Forensic Investigation
Forensic investigation crosses the boundaries of science, policing and law; you’ll experience the full journey from crime scene to courtroom on this course.
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Key Course Details
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UCAS Code
FF42
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Start Date
September
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Location
Pontypridd
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Campus Code
A
Fees
Home students
£9,535*
International students
£16,200*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
-
UCAS Code
FF43
-
Start Date
September
-
Location
Pontypridd
-
Campus Code
A
Fees
Home students
£9,535*
International students
£16,200*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
The only way to gain the broad and dynamic skillset needed to solve crimes is through practical experience. Our Forensic Investigation BSc prepares you for action in the CSI world as you investigate simulated crime scenes, use industry standard lab equipment and give evidence as an expert witness.
DESIGNED FOR
If you love watching shows like CSI and think it’d be the greatest job in the world, then this is the course for you. It’s also ideal if you have a background in traditional science and want to develop and apply your skills in a fascinating and ever-evolving field that helps to safeguard society.
Accredited by
- The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences
Career Paths
- Crime scene unit
- Forensic investigation unit
- Wider criminal justice sector
- Digital forensics
- Further study
Skills taught
- Crime scene evidence analysis and interpretation
- Science laboratory techniques
- Problem solving in science, mathematics and data analysis
- Project management and leadership
- Confident communication skills
Course Highlights
Module Overview
Learn how to solve crimes through simulated scenarios and practical lab work. Develop skills in crime scene investigation and the analysis of evidence, and further your knowledge of the structure and processes that regulate the criminal justice system and criminal investigation laws.
Year one
Introduction to Forensic Analysis
Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation
Forensic Awareness
Fundamental Scientific Principles for Forensic Investigation
Key Skills for Forensic Science*
Exploring Crime and Deviance
*25% of this module can be studied in Welsh
Year two
Analysis and Interpretation of Evidence
Volume Scene Examination
Forensic Examination of Human Remains
Digital Forensics (e-crime)
Unmasking Violent Crime
Science in Practice for Forensic Investigation
Year Three
Research Project and Employability Skills
Forensic Casework and the Expert Witness
Application of Forensic Specialisms
Criminal Investigation
Investigation of Serious and Organised Crime
Major Scene Examination
A comprehensive introduction to the key disciplines of forensic science. You’ll get a grounding in core scientific and mathematical theories and legal processes, but also spend plenty of time in the lab and the bespoke crime scene house for early hands-on investigative practice.
Introduction to Forensic Analysis
Blending theory and lab-based training, learn the fundamentals of evidence processing inc. search and recovery, basic microscopy and chemical testing, and case notes.
Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation
Study investigative techniques and processes including collecting, preserving, documenting, and interpreting evidence, and crime scene reconstruction.
Forensic Awareness
Learn the legislative and criminal justice system of England and Wales. Examine the value of evidence in court and how it fits within criminal investigations.
Fundamental Scientific Principles for Forensic Investigation
Learn and apply basic concepts in chemistry, molecular biology, DNA, plus scientific investigation, measurement and accuracy.
Key Skills for Forensic Science*
Learn the principles of safe working in labs, accident prevention, and the consequences of hazard exposure. Calculate the probability of accidents to estimate risk.
*25% of this module can be studied in Welsh
Exploring Crime and Deviance
Explore how crime is socially, culturally and historically constructed, and examine the relationship between crime and power, poverty, wealth and status.
Enhance your skills through more detailed analysis of evidence in the lab and delve into specialist disciplines like forensic Earth science, computer forensics and microscopy. Expand your crime scene investigation skills, including photographing and videoing simulated scenes.
Analysis and Interpretation of Evidence
Develop skills analysing, interpreting and presenting particulate and biological trace evidence using sector-standard instrumentations, processes and documentation.
Volume Scene Examination
Develop CSI core practices and learn to record simulated crime scenes like burglaries, car theft and criminal damage through photography, video and digital imaging.
Forensic Examination of Human Remains
Explore the unique challenges of discovering, recovering and analysing human remains, from search techniques to post-mortem, odontology and facial reconstruction.
Digital Forensics (e-crime)
Develop a range of cybercrime tools and techniques to recover computer forensic evidence; follow the processes needed to manage a forensic project from seizure to trial.
Unmasking Violent Crime
Delve into the dynamics of violence. Explore the root causes and consequences of violence through theoretical frameworks, empirical research, and real-world case studies.
Science in Practice for Forensic Investigation
Explore spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. Examine drugs and alcohol in sports doping, hair analysis, counterfeit products, and serology.
Explore more complex forensic investigation areas such as fires, explosions and major crime scenes. Master crime scene processing, evidence handling and courtroom processes via complex simulated cases and carry out an independent literature review demonstrating your knowledge.
Research Project and Employability Skills
Evaluate primary information and data from a select topic within forensic science. Prepare for the real world by practicing interviews and building your CV.
Forensic Casework and the Expert Witness
Take on a complex simulated case demonstrating your teamwork, critical thinking, and capabilities, culminating in a simulated courtroom cross-examination.
Application of Forensic Specialisms
Learn from the best with this guest-speaking series. Topics may vary each delivery year and will be focused on your preference and new emerging trends within forensic science.
Criminal Investigation
Learn how a case is built and progressed to reach the courtroom. Evaluate the processes involved, and analyse how such incidents could be prevented in the future.
Investigation of Serious and Organised Crime
Examine serious and organised crime from an investigative perspective. Develop an understanding of legislation, policy, and process for specific offences.
Major Scene Examination
Show mastery of forensic criminal investigation processes and techniques as you manage simulated major scene scenarios like suspicious deaths, assaults, and firearms offences.
Course Highlights
How you'll learn
The course has a strong practical focus. From the start, you’ll spend lots of time in the lab and investigating simulated crime scenes. As you progress, you’ll work on a wider range of scenarios and deliver evidence in our simulated courtroom – you’ll experience the full case journey. There is some classroom-based theory work, but there are no formal exams. Your written work relates to the reporting you’ll do in real life, and assessment focuses on practical skills and decision-making, including your group project dissertation. The dynamic curriculum adapts in line with industry trends, and employability skills are embedded in every module.
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Teaching staff
Over the last three years, one of our core staff has won a student award for Best Lecturer/Course Leader/Supervisor across the entire university – a testament to the support we provide. Their expertise includes senior CSI Manager roles at police forces across England and Wales. The wider analytical and forensic science team includes specialist forensic science practitioners, experts in DNA and bloodstain pattern analysis, experts in forensic toxicology, crime scene investigators and chartered chemists. Some staff are also previous students here, so they understand how to support you and contribute to the strong community feel within our course.
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Placements and work experience
You’ll have the opportunity to undertake a sandwich placement after your second year. We support you with applications to South Wales Police’s Graduate Internship and our outstanding careers team is here to help source other placements if you wish. However, with so much real-world experience embedded within the course, you still receive comprehensive workplace preparation even if you decide not to do a placement.
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Facilities
Our facilities set our course apart and you’ll be able to get stuck in right from the start. Our multi-room ‘crime scene house’ and excavation area give you hands-on experience managing crime scenes and gathering all manner of evidence. The recently installed surveillance equipment enables lecturers to observe you and provide live feedback. You have use of the George Knox laboratories where you’ll use the full range of industry-standard equipment and instruments including organic and inorganic chemistry labs, spectrometers, microscopes, and chromatographs. It’s all based at the Glyntaff campus – green and open with a community atmosphere.
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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
104 UCAS Points (or above)
Typical qualification requirements:
- A Level: BCC
- Welsh BACC: Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC at A Level
- BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit
- Access to HE: Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points
Additional requirements include:
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
English language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
We're here to help
Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.
Fees and Funding
£9,535
per year*£16,200
per year*£16,200
per year*Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Students are encouraged to equip themselves with a suitable cotton laboratory coat, suitable for working in a chemical laboratory, and a pair of personal protective laboratory goggles, although the School does provide these items. Students who are successful in securing an industry-based project may, in a small number of cases, be required to purchase additional personal protective equipment as specified by the specific organisation or company.
Cost: Variable
Students who successfully secure a placement in industry to complete their major research project would be expected to pay their own travel costs to and from the venue during the period of placement. The cost of this will of course vary and some students have also paid for accommodation close to their place of work for the duration of their placement.
Cost: Variable
New York - Flights and Accomodation, Faculty pays for activities.
Cost: £1,200
University Quality Assurance
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
Life at USW
Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.
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How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS. You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time.)
Advanced entry
If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
International admissions
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
