This course requires 104–120 UCAS tariff points including a minimum of 2 A-levels or equivalent. We are happy to consider a combination of qualifications and grades to meet the overall tariff, for example A-levels A*CC, ABC, BBB or BCC, BTECs DDM or DMM. You can use the UCAS calculator to see how your qualifications equate to UCAS tariff points.
If you do not meet these you may want to consider our foundation year, a one-year course that will prepare you for degree-level study.
if English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each of the 4 components or equivalent.
Why study BSc (Hons) Forensic Science?
Taught by professional practitioners and guest speakers who are experts in their respective fields, including forensic archaeology, genocide investigation and toxicology
Participate in multiple field trips, as well as being taught in contemporary lecture halls and state-of-the-art labs where you’ll use cutting-edge equipment
Take part in invaluable lab and fieldwork experience, including mock crime scenes and disasters, including a live fire exercise
Provided with theoretical and practical training covering crime scene science, toxicology, chemistry and molecular biology
Gain valuable work experience on your placement if you choose to take one and springboard into a career as a forensic investigator post-graduation
92% of our final year students agree that this course is intellectually stimulating.
Foundation year: We have a foundation year option for UK students who do not meet the entry requirements for the degree course. This additional year of study will give you a grounding in the scientific skills required for Forensic Science, building your confidence, knowledge and skills for further study. After successful completion of the foundation year, you will progress to the full degree.
For September 2021 entry: in order to take advantage of new approaches to learning and teaching, as well as developments in industry to benefit our students we regularly review all of our courses. This course is currently going through this process and we will update this page in October 2021 to give you full information about what we will be offering once the review process has concluded.
UCAS Code: F413
With foundation year: F412
More info: Click here
Foundation year
Core units
Academic Study Skills: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in literature searching, literature review, data collection, methodological approach, data analysis and interpretation and ethical practice. It will also support you to begin to develop a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development.
Applied Sciences: You'll gain a basic understanding of some fundamental aspects of science underpinning more specific disciplines, and an appreciation of how various scientific disciplines impact human life. You'll understand the differences between pure and applied science, as well as the roles of different ways applied science can be funded, and implications of these funding mechanisms.
Introduction to Biology: Biology is the study of life and hence knowledge of plant and animal cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit also introduces key themes in human, environmental and ecological sciences to provide a sound underpinning in knowledge for future studies.
Introduction to Psychology: This unit is designed to prepare you for advanced coursework in psychology. You will complete the unit with a good understanding of the various areas of psychology and how they seek to explain behaviour.
Mathematics in Science: You will build your confidence in mathematics, in order to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from biology, chemistry and psychology and to be able to represent the findings in an appropriate format, including graphs. In order to carry this out, it is essential to be able to convert the data between systems of units and to understand how to present very large and very small numbers in standard form. Basic statistical analysis of tabulated data will be carried out to introduce the concept of confidence limits and familiarisation of statistical testing.
Foundation Year Project: You will carry out a research task on scientific topics chosen by the unit leader which you will be able to conduct a scientific investigation on. You will devise your own investigation and produce a literature review as a final scientific report.
Year 1
Core units
Forensic Research Skills: This unit provides you with the skills to conduct the independent research needed for this course. These skills involve finding and evaluating academic literature, formulating scientific arguments and discussion, writing and presenting these ideas as essays, opinions and research papers. To facilitate discussion and questions, much of the unit will be taught in tutorial sessions, which also allows you to get to know the teaching team.
Cell Biology: Cells are the basic unit of life and hence knowledge of cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit introduces key themes in cell biology to provide a sound underpinning knowledge of cells and the way they function. The unit will equip you with an understanding of cell structure, function, control, basic molecular biology, the interaction of cells with viruses and the basic experimental techniques used to investigate cells.
Chemistry: You will be provided with an understanding of some aspects and processes within fundamental chemistry and analytical chemistry and develop your laboratory skills. The unit will predominately be delivered through lectures and practical laboratory sessions. The laboratory sessions will enable reinforcement of the theoretical concepts by dealing with experimentally generated data and will allow for one-to-one and small group discussions.
Human Anatomy & Physiology: Giving you an overview of the structure and function of the human body, you will be introduced to the principal concepts underlying pathophysiological processes that disturb health. Key biological and physiological practical techniques relevant to measuring human health and disease are covered, together with the skills you will need for the analysis and presentation of the resulting data.
Introduction to Forensic Investigation: This unit will provide you with a deeper appreciation of the legal aspects, command structure and operational procedures of UK forensic investigations and provide a deeper insight into a range of forensic sciences available. It will provide you with the theoretical understanding to enhance practical experience in the recovery of physical evidence.
Introduction to Forensic Psychology: This unit will demonstrate the way in which psychological research underpins the understanding of deviant and aggressive behaviour and the concept and utility of offender profiling in forensic investigations. As well as providing a critical understanding of the psychological processes at work during interview, you will be introduced to the potential biases inherent in the courtroom environment. To round off, it will provide you with an outline of the possible treatments and disposals available through the UK criminal justice system, with consideration of ‘what works’ with offenders.
Year 2
Core units
Biochemistry: Developing your core knowledge from the first year units in biology and chemistry, you will gain an appreciation of systems biology through the introduction of metabolism interconnectivity, and an overview of macromolecules and their metabolism. Topics will include the structure and function of DNA and enzyme structure and kinetics.
Crime Scene: This unit aims to provide details on the legal aspects, command structure and operational procedures of UK scene of crime investigations and provide an introduction to a range of forensic sciences. It will also provide practical experience in the recovery of evidence from potential scenes of crime.
Forensic Law and Practice: You will critically consider the criminal justice system in England and Wales and engage with the central issues common to any major criminal justice system. You will be equipped with a greater knowledge of criminal procedure including a comprehensive coverage of the entire criminal process from police investigation through to trial process to appeals and rectifications of miscarriages of justice.
Forensic Science: The basic scientific and analytical principals underlying the practice of forensic science will be explored in this unit. You will be introduced to a range of basic case types and to the analytical techniques commonly employed in forensic casework.
Introduction to Toxicology: The basic principles of toxicology will be explored in this unit, designed to offer foundation knowledge for those intending to study toxicology at higher levels or for those intending to study subjects peripheral to toxicology or where a basic understanding of toxicology will be relevant.
Option units
Semester 2 (choose one):
Advanced Cell Biology: Building on the fundamental principles from year 1, you will examine the operation of cells, and the control, development and modification of cells in multicellular organisms. You will also discover more about stem cell technologies and therapeutic applications, cancer development and cell culture techniques.
Advanced Crime Scene: As well as advancing your knowledge and understanding of scene of crime procedures, you will get practical experience of forensic photography, exhibit seizure, documentation & packaging and the use of chemical enhancement techniques at the crime scene.
Case studies in Forensic Science: Discover how forensic science has developed and impacted on the investigation of crime and Criminal Justice System by studying and discussing a selection of cases from the published literature and trial transcripts. You will learn about the process of case investigation in modern policing; how a lawyer/barrister prepares a case for court and understand the role and responsibilities of the forensic expert and the impact that may have on a legal investigation.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS): On completion of this unit, you will be able to select and plan GIS analysis using the appropriate software and manipulate the software for specific tasks. Emphasis is on data capture and analysis, and the presentation of data as cartographic maps.
Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.
Optional placement year
You may choose to complete an optional 30-week or a short five-week industrial work placement. You’ll get an opportunity to include a period of academic study during this time. The placement year offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future.
Final year
Core units
Advanced Forensic Science: You will enhance your knowledge and critical thinking skills associated with the scientific and analytical principals underlying the practice of forensic science in this unit. You will gain in depth knowledge of key areas of forensic science.
Forensic Toxicology: This unit aims to provide you with a knowledge and understanding of the complex issues involved with the analysis of common drugs and poisons in human tissues and the ways in which they exert their effects on the body and influence behaviour.
Independent Research Project: The Independent Research Project provides you with an opportunity to gain experience of research in a topic of your choice relevant to your degree and to demonstrate your ability to report that research. Such experience is considered essential for those students interested in pursuing academic and/or professional research at a higher level of responsibility and achievement.
Option units
Semester 1 (choose one):
Environmental Forensics: Issues in Environmental Forensics range from pollution investigations to wildlife crime at local, national and international levels. You will learn to select appropriate analytical and forensic techniques used in an environmental crime investigation and understand both the legal and cultural issues faced when investigating wildlife crimes nationally, internationally and trans-frontier. You will need an awareness of the organisations involved in investigation and prosecution, so there will be presentations from appropriate organisations and the opportunity to take part in practical activities.
The Science of Human Remains: Practical lab sessions will allow you to examine skeletal material of modern humans in archaeological and forensic contexts. You will examine the ways in which disease can inform health status in past societies and how disease, trauma and skeletal pathology can identify individuals in a forensic context.
Semester 2 (choose one):
Biomolecules: By the end of this science based unit you will be conversant with the concepts and approaches of holism compared with reductionism in modern biological sciences. It will review the principles of biology and modern biotechnologies from molecular levels to systems biology, such as DNA analysis, DNA profiling, functional genomics, gene expression and complementary DNA (cDNA) microarray, proteomics and protein interactions, epigenetics, bioinformatics, recombinant DNA, and biotechnology.
Forensic Practice: You will enhance your knowledge and critical thinking skills associated with the scientific and analytical principals underlying the practice of forensic science in this unit. You will gain in depth knowledge of key areas of forensic science.
Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.
This degree will give you a good grounding in forensic and legal principles, including covering crime scene management and biological and chemical analysis. You will graduate with all the skills you need to get ahead in the field, as well as practical knowledge of a range of industry-standard equipment.
OSHC: 624 ($) GBP per year
