Forensic Science BSc (Hons) with foundation year

This module aims to provide an introduction to the legal system in England and Wales within an international context. The module will focus on the use of and presentation of evidence in the various court environments. You will be introduced to the procedures surrounding the enactment and interpretation of legislation. The module will identify and provide an understanding of certain criminal offences and explore how these are constructed and how the particular style of drafting can affect the course of an investigation.

Compulsory

The aim of the module is to introduce you to the processes and protocols involved in the examination of a crime scene. This module will cover the roles of those attending crime scenes, crime scene management, as well as the protocols for the recovery of evidential items. You will engage in practical exercises to look at a variety of scenes, from burglaries to major crimes and collect evidence from various simulated settings.

Compulsory

The aim of the module is to introduce you to a range of skills that will help you to become a competent forensic scientist and to provide you with a good foundation that underpins your undergraduate studies and beyond. These skills include both laboratory techniques which are key to performing competent reliable laboratory analysis and underpinning skills such as report writing, searching and retrieving data, numerical skills and presentation skills both in written and other formats.

Compulsory

This module is designed to introduce you to the basics of anatomy, genetics, biological evidence types and forensic pathology/medico-legal autopsies. You will explore the theory behind the various evidence types, the analysis techniques used and gain practical skills in the complementary laboratory sessions⁴.

Compulsory

The aim of this module is to provide an overview of the development of forensic science. Through the use of key case studies, you will gain fundamental knowledge of the forensic science process, gaining understanding of the way evidence is taken from the scene of a crime through to use in courtrooms, known as ‘crime scene to court’. You will also look at the different agencies in England and Wales involved in these stages including the forensic science regulator and quality control of forensic science and forensic materials throughout the process. Essential factors that affect the forensic science process such as bias, decision-making and ethics will also be considered and debated.

Compulsory

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the analysis and forensic opportunities afforded by a range of physical evidence types including marks evidence, questioned documents, particulates (e.g. glass, paint and GSR (gunshot residue)), drugs of abuse and other forms of physical evidence such as fire residues. We consider aspects such as transfer and persistence, and you will gain a practical and theoretical understanding of the collection and analysis involved with these evidence types. This module is heavily supported with case studies and practical laboratory sessions which help develop your real-world understanding.

Compulsory

This module extends the discussion of forensic DNA analysis covered in year one to consider the analysis and interpretation of more challenging samples such as profiling of degraded and mixed samples, as well as modern advances in forensic analysis.

Compulsory

The aim of this module is to extend your learning of trace, marks and impressions evidence. You will consider the various types of evidence, from glass and soils to drugs and metals, and consider their process of manufacture through to their analysis and interpretation in court.

Compulsory

This module continues from the work on crime scene protocols you undertook in year one. In this module you will be asked to consider more complex crime scene scenarios and the scene management associated with these. You will consider various aspects such as weather, day/night scenes and other complex scenarios.

Compulsory

This is an assessment only module that integrates learning from three second-year modules: Complex Crime Scenes, Forensic Genetics, and Trace Marks and Impressions. In this assessment, you will gather evidence from a crime scene, analyse the evidence for biological and physical traces and collate the results into a cohesive report.

Compulsory

This module focuses on the application of 3D methods in the criminal justice system, from the crime scene through to courtroom use. You will have practical opportunities to use various 3D scanning and recording techniques such as laser scanning, or photogrammetry⁴.

Compulsory

This module analyses the interaction between the environment, human bodies, and forensic evidence known as forensic ecology and expands your awareness of wider areas of forensic expertise. The complex ecosystem of decay will be explored through forensic taphonomy to understand how bodies change in different environments, including on the surface, buried, or in aquatic environments.

Compulsory

This module aims to build upon the introduction to drugs analysis provided in year one. In this module you will consider these substances from both a legal standpoint as well as testing regimes for these compounds and the metabolic process involved after use.

Compulsory

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved placement undertaken during your programme. A placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved international study/work placement undertaken during your programme. A work/study placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

In this module, you will prepare for your final year research project. The module will support you through the process of defining your research question, planning your experiments and considering the most appropriate data analysis methods.

Compulsory

The aim of this module is for you to conduct a piece of investigative research, which may be laboratory or non-laboratory, in a specialised area of forensic science and/or biological and forensic sciences. This module follows from Research Design for Biological and Forensic Sciences and you will implement your research proposals in this module.

Compulsory

The module aims to explore current and international issues as well as advanced developments in forensic research, analysis, ethics and legislation. You will critically appraise real life cold cases, in light of new developments and techniques in forensic science, to examine the previous limitations and what new investigative leads could be generated. This module will also enable you to appreciate the complexity of cases crossing international borders, in terms of differences in accreditation, standards of evidence and forensic procedures.

Compulsory

This module seeks to provide an overview of research and novel techniques used for identification employed within the biological field. Taught material will cover massive parallel sequencing techniques including single-cell seq, nanopore seq and CRISPR-Cas9, targeted fragmentation and selective seq for identification purposes.  You will also cover advanced microbiological techniques, including post-mortem studies, to identify evidence such as unexpected infections causing sudden death, determination of agents used in bioterrorism and epidemiology in community-based infections.

Compulsory

This module aims to broaden your understanding of analytical techniques more commonly associated with analysis outside of forensic science – including the environmental, food and pharmaceutical industries. This module will include coverage of sample preparation and analysis techniques, as well as interpretation of spectra and chromatograms.

Compulsory

This module is the culmination of the forensic science teaching on this course and aims to bring together your learning in a fully integrated ‘crime scene to courtroom’ structure. The module builds upon the forensic analysis techniques previously learned and concentrates on the appropriate application of these techniques to a range of offence types, including homicides, sex offences and drugs offences. This culminates in an assessment structure where you will be required to defend your interpretation of a professional evidential reporting statement (case report) in a mock courtroom in a traditional adversarial style.

Compulsory