Expert in Criminology and Investigative Sciences

The Level I Master’s Program in “Criminological and Investigative Sciences” is divided into three modules that will cover the following topics:

Module 1 – Survey Science and Methodology

• Forensic Science and Criminology: A Comparison of the Two Fields
• Crime Scene Investigations: An Overview
• First Response Activities
• Activities During the CSI Phase
• Crime Scene Investigations and Examinations
• Decision-Making at the Crime Scene
• Evidence (ballistics, fingerprints, forensic evidence, DNA)
• Crime Scene Assessment
• BPA (Bloodstain Pattern Analysis)
• Digital Forensic Investigations
• Technical Consulting
• Defense Investigations at the Crime Scene
• The Private Investigator at the Crime Scene
• Applied Forensic Medicine and Forensic Toxicology
• Quality Systems for Forensic Laboratories and Crime Scenes
• Workshop on Quality Systems for Forensic Laboratories and Crime Scenes
• Crime Scene Analysis Laboratory
• Digital Evidence Analysis Laboratory
• Laboratory of Legal Medicine and Forensic Toxicology
• Workshop on Interrogation and Cross-Examination Techniques

Module 2 – Criminology and Investigative Psychology

• Psychology of Deviance
• Victimology
• Criminal Profiling
• OSINT
• Criminology and Criminal Psychology
• Investigative Psychology
• Sociology of Deviance
• Forensic Psychiatry
• The Politics of Violence

Module 3 – Intelligence and Security

• Intelligence and National Security
• Intelligence and Corporate Security
• Intelligence and Wiretaps
• Intelligence in Telecommunications
• Terrorism and Foreign Fighters
• Cognitive Decision-Making Processes and Biases
• Analysis of Investigative and Covert Intelligence
• Laboratory for Investigative and Intelligence Analysis

Forensic science and criminology are playing an increasingly significant role in the administration of criminal justice. In recent years, in fact, the analysis of crime scenes (in all their many facets) and criminal behavior has drawn the attention of both the scientific community and law enforcement: Increasingly, investigators are adopting investigative methodologies and standards to improve the quality of their investigations, both in terms of understanding the psychology of human behavior and in their approach to analyzing crime scene evidence.
The master’s program aims to provide knowledge and practical skills related to the most modern investigative techniques, the tools of judicial investigation—both in the context of police work and defense investigations—and intelligence techniques.
Furthermore, the Master’s program aims to analyze the dynamics between the offender and the victim in relation to the various social and relational contexts in which the crime may take place, in order to understand the criminal situation as the product of the complex relationships between the person who suffered the criminal act and the person who committed it, situating the crime within a given environment characterized by specific socio-psychological and spatio-temporal elements.
Therefore, by the end of the course, students are expected to be able to apply the theoretical knowledge they have acquired in a critical and reasoned manner, applying it to the various operational contexts in which they are called upon to act with regard to the protection of people and tangible and intangible assets.
Course participants will be able to understand the critical issues related to crime scene management and critically analyze phenomena of crime and deviance. Furthermore, they will be able to distinguish and identify aspects related to the concept of risk, feelings of insecurity, and fear of crime, with particular reference to the harmful consequences that can arise within contemporary societies. They will also be able to analyze the evolution of social control through the study of security policies and the activities carried out by law enforcement officials, as well as intelligence agencies.

The master’s program lasts one year, for a total of 1,500 hours, corresponding to 60 academic credits (CFU), and will be structured as follows:

• Classroom-based distance learning: 264 hours + 836 hours of independent study (44 CFU);
• In-person labs: 54 hours + 171 hours of independent study (9 CFU);
• Internship: 75 hours (3 CFU); 
• Final Exam (written paper/thesis): 100 hours (4 CFU).

Attendance at the Master’s program is mandatory. To earn the degree, each participant must attend at least 75% of the class hours listed above.
Participants will take three midterm exams at the end of each module.
At the end of the course, there will be a final exam, which will consist of writing a thesis on one of the topics covered in the course.
The degree to be awarded by the University of Foggia is a Level I Master’s degree in “Expert in Criminological and Investigative Sciences.”
This degree has academic standing and requires the completion of 60 CFU as part of the student’s academic program.

The Master’s program is open to anyone who holds a first-level degree, a Master’s degree, or a specialized degree—or a degree earned under the academic system in effect prior to Ministerial Decree 509/99—or equivalent qualifications, as listed below:

• Case Law (LMG-01)
• Information Engineering (L-08)
• Computer Engineering (LM-32)
• Humanities and Philosophy (L-10)
• Language Mediation (L-12)
• Medicine and Surgery - LM 41
• Psychology (L-24)
• International Relations (LM-52)
• Biological Sciences (L-13)
• Criminology and Security Sciences (LM-62 and LM-91)
• Economics and Business Administration (L-18)
• Education and Training Sciences (L-19)
• Defense and Security Sciences (L-DS)
• Political Science (LM-62)
• Public Administration (LM-63)
• Legal Sciences of Security (LM SC-GIUR)
• Investigative Sciences (L-14)
• Political Science (L-36)
• Statistical Sciences (LM-82)
• Social Work and Social Policy (LM-87)
• Sociology (L-40)
• Sociology and Social Research (LM-88).

Department of Higher Education and Advanced Studies
Phone numbers: 0881 338 323 – 0881 338 312 
[email protected] 

Academic and Administrative Office for the Master's Program
Department of Law
Telephone number: 345 030 5012
[email protected]