Forensic science courses

Where will our forensic science courses take you?

Forensic science courses – solving crimes

Working in forensics is both challenging and extremely rewarding, and Abertay's forensic science courses will prepare you to be a successful professional. You will be trained on investigating crime scenes, analysing bodily fluids and DNA samples, investigating fires and understanding the law behind the crimes.

These skills are essential to ensuring fair and effective investigations in a growing number of criminal cases, with trace evidence, DNA and the chemistry of substances often crucial to securing a conclusion (whether it be a prosecution or an exoneration) within a trial environment. This course will teach you to interpret scientific data, and how to present this in court.

Forensic science courses – real experience

Our Rankin House and mock bank facilities offers students on our forensic science courses an incredible opportunity – to develop their forensics skills in an area dedicated to simulating crime scenes. By having access to a simulated home and bank counter students can practice collecting evidence, giving them important real-world skills.

Post-scenes of crime, the students go on to work in the laboratory learning appropriate search and evidence recovery skills as utilised by lab-based forensic scientists.  These skills include the systematic searching / taping of an item for trace evidence such as hairs, fibres, paint and glass.  The students also learn how to carry out presumptive testing for body fluids and substances of abuse.  After a particular evidence type is recovered, such material is then further analysed either by microscopy or analytical chemical / biological techniques to confirm its identity.

This complex information can make the different between the law being successfully applied in important and challenging court cases, and the prosecution or exoneration of an individual being achieved.

Working on complex cases, you will learn to collect, analyse and interpret forensic data to understand what happened at the crime scene, and within the laboratory.

Forensic science courses – jobs

Graduates of our forensic science courses can proceed to work as forensic scientists who are involved in every aspect of an investigation – from attending the crime scene itself, collecting materials, analysing them in a lab, to presenting the findings in court.

Other careers for our graduates include working as a forensic laboratory scientist, scenes of crime officer within the police service, private biotechnology research, teaching, or even working for the armed forces.
External accreditation

The BSc (Hons) Forensic Sciences programme has been accredited by the professional body of forensic science in the UK, The Forensic Science Society from October 2008.  Not only is the programme one of few in the UK that has been accredited to all 3 component forensic standards of:

•    Crime scene investigation
•    Laboratory analysis
•    Interpretation, evaluation and presentation of evidence

But the programme was also given many commendations for the high quality of work, equipment and facilities provided to students at Abertay including:
 
•    Investment in accommodation and equipment for forensic science teaching
•    Excellent scene of crime facilities including a "mock bank"
•    Diverse range of staff expertise
•    Innovative teaching methods including online resources
•    Close research and collaboration with local police forces and forensic science providers  

The programme has also been recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) since 2005 for its chemistry content.  Graduates can apply to the RSC for admission as Associate Members and will be entitled to use the post nominals AMRSC provided the final year project is chemistry based.

Forensic science courses at Abertay

The forensic science courses at Abertay are:

BSc (Hons) Forensic Sciences
DipHE Forensic Studies