START
October 2026
Purposes
Currently, in Italy, forensic science has limited academic autonomy. Despite the crucial role it plays in the judicial system, academic programs in this field are often subsumed under criminology or investigative sciences, which have a predominantly socio-legal focus, with little attention paid to technical-forensic, digital, and methodological aspects.
Courts, prosecutors’ offices, law firms, and private entities are increasingly turning to technical consultants and forensic analysts to resolve complex issues that require integrated expertise in the scientific, digital, and evidentiary fields. This need is further accentuated by technological advancements and the growing prevalence of digital evidence in legal proceedings.
In this context, the establishment of a II level Master in Criminalistics addresses the need to bridge a national educational gap by offering a structured, methodologically rigorous, and professionally oriented specialized program.
A key feature of the Master is the systematic integration of artificial intelligence into investigative processes and the analysis of forensic evidence. The evolution of forensic science is now closely linked to the development of advanced algorithmic models used in computer vision, pattern recognition, digital forensics, predictive analytics, and the evaluation of synthetic or manipulated content.
The learning pathway addresses these tools not only from an applied perspective, but also in terms of their methodological validation, the risks of algorithmic bias, the principles of explainability, and the criteria for admissibility as evidence, in accordance with the European regulatory framework on artificial intelligence and international standards for the reliability of scientific evidence.
The teaching and laboratory activities are also developed with the scientific support of the Human AI Laboratory (HAL) at LINK Campus University, an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to the study of the interactions between artificial intelligence, law, and social change, which supports the Master’s methodological approach through applied research and technological experimentation.
- to train highly qualified professionals capable of working in crime scene management, digital investigations, and technical-scientific consulting, with a particular focus on the methodological soundness and legal defensibility of the analyses conducted;
- to integrate traditional forensic sciences with advanced technologies, providing operational tools in the fields of digital forensics, cybercrime, and machine and deep learning applied to criminalistics;
- to develop critical skills in the evaluation of scientific evidence, in light of international criteria of reliability, verifiability, and methodological validation;
- to respond to the growing institutional and professional demand from judicial authorities, defense investigations, and the private sector, particularly in the contexts of economic crime, cybercrime, and organizational security;
- to strengthen the academic dimension of criminalistics in Italy by offering an independent and innovative specialized program within the national university landscape.
Target students and career opportunities
- Forensic Analyst (Digital & AI Forensics Specialist): works in public or private forensic laboratories analyzing digital evidence, performing forensic acquisition and processing of IT devices, and utilizing artificial intelligence tools to process investigative data;
- Court-Appointed Technical Consultant (CTU) and Party-Appointed Technical Consultant (CTP): provides technical consulting services to courts, prosecutors’ offices, law firms, and companies, with specific expertise in the evaluation of scientific evidence, the methodological validation of digital tools, and the analysis of AI-based systems;
- Expert in Digital Forensics and Cybercrime: collaborates with judicial authorities, law enforcement agencies, and investigative bodies to analyze cybercrimes, data breaches, digital fraud, and cyber intelligence activities;
- Forensic Investigator and Judicial Police Assistant: supports complex investigative activities through technical and scientific expertise in forensic, digital, and reconstruction fields;
- Specialist in AI Applied to Investigations and Security: works in public or private settings on predictive analytics, crime mapping, behavioral analysis, and the evaluation of the algorithmic reliability of decision-support systems;
- Consultant for Organizational Security and Protection: works in corporate settings to manage cyber incidents, conduct internal investigations, analyze fraud, and protect information assets.
Admission
Candidates who have attained a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification consistent with the master’s objectives are eligible for admission to the master. For example, the following qualifications qualify for admission:
- LM-51 – Psychology;
- LM-62 – Political Science;
- LM-88 – Sociology and Social Research;
- LM/DC – Defense and Security Sciences;
- LM/SC – Criminological Sciences Applied to Investigation and Security;
- LMG/01 – Law;
- LM-41 – Medicine and Surgery.
The Scientific Committee of the Master may consider admitting applicants with different qualifications, subject to verification that their prior educational background is relevant.
Evaluation of prior professional experience.
For the purposes of recognizing academic credits, adjusting the curriculum, and determining tuition fees, the candidate’s documented professional experience in the fields of criminology, forensic science, investigation, or digital forensics will be evaluated, even with regard to the following activities:
- prison, clinical, forensic, or investigative criminologist;
- forensic services of the State Police or the Carabinieri;
- equivalent positions within the prison system or other public agencies involved in investigative or forensic work;
- documented experience in cybersecurity, digital forensics, or technical-scientific consulting.
Didactics
The master lasts one year and requires the completion of 60 credits, for a total of 1500 hours of coursework.
For the purpose of determining the course workload, 1 CFU corresponds to 25 hours of total student effort; of these, 6 hours consist of classroom instruction, while the remaining hours are allocated to supervised laboratory work, professional internships, independent study, project work, and preparation for the final exam.
Tuition
The annual tuition, without tax benefits, for the registration to the Master is € 5.000
Registration
Students wishing to enrol may request an appointment with the Guidance Office by calling +39 06 3400 6000.
Internal Faculty
The internal Faculty is comprised of more than 70% of professors with considerable professional experience on the subject matter.
PROGRAMME
The subjects are organized into six areas. The scientific updates proposed by the Scientific Board are incorporated into the contents of Area B, the forensic identification modules of Area C, the methodological updates to the traditional disciplines of Area D, and the cross-disciplinary laboratory activities.
Area A – Legal Basis (6 CFU – 36 hours).
| Module | Hours | Contents/Integrations |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure for Criminal Defense Attorneys | 18 hours | scientific evidence, expert testimony, admissibility of evidence |
| Legal Informatics and the Law of Digital Evidence | 18 hours | electronic document, chain of custody, GDPR, and digital evidence |
Area B – Digital technologies, cybercrime, and artificial intelligence (26 CFU – 164 hours).
| Module | Hours | Contents/Integrations |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals of Computer Science for Forensic Science | 24 hours | The course integrates the fundamentals of AI for forensic science: supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised machine learning; deep learning and CNNs; forensic computer vision; NLP; generative models (GANs, LLMs); performance evaluation, algorithmic bias, and overfitting in an evidentiary context |
| Cybersecurity and cybercrime | 18 hours | Threats, defense, incident response, and the cybercrime landscape |
| Machine learning and deep learning algorithms applied to forensic science | 18 hours | Ppattern recognition, classification, predictive analysis, technical interpretation support |
| Digital Forensics | 24 hours | This module is integrated with AI for digital forensics: automated analysis of seized devices, triage, and support for analyzing large volumes of data |
| Forensic techniques applied to cybercrime | 18 hours | Computer, mobile and network forensics, malware and blockchain forensics |
| OSINT and open-source analysis | 12 hours | The solution is integrated with AI for OSINT and social media intelligence |
| Forensic Statistics and analisi predittiva | 18 hours | Statistical reliability of instruments, performance, and inference |
| Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Forensics | 24 hours | Crime mapping, risk assessment, explainable AI, algorithmic reliability and decision support |
| Forensic Science | 4 hours | Study of natural evidence found at the crime scene, which is useful for reconstructing the environmental and temporal context of the event. The course explores the role of forensic botany, entomology, and geology in investigative analysis. |
| Forensic Entomology | 4 hours | Analysis of insects found at the crime scene to estimate the post-mortem interval and reconstruct the sequence of events. |
Area C – Crime Scene and Investigation Techniques (19 CFU – 114 hours).
| Module | Hours | Contents/Integrations |
|---|---|---|
| Crime scene analysis and evidence collection | 36 hours | site inspection, inventory, chain of custody, and initial reconstruction |
| Digital Photogrammetric Surveys and 3D Reconstruction | 30 hours | technical documentation, 3D modeling and analysis |
| Forensic identification, anthropometry, and image/video analysis | 24 hours | The topic covers deepfakes, synthetic media, and digital manipulation; speaker recognition and voice biometrics; forensic detection techniques; the chain of custody for manipulable digital data; and the impact on testimony and documentary evidence |
| Forensic fingerprint analysis | 12 hours | Fingerprints, comparison, and identification protocols |
| Forensic handwriting analysis and document examination | 2 CFU – 12 hours | document analysis, signatures, and AI-based handwriting recognition |
Area D – Forensic Science (13 CFU – 90 hours).
| Module | Hours | Contents/Integrations |
|---|---|---|
| Forensic Biology, Genetics, and BPA | 24 hours | with a focus on the impact of AI on forensic genetic analysis and the interpretation of patterns |
| Forensic Medicine and Gross Anatomy | 24 hours | Injury severity, dynamics, and the forensic medical interpretation of the evidence |
| Forensic ballistics | 18 hours | even with regard to AI-assisted ballistic comparison |
| Forensic Toxicology | 16 hours | fundamentals, interpretation, and evidentiary implications (including 8 hours of lessons and 8 hours of practical activities consisting of the study of real-world cases and the preparation of a forensic toxicology expert report on a practical case study) |
| Elements of Forensic Ballistics | 12 hours | Study of the principles of ballistics as applied to the analysis of firearms, related evidence, and gunshot wounds. The course focuses on reconstructing ballistic events and comparing bullets and cartridge cases |
Area E – Criminology and the History of the Field (4 CFU – 62 hours).
| Module | Hours | Contents/Integrations |
|---|---|---|
| Elements of Criminology and the History of Forensic Science | 24 hours | Historical Development, Contemporary Methods, and Scenarios |
| Elements of Criminal Psychopathology and Crime Scene Analysis from a Psychological Perspective | 8 hours | A study of the main profiles of criminal psychopathology and their significance in the interpretation of crime scenes. The course explores the behavioral and relational indicators that are useful for the psychological analysis of the incident |
| Elements of Criminology: Theories and Research Methodology | 4 hours | An introduction to the main criminological theories and methods for analyzing criminal phenomena. The course provides tools for critically interpreting data and designing research in the field of criminology |
| Elements of Criminology: Criminal Phenomenology | 18 hours | analysis of the main types of crime and their evolving dynamics. The course examines the characteristics of criminal phenomena in relation to social, economic, and technological contexts |
| History of Forensic Science | 8 hours | evolution of forensic techniques and methods from their origins to contemporary applications. The course highlights the progressive development of forensic science and its impact on investigative and judicial activities |
Area F – Ethics and Professional Certification (4 CFU – 24 hours).
| Module | Hours | Contents/Integrations |
|---|---|---|
| UNI 11822, ISO 17024, and the Code of Ethics for Criminal Defense Attorneys | 24 hours | Professional ethics, certification, and professional requirements |
Workshop activities
The workshop activities are practical and career-oriented, and are designed to produce technical reports and dossiers that can be included in the candidate’s professional portfolio. In accordance with the additions proposed by the Scientific Director, the program includes a specific focus on deepfakes, AI forensics, evidentiary reliability, and the scientific validation of algorithmic evidence.
| Workshop | Hours | Essential content |
|---|---|---|
| Crime Scene Investigation Lab | 60 | crime scene reconstruction, evidence collection, forensic analysis, and technical reports |
| Digital & Cyber Forensic Lab | 60 | forensic data acquisition, device and digital data analysis, cyber cases |
| Integrated Laboratory | 60 | usse of AI models in a forensic context; a multidisciplinary simulated case involving the seizure of digital devices, biometric video analysis, deepfake detection, and a presentation in a mock courtroom |
| Expert Witness & Forensic Reporting Lab | 50 | preparation of technical reports, support during cross-examination, and mock trials |
| Fingerprint Analysis and Forensic Handwriting Analysis Lab | 40 | comparison, cataloging, and document analysis, including the use of automated tools |
| Ballistics and Trajectory Reconstruction Lab | 30 | comparative analysis and technical reconstruction |
| Forensic Medicine and BPA Lab | 30 | analysis of bloodstain patterns, dynamic correlation, and forensic interpretation |
| OSINT with AI Lab | 20 | open sources, social media intelligence, and algorithmic support for analysis |
| Laboratory for the Evidentiary Reliability and Scientific Validation of Algorithmic Evidence | 20 | methodological validation, bias, overfitting, explainability, verifiability, falsifiability, and Daubert criteria |
| Cybersecurity: Red Team Lab (Threat Modelling – MITRE ATT&CK®) | 12 | How an attack occurs, threat modeling, and forensic analysis of offensive techniques |
| Forensic Communication Analysis (“Lie To Me”) | 6 | microexpressions, communication inconsistencies, and the scientific limitations of deception detection |
| Identification and analysis of complete or partial footprints in outdoor and indoor settings | 12 hours | techniques for collecting and analyzing footprints in various environmental settings. The course explores methods for comparing and interpreting tracks for investigative purposes (6 outdoor and 6 indoor – “Forensic Tracking”) |
| Forensic Entomology | 4 hours | Analysis of insects found at the crime scene to estimate the post-mortem interval. The course explores the role of entomology in reconstructing the dynamics of the incident. |
Structured professional internship.
The internship is designed to help participants acquire practical skills and gain professional experience that can also be used for certification under the UNI 11822 standard.
For the candidates who have not yet accumulated the five professional assignments required by UNI 11822, the Master offers a structured pathway of internships and practical collaborations. The University will connect students with forensic consultants and laboratories to enable them to secure relevant assignments (court-appointed expert reports, private expert reports, consulting engagements, and service contracts) to be submitted as supporting documentation when applying for certification.
The internship consists of: 200 hours of shadowing technical consultants (CTU/CTP) and law firms; 100 hours of work at forensic and digital forensic laboratories; and 50 hours of supervised cases and structured simulated assignments.
Independent study, project work, and final exam
Activities include independent study and in-depth exploration of theoretical content, the preparation of lab reports, the development of a professional portfolio, and preparation for the final exam. The final exam consists of writing a technical-scientific paper or an applied research article.