Degree type: BSc (Hons)
UCAS Code: F410 BSc/FoS
Duration: 4 years (full-time)
Forensic science is the application of scientific knowledge and techniques in support of the legal process. As a forensic scientist you are responsible for the effective and efficient gathering of evidence, the scientific analysis of that evidence, its interpretation and its presentation in a court of law in a form that is impartial, convincing and understandable.
The three main areas studied in this course are forensic science, chemistry and biology with the addition of supporting topics such as law and statistics.
The Forensic Sciences degree covers a full range of topics including: crime scene investigation, body fluid analysis, DNA profiling, trace evidence analysis (including fibres, glass and paint), fingerprinting, document investigation, pharmacology/toxicology, substances of abuse, photography, fires/explosions, tool marks, impressions and blood pattern analysis to name but a few.
The course has been fully accredited by the Forensic Science Society and to AMRSC status by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Although criminal law is most closely associated with forensic science, the course will also prepare the individual to interact with the civil law process where there is a growing need for forensic evidence to be presented in a professional and impartial manner.
Many of the staff on the course have come directly from the forensic science industry and have links with a number of forensic science organisations within the UK, including the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA), LGC Forensics, the Forensic Science Service (FSS), Cellmark Forensic Services and Forensic Science Northern Ireland (FSNI). In addition, staff have international links with forensic organisations within Europe and the rest of the world and have presented at international conferences.
Year 1
Forensic science; biology; chemistry; research and communication skills; laboratory techniques and skills.
Year 2
Crime scene investigation; forensic chemistry applied to evidence analysis; biology applied to genetics and toxicology; physiology; law and statistics.
Year 3
Trace; contact and transfer evidence; chromatography and spectroscopy; bloodstains and body fluids; fires; explosions; dusts and debris; pharmacology; toxicology; genetics; criminal law and evidence.
Year 4
Contemporary forensic practice; evidence interpretation; forensic science review; substances of abuse; forensic applications of DNA; research project.
How you learn
A variety of teaching methods are used to develop your knowledge and skills. Teaching is focused around a lecture programme supported by tutorials, case studies, case exercises and seminars, the use of practical laboratory exercises and our special scenes of crime facility.
The expanded scene of crime area includes an office/bank complex, a house, photographic studio and a special glass area where break-ins can be simulated. External input from legal and forensic practitioners is an important part of the course, as is the opportunity to visit fire scenes, and the chance to see explosive devices detonated.
After your third year there is opportunity expand your CV and to work for an extended period as a Scene of Crime Investigator, with local police forces. You will spend around 18 hours per week attending classes and in addition you will be required to spend at least an equal number of hours studying on your own.
In year 4 the Honours project is your opportunity to integrate your learning into an individual research programme and produce a professional standard project report. Year 4 also sees you involved in a major forensic investigation of a crime, where you will hone your team-building and interpersonal skills and apply and develop your forensic abilities from initial scene investigation through to presentation of your evidence in court.
How you are assessed
Assessment on this course is carried out via a combination of coursework assignments, class tests, practical tests, presentations and closed-book examinations. A range of methods is used including short-answer tests, problem solving exercises, formal reports (oral, written or posters), and laboratory assignments. In the later years of the course formal examinations are a feature of most modules.
Higher BBCC; A Level CCD; ILC (H) B2B2C2C2; UCAS Tariff 216-220 points*
*See UCAS Tariff Guidance below
Essential subjects: an appropriate science (e.g. chemistry, biology).
Applicants with non-standard qualifications and experience will be considered on an individual basis.
Advanced entry (year 2)
Advanced entry is possible for applicants with suitable subjects at A Level or Advanced Higher and offering approximately 300 UCAS points (eg: BBB at A Level or BBB at Advanced Higher) from these qualifications. Each application will be considered on its own merits. If you would like us to consider you for advanced entry please contact the admissions tutor in the first instance to discuss your qualifications.
UCAS Tariff Guidance
Although there is no limit to the number of points that you can accumulate, for entry to Abertay you must have qualifications at an appropriate level (SCQF 6/NQF 3); you cannot count the same or similar qualifications twice; Standard Grades, Intermediate 2s, GCSEs and key/core skills cannot be counted; and D grades at SQA Higher and Advanced Higher are not counted.
Applicants who have taken either SQA Highers or A Levels must offer at least three Highers or two A Levels for degree entry (or two Highers or one A Level for DipHE entry). If you have studied a subject at two different levels, the most advanced will be taken into consideration; e.g. if you studied both Higher Biology and Advanced Higher Biology, then only the Advanced Higher will be counted.
Overseas
All applicants are required to provide certified proof of competence in English Language. The University's minimum requirements are IELTS 6.0 (with no band lower than 5.0), TOEFL CBT 223, TOEFL 563, TOEFL IBT 85 or a suitable equivalent qualification.
Mature
Applications from mature students are assessed on the same criteria used for school leavers, e.g. SQA Highers or GCE A Levels, where relevant school leaving qualifications exist. For those without standard entry qualifications, consideration is given to experience gained as well as professional qualifications and other forms of learning that could provide evidence of ability to benefit from a particular course.
The successful completion of approved access courses (such as those offered by Dundee College in association with the universities of Abertay, Dundee and St Andrews) provides significant evidence of ability to benefit from study at Abertay.
For further advice please use our Ask a Question section.
Career
Many graduates studying on this course seek careers in the operational forensic laboratories as court-going forensic scientists, either as part of the civil service or the private sector, and in other areas of the natural sciences. Graduates can also go into related areas such as scenes of crime investigation or as a member of the police force, and a number of our graduates have successfully obtained these highly competitive jobs.
As well as offering these career opportunities, the course also provides the individual with the skills and abilities to pursue alternative interesting and fulfilling career paths. For example:; the development of diagnostics in the biotechnology industries, the evolution of new foods, quality assurance in the pharmaceutical and industries, problem solving in the public utilities, and the development of protocols and procedures in the armed forces or government agencies.
Students may wish to pursue a career in teaching and several of our graduates have trained as science teachers, or you may want to undertake higher research (at MSc/PhD level), where for example you will study new approaches to forensic detection or further integrate the use of information technology in the forensic process.
The transferable skills learnt on the degree can also be used in a range of other careers such as management, business, law, accountancy and disciplines unrelated to science.
Professionally accreditation
The BSc (Hons) Forensic Sciences degree is accredited by the Forensic Science Society.
Specialist facilities
The university library is home to the Tayside Faculty of Procurators & Solicitors Law Library. This gives you the opportunity to gain access to the same case reports and learning facilities which the local legal fraternity and police use. The University also works closely with Tayside Police's Forensic Sciences Laboratories that are located adjacent to the University.
A range of well equipped, modern laboratories are the main focus of specialist facilities at Abertay for use by forensic science students. In addition the Scottish Informatics Mathematics Biology & Statistics (SIMBIOS) research facility at Abertay provides you with access to top class researchers working in the exciting field of biology and computing.
BSc (Hons) Forensic Sciences - Further Information
