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Graduating Master of Science

Master of Science (MSc) in Criminology & Forensic Science

Specialty: Criminology & Forensic Sciences

Master of Science (MSc) — 2-year program (M1+M2) with a focus on applied research that trains criminologists, forensic science experts, profilers, criminal policy advisors, and heads of investigation departments. The curriculum includes: advanced criminological theories, criminal psychology, victimology, forensic sciences (DNA, ballistics, digital, anthropology), criminal investigation, organized crime and cybercrime, criminal policy and execution of sentences. 100% online program (asynchronous), validated by a research thesis, professional project, and defense before an international UNIVGA jury. Degree adapted to the CEMAC/Gabon context, compliant with OHADA/SYSCOHADA standards.

120 ECTS Security, Defense, and Strategy
Master of Science (MSc) in Criminology & Forensic Science
Total cost
2,910,000 FCFA

Description

The Master of Science (MSc) in Criminology & Forensic Sciences at UNIVGA is an advanced 2-year university program (120 ECTS — Bac+5) that trains criminologists, forensic science experts, profilers, criminal policy advisors, heads of judicial investigation departments, specialized magistrates, and prison administration executives.

Designed for active professionals holding a Bac+3 (Bachelor's in Criminology, Law, Psychology, Judicial Police, Medicine), this Master's program combines the rigor of a multidisciplinary university education (law, psychology, forensic sciences, statistics) with the operational requirements for expertise and leadership roles. Delivered 100% online with a dedicated research mentor.

Why a Master's in Criminology & Forensic Sciences?

Francophone Africa is facing an accelerated professionalization of the criminal justice chain: modernization of scientific police laboratories, recruitment of judicial experts, development of cybercrime, combating cross-border trafficking, reform of criminal policies, support for victims. The Ministries of Justice, police and gendarmerie services, forensic laboratories, crime prevention NGOs, and international institutions (UNODC, INTERPOL, AFRIPOL) are seeking high-level scientific professionals.

Pedagogical structure of the curriculum

First year (M1) — Theoretical and scientific deepening. Contemporary criminological theories (positivist school, sociology of deviance, critical criminology), criminal psychology and profiling, victimology and victims' rights, methodology of criminological research (statistics, surveys, fieldwork), fundamental forensic sciences (DNA, fingerprints, ballistics, toxicology), comparative criminal procedure and international judicial cooperation.

Second year (M2) — Specialization in expertise and thesis. Advanced forensic sciences (forensic anthropology, entomology, odontology, visual identification), digital forensics (disk analysis, mobile forensics, blockchain forensics), organized crime and African cybercrime (trafficking networks, BEC, ransomware), criminal policy and execution of sentences (alternatives, reintegration, safety measures), judicial expertise and ethics of the expert, strategic and operational criminal analysis. The program concludes with a supervised professional research thesis, presented orally via videoconference before a mixed jury of academics and practitioners.

Career opportunities

Criminologist consultant in a firm or administration, judicial expert registered near an appellate court, profiler in a criminal analysis unit, strategic criminal analyst in a criminal intelligence service, head of an investigation department, criminal policy officer at the Ministry of Justice, prison administration executive, crime prevention consultant, research officer in NGOs (Penal Reform International, Lawyers Without Borders), teacher-researcher, expert for international organizations (UNODC, INTERPOL, AFRIPOL). Possible continuation in a PhD in criminology or forensic sciences.

Suitable for working professionals

UNIVGA meets the needs of active professionals (90% of our M2 audience). Platform accessible 24/7, recorded virtual classes, dedicated thesis mentor, personalized support for the defense. Ideal for judicial police officers, magistrates, forensic doctors, judicial experts, prison executives, and justice mission officers wishing to validate a recognized Master's degree and acquire high-level scientific expertise.

What you will learn

Master the main contemporary criminological theories — positivist school, sociology of deviance, critical criminology
Conduct psychological profiling of offenders and criminal behavioral analysis
Methodologically support the care of victims and the assessment of harm
Master the methodology of criminological research — statistics, surveys, fieldwork
Understand fundamental forensic sciences — DNA, fingerprints, ballistics, toxicology
Conduct expertise in digital forensics — disks, mobiles, blockchain, cloud
Analyze an African organized crime network — trafficking, money laundering, financing
Investigate cybercrime — BEC, ransomware, payment fraud, sextortion
Design a criminal policy or a crime prevention program
Master alternatives to incarceration and safety measures
Work as a judicial expert while respecting professional ethics
Defend a professional research thesis before a mixed jury of academics and practitioners

This program includes

Written Course, Audio & PDF
Key Takeaways + Graded Evaluation
Comprehension questions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Timed Quiz
Professional Case Studies
Video conferencing course explanations
Supervised remote homework sessions
Graded business case studies
Video conference defense
First Year
6 UEs 18 Lessons 60 ECTS
Semester 1 – 30 ECTS credits
Chapter 1: Italian positivist school and Lombroso's legacy to biosocial criminology
Chapter 2: Sociology of deviance — Chicago, social control, labeling, strain theory
Chapter 3: Critical criminology and African perspectives — coloniality, transitional justice
Chapter 1: Psychopathology and Antisocial Personalities — DSM-5, ICD-11, psychiatric expertise
Chapter 2: Criminal Profiling (offender profiling) — FBI methods, BAU, Investigative Psychology
Chapter 3: Behavioral Analysis and Criminal Signature in African Serial Cases
Chapter 1: Victimological Theories and Typologies of Victimization
Chapter 2: Assessment of Harm — physical, psychological, economic, social
Chapter 3: Victims' Rights and Restorative Justice in Francophone Africa
Semester 2 – 30 ECTS credits
Chapter 1: Criminal Statistics — sources, biases, dark figure, victimization surveys
Chapter 2: Qualitative Methods — clinical interviews, observation, criminal ethnography
Chapter 3: Evaluation of Prevention Programs — experimental and quasi-experimental methods
Chapter 1: Forensic Genetics — DNA, STR, mtDNA, genetic databases
Chapter 2: Dactyloscopy, Ballistics, and Traces — methods, reliability, challenges
Chapter 3: Forensic Toxicology — alcohol, drugs, medications, poisons
Chapter 1: Comparative Criminal Procedure — accusatorial, inquisitorial, mixed African systems
Chapter 2: International Judicial Assistance — conventions, warrants, joint teams
Chapter 3: INTERPOL, AFRIPOL, UNODC, African Court — institutions and mechanisms
Second Year
6 UEs 15 Lessons 60 ECTS
Semester 3 – 30 ECTS credits
Chapter 1: Forensic Anthropology — identification of human remains, mass graves
Chapter 2: Forensic Entomology and Odontology — dating and identification
Chapter 3: Visual Identification, Facial Recognition, and Forensic Imaging
Chapter 1: Hard Drive and RAM Analysis — EnCase tools, FTK, Volatility
Chapter 2: Mobile Forensics — extraction, chat analysis, geolocation, applications
Chapter 3: Blockchain Forensics and Cloud Investigation — Chainalysis, tracing, preservation
Chapter 1: Organized Crime Networks — trafficking, money laundering, terrorism financing
Chapter 2: Cybercrime — BEC, ransomware, sextortion, mobile payment fraud
Chapter 3: Environmental Crime — Poaching, Illegal Timber, IUU Fishing
Semester 4 – 30 ECTS credits
Chapter 1: Models of Criminal Policy — Repressive, Preventive, Restorative, Hybrid
Chapter 2: Alternatives to Incarceration and Probation in Francophone Africa
Chapter 3: Security Measures, Parole, and Social Reintegration
Chapter 1: Status of the Judicial Expert — Registration, Missions, Compensation, Responsibility
Chapter 2: Methodology of Expertise — Pre-report, Report, Hearing, Counter-expertise
Chapter 3: Ethics, Cognitive Biases, and Forensic Expert Ethics
UE 12: Professional Research Thesis and Defense 10 credits 50 hours
supervised work

Admission Requirements

📋

Required documents — Master of Science (MSc) training

Admission file to be compiled

Required documents for all levels:

🎓 Copy of the Baccalaureate certificate or diploma
🪪 Copy of ID
📸 Recent ID photo
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File Verification & Validation

All documents transmitted will be subject to a Administrative review. Your file will be officially approved or rejected after examination. Payment of tuition fees for degree programs will only be made after your application has been approved.

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Document transmission

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Online - Pre-registration Form

Submit your documents directly through our secure online form.

📝 Pre-registration Form
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In person — UNIVGA Group Headquarters

Libreville, Nzeng-Ayong Neighborhood, Chantier Moderne — top floor, door on the right of the tiled building opposite Plaisance.

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Payment methods

Tuition fees can be paid in several ways:

📱 Mobile Money Online on this site On-site at headquarters 🌍 International transfer

To find out the precise payment details suitable for your situation, please contact UNIVGA administration directly.

Contact Administration
🚀

Training start

Given the nature 100 % Digital courses generally begin 1 to 3 business days after payment confirmation. This time frame allows the administration to prepare your file and create your student account.

How is your training going?

Each lesson is structured in progressive steps. You must complete the 3 mandatory activities to unlock the next lesson.

Male teacher

Real human supervision

Online flexibility + guaranteed pedagogical presence

Our educational model combines total flexibility and rigorous academic supervision. You access content at your own pace, while benefiting from regular video conferences with your teachers.

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Course explanations

Live in-depth sessions with your mentors to clarify each concept.

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Interactive educational exchanges

Q&A with your teachers, adapted to your pace and difficulties.

📋

Supervised online homework

Real-time proctored exams on Zoom or Google Meet, under real exam conditions.

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Upon your registration, an Custom academic calendar is communicated to you — guaranteeing serious follow-up and guided progress, without the constraints of continuous live classes.

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Lesson Unlock Rule

To access the next lesson, you must complete the 3 mandatory activities from the current lesson:

🔑 Key Points 🎯 Scenario 📝 Evaluation
📚

The Essentials of the Course

Course + Audio + PDF

The core of your training. Each lesson includes a structured written course, an audio course for immersive listening and a Downloadable PDF to revise at any time, even offline. The content is organized progressively with definitions, concrete examples, and practical illustrations.

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Case study

A practical case study is integrated into each lesson with an in-depth explanation section to anchor theory in real-world situations.

Lesson FAQ

5 frequently asked questions answered at the bottom of each lesson to address the most common doubts about the subject matter.

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Preparation questions

Questions at the end of the lesson to deepen your own research or prepare for discussions with your academic advisor.

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Key Points

10 enrichments 🔓 Required

10 carefully selected points to deepen your understanding beyond the essentials of the course. They offer additional perspectives, practical applications, and hands-on advice. The validation of this tab is required to unlock the next lesson.

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Setting the Scene

Professional graded simulation 🔓 Required

You are placed in an interactive professional simulation. Real decisions are presented to you with immediate feedback and detailed correction. Your grade has been recorded and counts towards your academic progress. Validating this tab is mandatory to unlock the next lesson.

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Evaluation

20 varied questions quiz 🔓 Required

A 20-question quiz with varied formats (multiple choice, true/false, matching, practical case studies, etc.) to validate your mastery of the chapter. Instant results with detailed corrections. This grade counts towards your overall average. Validating this tab is mandatory to unlock the next lesson.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The UNIVGA GROUP is registered with the National Agency for Investment Promotion of Gabon (ANPI-Gabon) and has all legal registrations: NIF 370669-C, RCCM GA-LBV-01-2020-A10-01945, and CNSS 014-0205895-A. The institution is also officially recognized by the Ministry of Professional Training under authorization no. 000306/MENICFP/SG/DGFP/DFP, which empowers it to train and issue training certificates as well as Bac+2 level diplomas, notably the DTS.

UNIVGA is authorized to directly issue training certificates and Bac+2 level diplomas (DTS). For higher level diplomas—Professional Bachelor's, Bachelor's, Professional Master's, MBA, DBA—they are issued by our local or international partner universities. This collaboration ensures that your diplomas benefit from broad academic recognition, beyond Gabon's borders.

Yes, on multiple levels. In the UK, UNIVGA GROUP is registered under company number 12581906, recognized by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) with VAT number GB353434312, and listed on the UK Register of Regulated Educational Institutions under UKPRN 10086514. UNIVGA is also accredited (ID: CINVU11GA2019I1156) as an Executive Board Member and Member of the Educational Committee of CINVU (Comstech Inter-Islamic Network on Virtual Universities), which operates under the auspices of the Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). This accreditation signifies our academic excellence and contribution to higher education globally.

Le CINVU (Comstech Inter-Islamic Network on Virtual Universities) is an international network that promotes cooperation and knowledge sharing among virtual universities and higher education institutions in the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). UNIVGA sits on its executive board and educational committee under the identifier CINVU11GA2019I1156. This accreditation attests to the quality of our teaching, our academic standards, and our commitment to digital higher education within a network spanning over 50 countries.

The UNIVGA GROUP’s headquarters are located in Libreville, Gabon—Nzeng-Ayong neighborhood, Chantier Moderne, top floor, the door to the right of the tiled building across from Plaisance. Although our courses are 100% online, we maintain a physical location to welcome students, accept registration documents, and process tuition payments. The institution is also incorporated in the United Kingdom as a company (Company Number 12581906), which reinforces its international scope.

GROUPE UNIVGA is the official and administrative name of the institution, the one that appears on all legal documents, registrations, and ministerial authorizations. «Université Virtuelle du Gabon» (or UNIVGA) is the trade name adopted to reflect the institution’s fully digital nature and to make it easier for the public to identify it. It is therefore the same entity: the administrative name is GROUPE UNIVGA, and the commonly used name is Virtual University of Gabon.

Each lesson is structured in several progressive steps. You begin with the Course Essentials (written text + audio + downloadable PDF), which includes a case study explained in detail, a FAQ, and preparation questions. Then, you complete 3 mandatory activities: Key Points (10 enrichments), Role Play (professional decision simulation), and Assessment (timed quiz). All 3 activities must be completed to unlock the next lesson.

Yes. Each lesson includes an audio course that you can listen to at any time, as well as a downloadable PDF containing all of the written content of the lesson. This allows you to review offline, on the go, or without internet access. The audio content is particularly popular with students who want to learn while mobile.

Each lesson includes a practical case study directly integrated into the course content. It is accompanied by an in-depth explanation section to help you understand how theory applies in a real-world situation. These cases are drawn from actual professional contexts (African and international) and allow you to ground your learning in practice from the very first reading.

The preparation questions at the end of each lesson serve a dual purpose. First, they allow you to deepen your understanding of the course through your own research and personal reflection. Second, for students pursuing a degree, they serve to prepare you for discussions during your videoconferenced course explanation sessions with your academic advisor. By working on them in advance, you will get the most out of each session.

Yes, all mandatory activities (Key Points, Role-Playing, Evaluation) are automatically graded by the platform. You get immediate feedback on your answers with your score and mastery level. This allows you to quickly identify your weaknesses and review the necessary concepts before continuing your progress.

The progressive unlocking system ensures that each student truly grasps the concepts before moving on. The 3 mandatory activities (Key Points, Scenario, and Assessment) verify different skills: comprehension, decision-making, and recall. This rigorous pedagogical model ensures the quality of the course and the value of your training.

For a degree program, you must provide at minimum: a copy of your Baccalaureate certificate or diploma, a copy of your ID, and a recent ID photo. Depending on your enrollment level (L3/Bachelor: proof of Bac+2; Master/MBA: Bachelor's degree Bac+3; DBA: Master's degree Bac+5), additional documents will be required. Payment of tuition fees is only made after your application has been validated by the administration.

You have two options. You can submit your documents directly online via the pre-registration form at univga.org/preinscription/, or visit the UNIVGA Group headquarters in person in Libreville, Nzeng-Ayong neighborhood, Chantier Moderne (top floor, door on the right of the tiled building opposite Plaisance). In both cases, your documents will be verified before official validation.

UNIVGA accepts several payment methods: Mobile Money, online directly on the website, in person at the Libreville headquarters, or by international transfer. To get the exact details for your payment method, please contact UNIVGA administration directly via the "Contact Us" tab on this page.

Thanks to the institution’s fully digital system, courses typically begin within 1 to 3 business days after your payment is confirmed. This short turnaround time allows the administration to finalize your enrollment, create your student account, and set up your access to the platform with all your courses.

Video conferencing sessions are live sessions on Zoom or Google Meet, scheduled according to your personalized academic calendar. They include in-depth course explanations by your academic advisors, interactive question-and-answer sessions tailored to your difficulties, as well as real-time supervised assignments. Connection links are sent to you by email before each session. This calendar is given to you upon registration.

Supervised assignments take place live on Zoom or Google Meet, under the conditions of a real exam. You compose within a set time limit, with your camera on, under the supervision of your academic advisor. These assessments are scheduled in advance in your academic calendar and complement the platform's automatic assessments to ensure maximum academic rigor.

Once your registration is validated, you will receive a personalized academic calendar. It organizes your curriculum by defining the course periods, video conferencing session dates, supervised assignments, and, where applicable, the defense. This calendar ensures a serious follow-up and guided progress, while allowing you the flexibility of online learning—without the constraints of constant live classes.

Yes, enrollment is open year-round thanks to UNIVGA's digital format. Your personalized academic calendar is established from your effective enrollment date, allowing you to start at any time. Each student thus follows an individualized path, independent of others.

Online admission

This training is graduating Your application is being reviewed by our admissions committee before validation and access to the payment platform.

📋 4-Step Procedure

  1. Fill out your pre-registration form below (approx. 5 min).
  2. Our committee is reviewing your application under 72 business hours.
  3. If accepted, you will receive your by email Admission certificate and the link for payment of registration fees.
  4. You pay your fees and immediately access your training space.

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