Course Overview

Forensic science – familiar to most of us thanks to its appearances in popular TV police dramas – is the application of science to law. It’s carried out through the collection, preservation and analysis of evidence.

If you have an enquiring mind, are good at solving scientific problems and want to work with cutting-edge equipment and facilities, then you could be the right person to work at a crime scene or analyse the evidence recovered from that scene.

On this course, you’ll study forensic chemistry, biology, imaging and photography, the essentials of forensic investigations, and professional and quantitative scientific skills.

Then you’ll take modules on bodies, tissues and fluids, materials ID, drugs of abuse, analytical forensic chemistry, forensic IT and issues in criminal justice.

The third year will cover forensic case studies and the presentation of evidence, then fire, arson and explosions, authenticity and fraud, DNA profiling, forensic chemical pathology, and project and professional skills.

General Eligibility

GCSE

• Five GCSEs at grade C/4 or above including Maths and English.

Plus one of the following:

A-Level

• A minimum of 112 UCAS points from at least two A levels with a science subject (from Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Applied Sciences) at grade C or above

BTEC

• BTEC National Diploma in Science BTEC - Distinction/Merit/Merit

• BTEC Extended Diploma in Science BTEC - Distinction/Merit/Merit

Alternative qualifications include:

Access to HE Diploma

• Pass QAA Accredited AHE with at least 15 level 3 credits at distinction and 30 level 3 credits at merit.

GCSE Maths and English grade 4 or above required as separate qualifications.

Part Time Work Details

20 Hours of Work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.5 overall is essential.