BSc (Hons) Forensic Science and Psychology

For the Forensic Science element of the course, you will be taught by academics and forensic professionals, and gain valuable lab and crime scene experience, helping you to stay ahead in this fast-moving science. You will be taught in our modern laboratory facilities and have access to equipment and our dedicated Crime Scene House. This course will provide you with a broad education in the core areas of forensic science. Your studies will focus on key topics in forensic chemistry, analytical science, forensic biology, and criminalistics science. You will develop your analytical science skills, enabling you to analyze a variety of forensic evidence. This is complemented by an additional emphasis on professional practice and an understanding of the roles of the crime scene investigator and the forensic scientist as expert witnesses in the court. You may be able to study abroad for a semester (depending on subject scheduling) or a year at one of our partner universities.

Year 1

• Forensic Chemistry and Analysis
• Forensic Identification and Investigation
• Introduction to developmental and social psychology
• Introduction to Research Design for Psychology
• Introduction to statistics for psychology
• Introduction to biological and cognitive psychology

Year 2

• Forensic Genetics
• Spectroscopy and Advanced Analysis
• Criminalistic Methods
• Drugs of Abuse
• Developmental and Social Psychology
• Qualitative and Survey Research Design
• Statistics for Psychology
• Biological and Cognitive Psychology

Year 3

• Evaluation of evidence, explosives, and arson
• Forensic Science Team Research Project – ISP
• Forensic Toxicology
• Final Year Project (Double) – ISP
• Individual Differences and Conceptual Issues

OPTIONAL MODULES

• Advanced Topics in Forensic Analysis
• Forensic Geoscience
• Health Psychology
• Research Methods in Social and Developmental Psychology for Study Abroad Students
• Faces, Forgetting and Forensic Psychology
• The psychology of deviance
• Psychology in Education
• Making a difference with psychology

Employability:

Our teaching strategy is designed to enable you to become an independent scientist who will have a great deal to offer prospective employers. Our graduates have entered careers in a range of professional forensic science sectors, including DNA profiling to digital forensics, or as analytical scientists and researchers within the broader business sector, such as chemical analytical consultancies, pharmaceuticals, or environmental monitoring. Some of our graduates also undertake postgraduate qualifications such as an MSc, PGCE, or Ph.D. qualification prior to entering employment.

Previous employers

• 2030 Labs LTD
• Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
• North Yorkshire Police
• Sandwell and Dudley Hospital
• Nottinghamshire Health