About the course
Course content
Understanding data is becoming increasingly important for us all. This is especially true for the intelligence analyst working for a police intelligence unit or business analytics department. The MSc Crime Intelligence and Data Analytics (with Advanced Practice) course helps you develop the necessary skills to work in these sectors.
Course details
The work boundaries of the traditional police intelligence analyst and digital forensic investigator are becoming blurred – today’s analysts need to be cyber aware, understanding how communication records and web search histories can be extracted and analysed.
This course covers these areas as well as theories that provide a better sense of the causes of crime and the prevention measures that can be put in place to stabilise and reverse these trends. Analysts shouldn’t be phased by data simply because of its size, complexity or format. This course provides you with the skills to work effectively with large datasets, allowing you to make more informed decisions in relation to criminal investigations. Key features include writing code to quickly clean up data and packaging it so it’s suitable for analysis and visualisation. You will discover that the world constantly presents data in data frames or spreadsheets – our daily activities are invariably logged by a time, date, geolocation. You develop these skills along with your confidence in applying them to make more sense of the data – analysing Twitter downloads, searched words and images, geolocation points or big data. This course also explores strategies employed in forensic investigation. It gives you the space and opportunity to develop your own area of interest in a 60-credit research project where your supervisor enables you to maximise your skillsets from academic writing to data analytics.The two-year MSc Crime Intelligence and Data Analytics (with Advanced Practice) is an opportunity to enhance your qualification by spending one year completing an internship, research or study abroad experience. Although we can’t guarantee an internship, we can provide you with practical support and advice on how to find and secure your own internship position. A vocational internship is a great way to gain work experience and give your CV a competitive edge. Alternatively, a research internship develops your research and academic skills as you work as part of a research team in an academic setting – ideal if you are interested in a career in research or academia. A third option is to study abroad in an academic exchange with one of our partner universities. This option does incur additional costs such as travel and accommodation. You must also take responsibility for ensuring you have the appropriate visa to study outside the UK, where relevant.
What you study
For the MSc award you must successfully complete 120 credits of taught modules and a 60-credit master's research project.
Course structure
Core modules
- Coding for Intelligence Analysts
- Crime Science: Theories, Principles and Intelligence Sources
- Cyber Security and Digital Investigation
- Forensic Investigative Strategy
- Legal Issues and Evidence Reporting
- Research Methods and Proposal
Advanced Practice options
- Research Internship
- Study Abroad
- Vocational Internship
Modules offered may vary.
Teaching
How you learn
You learn through a range of lectures, seminars, tutorials and IT laboratories, using a variety of software. Simulated problems and scenarios are posed in much the same way that analysts would face in the real world. You have the opportunity to use software that is found in real-world intelligence analysis and digital forensic units and data science. Engaging and learning from your peers will help you to achieve solutions. Much of the software you use in class can be downloaded for home use.
How you are assessed
You are assessed through a formal exam as well as through structured coursework.
Employability
You can expect to apply for an intelligence researcher and intelligence analyst role in a wide variety of career opportunities ranging from security, policing and business.