Masters in Criminology/criminal psychology please help!

hi,

im researching doing my masters in criminology/criminal psych or similar,
does anyone know what the best unis are for my course choices? or which unis have good connections/facilities etc.

im a bit concerned - my bachelors degree is english language and linguistics so not directly relevant. i do have a 2:1 though.

would be very grateful for any advice or information!
thanks :smile:

Reply 1

bbmm1987

What kind of career would you like to pursue with a Masters in Criminology?

Reply 2

amy.claire

I'd like to work as a crime or intelligence analyst ideally within the police or the serious organised crime agency, for the civil service or in intelligence in the armed forces.

Reply 3

bbmm1987

Well, I did my BA in Criminology but I havent really followed up with it since then.

Criminology requires a lot of data collection and qualitative/quantitative data analysis. Although you do not have a direct background in Crim, your statement of purpose would be strengthened by somehow demonstrating that you have knowledge/experience in data collection and analysis.

I'm not very familiar with Linguistics but I imagine there is some degree of theoretical study involved? If so, you can try to demonstrate that you were able to quickly and effectively absorb and apply the theoretical concepts you learned in Linguistics on your way to a 2:1 degree. Criminology is extremely theory heavy and to be honest, not studying psych, sociology, or Crim will put you a bit behind the 8-ball compared to other students. That being said, the theories are very easy to grasp but will require extra effort on your part. I think it took about 3 months of study in undergrad to learn all the Crim theories, maybe you could study them over the summer before you begin your postgrad program.

Good luck and feel free to ask any Crim related questions in the future.

Reply 4

amy.claire

Thanks, i appreciate that :smile:

What would you say the most important books of the reading list would be?

Reply 5

bbmm1987

Any book with the basic criminological theories will do. My program was heavy on the "Chicago School" theories - I'm not sure if its the same in the UK. Perhaps you can look up a few undergraduate course syllabuses from the school you are applying to so that you get a sense of what you're expected to know at the graduate level. I cant stress how important it is to know these theories since you'll likely dive straight into analytical course material at the graduate level rather than spending time learning material previously taught to most of the students.