Master's in Criminological Sciences
Become a criminologist: analysis of deviance, investigation and social reintegration
* 50% reduction reserved for: employees of public bodies; members of the Armed Forces, Police Forces and auxiliary Corps; lawyers; psychologists; private security and investigation operators; members of the National Register of Criminologists. Study grant of equal amount for university students, the unemployed/those not in work and pensioners.
Overview
The Master's in Criminological Sciences trains professionals in analysing forms of deviance that lead to criminally relevant conduct, with a twofold aim: to understand the reasons underlying criminal behaviour and to identify effective remedies to promote the resocialisation of those serving a custodial sentence. Hence the importance of the penitentiary disciplines, from the perspective of direct intervention on those who have entered the penal sanction system, and, on a macro-social scale, of the social prophylaxis programmes aimed at curbing crime.
Career prospects are broad and well qualified: from supporting the investigations of law enforcement and the judiciary to the role of clinical criminologist in the prison setting, from serving as a lay member of the Supervisory Court to consultancy at the Juvenile Court, through to assisting the lawyer and shaping crime prevention policies in local authorities.
The Master's is aimed at those holding a degree in law, administration, security, the humanities, psychology, sociology or otherwise in the social, educational and health fields, as well as those who, with another qualification, can document adequate professional experience in the disciplines covered. Teaching is entirely online: UNINTESS's e-learning methodology allows study anywhere and at any time, with course summaries delivered directly by email.
Obtaining the Master's requires passing eight examinations in total. The programme is structured into two interdisciplinary modules: the First Module, common to all, brings together the foundational courses; the Second Module allows you to tailor your study plan by choosing three courses among the characterising disciplines. The first-module examinations must be taken before those of the second.
First Module · Foundational courses
- Criminological Theories: crime and criminology, research methodology, origins of criminological thought, bio-anthropological, psychological and psychoanalytic theories, sociological theories on social structure, control, conflict and labelling, organisational crime, postmodern criminology
- Organised crime: general features, organisation, the mafia system, operational strategies, the global criminal market, article 416 bis, aspects of the mafia subculture
- Urban Security: social distances between urban areas, disadvantaged neighbourhoods, the concept and scope of urban security, the new protagonists of security, youth deviance, municipal ordinances, real and perceived security, the regulatory framework, video surveillance and case law
- The Crime Scene: the inspection file, descriptive findings, description of the environment, perception, photographic and planimetric documentation, measurement techniques, Luminol, the collection of fingerprints
- Investigative Techniques: the prevention and repression of criminal conduct, with particular attention to the practical aspects of the most significant areas of investigation
Second Module · Characterising disciplines (three to choose)
- Penitentiary Law: criminal enforcement and the treatment of detainees, reform of the penitentiary system, individualisation of treatment, the supervisory judiciary, alternative measures and penitentiary benefits, social reintegration pathways
- Environmental illegality: environmental impact, countering environmental and mafia-related illegality, control strategies, monitoring and intelligence activity in line with European and international guidelines
- Legal and social psychology: criminal psychology, forensic psychology and psychiatry, assessment of the offender and the victim of the crime, capacity to understand and intend, social dangerousness, expert methodology in child abuse cases and the reliability of testimony
- Judicial statistics: the divisions of judicial statistics, measures and models, the construction and synthesis of indices and indicators, the rational-choice framework under conditions of certainty and uncertainty
- The Serial Killer, psychological and criminological profiles: the psychological profile and phenomenology of the serial murderer, classification, staging, geographic and psychological criminal profiling, phases of action, stalking, the Bilancia case and that of the "Monster of Florence"
At the end of the Master's, participants assessed as suitable following the passing of the prescribed proficiency examinations are awarded by UNINTESS a Diploma that formally certifies the attainment of a high level of knowledge of the topics covered in the programme.
- Assessment: eight assessments in the form of a multiple-choice test, five on the foundational courses and three on the chosen characterising disciplines; each test is passed with a minimum score of 18/30 and the final mark is the arithmetic mean of the results.
- Entry requirements: a degree in law, administration, security, the humanities, psychology, sociology or in the social, educational and health fields, or another qualification with documented professional experience.
- Timeframes: each exam may be taken at least three months after receipt of the summaries and the examinations must be completed within the 14th month from enrolment.
- Recognition: the Diploma does not entitle the holder to university credits (CFU) issued by UNINTESS, but the documentation may be submitted to your own Degree Course Board for recognition as curricular CFU; public-administration staff are provided with the documentation for possible recognition of the programme.
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