Course summary

This course is designed for professionals who want to improve their skills without engaging in an extensive research project. Our Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology offers advanced knowledge and practical skills. You will be able to immediately apply within your workplace. This Postgraduate Diploma introduces forensic archaeology and forensic anthropology. It takes you from the search for buried evidence through to delivering evidence in court. It covers the recovery and analysis of human remains for legal investigations. In this PGDip, you will learn how archaeological techniques contribute to forensic investigations. It covers the methods used for the search and recovery of human remains. This includes the circumstances surrounding death and the treatment of the body afterwards. You will also learn the methods used to analyse skeletal remains for identification. You will gain theoretical principles and practical experience in forensic archaeology techniques. This includes practical classes and real-world scenarios including a mock scene. You will have access to our large human adult and animal skeletal collections. You will have the opportunity to write an expert witness report on independent analysis of skeletal remains. You also get to experience being an expert witness in a mock trial scenario in our Moot Court. During this course, you will study the principles of archaeology. You will study how they relate to criminal and humanitarian investigations. You will also study core principles of human osteology and what happens to the body after death. The effects of decomposition on the body analysis of skeletal trauma. You will also consider the methods and approaches used to analyse human variation for the estimation of a biological identity. You will consider how this relates to the identification of an individual. This will then be framed within the legal context by considering the role of the expert witness in legal proceedings. You will have the chance to learn from a case-work active academic team. The team are accredited and certified by their relevant professional bodies. You will have the opportunity to get a real-world understanding of the roles of forensic archaeologists and anthropologists whose experience is embedded within teaching.