Course summary

This course provides postgraduate education in Forensic and Analytical Sciences. Forensic Science involves the use of scientific techniques and principles to address questions of interest to a court of law. This course provides you with an overview of forensic science in general, following the crime scene to court model. This includes a series of crime scene exercises in our crime scene facilities, covering strategies for crime scene examination and an exploration of techniques associated with crime scene examination. You will also receive a comprehensive overview of most of the forensic science disciplines through the forensic biology and forensic chemistry module. You will also explore quality, which is an increasingly fundamental issue within forensic science industry; as well as the presentation of evidence and preparations for defending your evidence in a court of law. In addition, you will then study modules underpinning the analytical sciences, which is a major source of employment for scientists, reflected in our high graduate employment rate. These modules will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the most recent technological developments and applications in Analytical Sciences. Instrumental techniques used in the analysis of organic compounds, metals, solids, etc. are all covered. Possible sources of error in experimental and instrumental analysis are discussed, thus allowing the correct interpretation of experimentally-derived scientific data. This course is comprised of two thirds taught component and one third research project component.