Career in Criminology: Courses, Skills and Job Opportunities

Criminology is an umbrella term used to denote a range of roles which involve studying crime in different ways. This could include forensics, private investigation, solving crimes and other things. However, while you might find crime quite intriguing on the face of it, a career in criminology is not for the faint-hearted. It requires you to have a logical and analytical thought process, curiosity and the drive you need to solve a crime and see it to completion.

As crime increases day by day - across the world - there is an increasing need for criminologists who can analyse crime as a social phenomenon, the behavior and patterns of criminals and come up with solutions and policies to prevent them in the future. So if a job in criminology is what you are looking for, read on…

Job roles and opportunities in Criminology

Depending on your area of interest, there are a variety of different opportunities in criminology. And what’s more - these professionals are not only in high demand, they also hold high profile jobs with competitive salary packages. However, aspiring candidates must keep in mind that success in this field depends on being at the top of their game, staying up to date with knowledge of the field, being able to research properly and also being proactively involved in trying to solve a crime.

Some of the popular job roles in the domain of Criminology are:

• Crime Investigators
  • Crime Scene Analyst
  • Crime Laboratory Analyst
  • Forensic Surgeon
  • Forensic Engineer
• Private detectives
• Social workers
  • Regional Crime Prevention coordinator
  • Counsellors
  • Conflict mediators and negotiators
  • Rehabilitation specialists
• Criminal Lawyers
  • Criminal lawyers working with the government
  • Independent criminal lawyers

• Crime Scene Analyst
• Crime Laboratory Analyst
• Forensic Surgeon
• Forensic Engineer

• Regional Crime Prevention coordinator
• Counsellors
• Conflict mediators and negotiators
• Rehabilitation specialists

• Criminal lawyers working with the government
• Independent criminal lawyers

So, how can you start your journey to enter into this interesting and rewarding field? Let’s find out.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to study further and enter a career in criminology, broadly, here are the requirements:

• Candidates must clear their +2 examination with science as their core subject.
• For post graduate degrees, candidates should hold a BA degree in a related field, such as criminology, cyber crime, or Law.

Courses Offered:

There are a variety of courses at various levels that can equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to make it in the world of criminology. These include certificate courses that are taught for a period of six months, diploma programmes in forensic science or criminology as one of the subjects, in addition to the traditional graduate and post-graduate degree courses. Here is a list of the popular ones:

• Certificate Course (Forensic Science)
• Diploma Course (Cyber Crime)
• Diploma Course (Criminology and Forensic Science)
• Diploma in Criminal Law (D.Crin)
• Diploma in Criminology & Penology
• Bachelor Degree Course (Criminology & Forensic Science)
• Masters Degree Course (Criminology and Forensic Science)
• Masters Degree Course (Forensic Science and Criminology Research)
• Master of Science (M.Sc) in Criminology
• Master of Arts (MA) in Criminology & Criminal Justice
• Master of Arts (MA) in Anti Terrorism Law
• Master of Legislative Law (LLM) in Criminal Law and Criminology
• Post Graduate Diploma Course (Criminology)

Colleges offering courses in Criminology

While it is a career that is in demand, there are still a limited number of colleges in our country offering good courses in the field of criminology, especially those other than law. And when it comes to the area of forensics or criminology,you should be looking at the top colleges for these courses. Here are a few you can consider:

1. Lok Narayan Jayaprakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science, Delhi, India
2. B.H.U Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh
3. B.I.T.S Pilani, Karnataka, India
4. B.U. or Bundelkhand University, Uttar Pradesh
5. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Uttar Pradesh
6. Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Madhya Pradesh
7. K.U. or Karnataka University, Dharwad, Karnataka
8. University of Madras, Tamil Nadu
9. Institute of Forensic Science, Maharashtra
10. University of Madras, Madras

Skills Required:

To make a successful career in criminology, having the right set of skills is very important. After all, criminology as a career relies heavily on a person’s inherent abilities to solve problems, analyse situations of observations and arrive at possible explanations. As a starting point, here are some of the skills that a candidate must possess, depending on the job role they wish to apply for:

• Analytical skills
• Ability to collect data and evidence
• Studying crime patterns and arriving at measurable results
• Ability to use technical software and equipment as needed
• Strong computer knowledge

Candidates with a qualification in criminology can be hired by both private or government organisations, as well as law firms, police departments, hospitals, NGOs and law firms. Depending on the job role you are pursuing, you look to earn anywhere from 1.5L to 4 L per month. With increasing knowledge and experience, candidates also have excellent opportunities for advancing their careers with better profiles and higher salaries.

So if crime series on TV or crime novels intrigue you, and you think you have what it takes to pursue a career in forensics and criminology - then start planning for the future now!