Criminology & Foreign language studies... help please! (degree, schools, best)

[talexy1234]

I'm in my second to last semester of undergrad and have been thinking about graduate school for a while now. I'm graduating a semester early (December 2011), and the online graduate program in Criminology, Law & Society at UC Irvine that I really am interested in doing does not start until the following September (2012). That means I'll have a semester off, which was not originally planned since I planned on going straight to graduate school. BUT clearly it's not the end of the world, and I have plenty of things I could do to fill up that time with a worthwhile fashion (though I'm here ultimately just asking for ideas so if you have a suggestion, please don't hesitate!)

Afterward I really want to pursue a Master's in Translation & Interpretation. These may seem like two completely different fields, and they are, but they are both huge interests of mine, and my goal is to work with the government so they are both necessary. I thought about MIIS (Monterey Institute of International Studies) which is supposedly one of the best TI schools in the country, but after studying abroad I really want to go back to Europe, and I was thinking, hey why not get my degree there? Since it'll most likely be in Spanish anyway (which is what my BA will be in come December... as well as a BA in Sociology) and I love Spain.

So I'm primarily looking for thoughts from people who have experience relating to either field or have a degree in either field, and what they think about my 'plan.' I don't have any specific questions, I'd just like ideas and/or suggestions about anything that I've mentioned so far. Thank you!!!

[joe from dayton]

You don't need a master's degree in criminology to work for the government. I also don't see how a master's in criminology has anything to do with being a translator for the gov't. It seems to me that it would be a waste of time and money because it has nothing to do with being a translator nor will it do anything to further your career goals.

[talexy1234]

Hi, Joe from Dayton - I agree with you, but translating/interpreting is not the only thing I want to do. I also want to be some kind of criminal analyst, whether it be criminal statistics or something along those lines. I feel like a higher degree is necessary for this in the particular field - because a degree in Sociology probably isn't going to make me as qualified to do so as a Master's in Criminology would? Though I'd welcome more opinions on this. I apologize, I should have been more clear in my original post.

[joe from dayton]

In that case, a master's in criminology would be helpful. In my opinion, instead of getting two master's degree that don't support each other, you need to figure out what you want to do and base your education decisions on that.