities and social infrastructure.

You’ll hone advanced skills in statistical analysis, quantitative methods and research design. Drawing on a diverse range of disciplines, including social sciences, you’ll become skilled at manipulating large datasets and extracting evidence to apply to real-world serious crime problems.

You’ll also develop tools to help you tackle specific organised crime activities like human trafficking, smuggling and exploitation. Going beyond the narrow lens of criminal justice, you’ll gain an appreciation of the structural and systemic drivers of these crimes, through study of workers’ and migrants’ rights, and questions of agency and restraint.

Who this course is for

The programme is particularly suitable for students with a background in science subjects such as engineering or computer science, or social science subjects such as psychology, criminology or geography, wishing to develop the skills necessary for a career or further doctoral research in this field.

We also accept applications from candidates without a first degree if they have five or more years of relevant experience (e.g., in the police, or as a crime prevention officer).

What this course will give you

  • Study in the UCL Security and Crime Science department, the first research institution in the world devoted specifically to reducing crime.
  • Use real-life case studies to develop a comprehensive understanding of organised crime across both local and international jurisdictions and legal contexts.
  • Shape your studies to match your interests, with a wide range of optional specialisms including economic crime, intelligence gathering and analysis, risk and contingency planning, and cybercrime.
  • Absorb the key theories that explain the temporal and spatial patterning of crime and terrorism events, so you can develop and implement countermeasures to disrupt them.
  • Work with UCL’s renowned academics from across the physical sciences, social sciences and humanities. UCL is ranked 35 in the world for Engineering & Technology  according to the 2024 QS World Rankings.
  • Use your professional experience to qualify – we accept applications from candidates without a first degree, if you’ve got five or more years of relevant experience, for example working as a police or crime prevention officer.

The foundation of your career

Many of our graduates now work in the fields of crime prevention, crime detection, and community safety, in both the public and private sector. 

Our graduates go on to work for organisations such as the Home Office, Ministry of Defence, CPS, Ministry of Justice, National Crime Agency and the Cabinet Office. There is also a range of security-focused careers in the private sector available to you, covering areas such as data science, risk management, fraud and security analysis.

Other graduates go on to further doctoral research.

Employability

With over 60 industry and public sector partners, UCL Security & Crime Science will provide the specific preparation you need to join the ranks of a new generation of crime and security practitioners.

Our graduates are fully equipped for exciting careers on the frontlines of crime science, in areas such as intelligence and crime prevention analysis. The specific 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. 

Networking

You’ll have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate and build professional contacts as part of your Master's.

  • Benefit from the department's long-established links and partnerships with 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.
  • Take part in an extensive programme of influential 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 voices from within UK police forces, UK government departments, forensic science providers, researchers from UK and overseas universities.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through lectures, seminars, tutorials, projects and practical exercises. Practical work will involve the analysis and interpretation of datasets, and the development of new ideas for solving problems.

Assessment is through project reports, unseen written examination, coursework, presentations, and the dissertation.

Each taught module consists of 150 hours of content, which is a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials and self-directed study.

A full-time student can expect to have around 15-20 hours of contact time per week during terms one and two, as well as self-directed study and time spent preparing for assessments.

Modules

Students undertake eight taught modules plus the dissertation. The programme consists of four compulsory modules, one module choice between three research methods modules, one module choice between a prevent module, two optional modules and a research dissertation. 


Full-time students will undertake taught modules in terms one and two, with the dissertation commencing in term two and being completed in the summer term.

Students undertake eight taught modules plus the dissertation. The programme consists of four compulsory modules, one module choice between three research methods modules, one module choice between a prevent module, two optional modules and a research dissertation.  


Modular-flexible students should take the module SECU0031 (Foundations of Security and Crime Science) first and their dissertation as their final module, however other modules in the diet can be taken in any configuration in up to five years. 


The dissertation will commence in term 2 and will be completed in the summer term. Students cannot start the dissertation during the first year of registration. 

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 Science with Serious Organised Crime.

Accessibility

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

Where you'll study

UCL Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science building

The Department of Security and Crime Science at UCL is home to ground-breaking facilities including the Jill Dando Institute Research Laboratory (JDIRL), a Police Assured Secure Facility for the storage and analysis of sensitive data - the first facility of its kind at a European university. Through this, student can use datasets that would not otherwise be easily accessible. Students and researchers now also have access to our newly opened Forensic Science Evidence Interpretation Lab, where we address the critical issue of the interpretation of forensic evidence, and the Crime Science Immersive Technologies lab where technology-based experiments can be undertaken.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £18,400
Tuition fees (2025/26) £36,500

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

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

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

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.

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 £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. 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 & Crime Science is offering a number of scholarships of up to £10,000 to outstanding applicants who have been offered places on one of our MSc programmes.

For further information, please visit our 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.

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 programme 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 below points 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 Faculty of Engineering Sciences at UCL, 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 on completion of your degree
  • if you are aware and comfortable with the fact that the programme differs from a traditional criminology programme, and instead focuses practically on how to prevent and detect crimes by treating the crime rather than the offender as the subject of analysis

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.

It is important to note that statistical analysis of crime data is an integral part of all of our postgraduate courses. Whilst we do not require students to have a background in mathematics or statistics, it is vital for our students to show an understanding and willingness to learn the concepts of statistics and quantitative research methods.  

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.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.