Deborah Parboo - BSc (Hons) Counter Fraud & Criminal Justice Studies

The University of Portsmouth is the only University offering the Counter Fraud & Criminal Justice degree which complimented my interest in fraud and my work as a Local Authority fraud investigator. Having attained a degree from the University of Portsmouth back in 1994 I was familiar with the university and it held fond memories for me and so I was very happy to study this degree as a distant learning course.

Over the 4 years the course has proved to be extremely interesting with course material being updated as the fraud arena changes. The course enables the studying of areas of interest to you which has definitely benefited me professionally in that I can apply what I have learnt to my everyday work. Distant learning courses allow you to work at your own pace which is important when trying to juggle a job and family and social commitments. Time management is crucial in completing this course and is a skill which can be applied in all areas of life.

Being a distance learner I have only stayed in Portsmouth during the annual Winter Schools, however this experience was great in that encourages you to meet other students and speak directly with lecturers and staff whilst providing informative lectures. Once these contacts have been made the WebCT facility provided by the university makes keeping in touch with other students easy which is important if you feel isolated during the study periods.