Crime Science BsC UCL?

Does the uni website itself have info about what grads go on to do? See if they can put you in touch with current or former students.

What can one do with this degree after graduation? Because I think it has nothing to do with a Criminology degree.

Ah so it's a new course. What about the course attracts you and why not do a criminology course? The uni itself is a good one but you need to pick a course that's right for you.

I know some people in that department and I took electives in there. What do you want to know?

The BSc is brand new, prior to this year, it was an MSc only course.

A great many postgrads read Criminology as their first degree. There is some criminology in the course, but they are very keen to point out that it isn't a lot about criminology / psychology, although that plays a part in some parts of the courses. Criminology is about why people commit crime. The Crime Science department is a scientific department about what to do about crime. Some people branch off and do a Forensic science course, others take the Counter Terrorism course. A lot of people do crime mapping and things like hotspot analysis.

It is very much on the sciency end of social sciences, and I wouldn't pretend that the BSc course looks at all like an engineering course. It's much more data driven than Political Science. If you want to learn essentially Psychology and about criminal behaviour - you should read Criminology. Crime Science is quite different. From what I know of straight Crime Science (rather than the Terrorism or Forensic MScs), I would say it's more like Crime Geography.

Thank you for this information. I want to know what one can do with this degree after graduation?

I could only tell you what the Masters people go on to because the undergrads are all first years. There are quite a few who are serving police officers looking for promotion, there are also some military types afaik.

I think a lot go into police type work, crime mapping, crime data. Others go into risk and insurance or security. Of course, a lot of people do something unrelated. The forensic science people, I would imagine look for work in forensic science. Some people stay on at UCL to do research. It's apparently an extremely commercial department.

Thanks a lot again. What do you mean by commercial department? Do you think it's difficult to become a researcher? And well, I know that maybe it sounds stupid but by "police type work" do you mean that they actually join the police force or they just collaborate with them as outsiders from the force? Because I am not very interested into joining the army/the police...

Again - you have to understand I'm talking about the MSc course here. There are serving police officer on the course (part time presumably). People go to work for the police, but not as police officers.

Research at UCL is something you kind of fall into in my experience. If you have good proposals and stick around the departments, I think you get picked up for it.

The Crime Science department is apparently very commercial in that the sell a great deal of research and carry out a lot of research for other bodies. I get the idea that they make a lot of money for UCL.

Oh well, that sounds conflicting because on one hand it feels reassuring in terms of money but on the other hand I hope it's not only because of money. You're being very helpful, I really had no one to talk to to ask information, I am not even in England to start with so. Can I ask you something more that maybe feels unrelated but you seem clever and competent? I want to take this course and after I thought about taking a MsC in Computer Science (that's the other offer I am holding by the way), do you think these two degrees combined could produce something worthy in terms of career?

Where are you from?

I am Italian, born and raised here. I sent my application a couple of months ago and I have been accepted for this Crime Science degree and a Computer Science one but from another University (Anglia Ruskin, Cambridge)

It would depend on what you want to do in Italy, and the market for law enforcement work there.

UCL is one of the best universities in the world, Anglia Ruskin is mediocre in the UK. Having said that, if you want to read Computer Science, there's no point going to UCL for Crime Science.

A degree in anything from UCL is going to be good for getting a job. However, a degree in Crime Science is never going to get you a job in computing - however, I don't know anything about the computing jobs market, and whether or not a CompSci degree from Anglia Ruskin is good or not.

Either decide which you want to do, or are more interested in, or which institution you prefer. I mean, why did you apply to Crime Science in the first place?

I applied because I fell in love with the course at first sight lol because here in my country there's no such thing as a scientific approach to Crime, that has been one of my passion with CompSci. But of course since such thing here does not exist I am confused about what one can do after, I don't know if I explained myself but I have no familiarity in my country with this kind of degree, it simply does not exist, there's only the psychological one that it will never be my thing (not to belittle or anything, I just studied in the scientific field since forever) and I applied because I really am interested and I can see myself studying with passion and maybe go further with academic research, but I wanted a tangible opinion about an employment, because I am a little confused And well, of course I know that I can't have a job in the computing field with this degree, that's why I thought that maybe I could have combined it with a Msc in CompSci etc. Do you think it's not worthy?

I don't know much about it, but I would have thought you could only take MSc Computer Science if you have an undergrad in it, or maybe Maths.

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