Curious about studying Forensic Investigation - BSc (Hons)at University of Staffordshire? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Stoke-on-Trent Campus
Full Time
Sep 2026
3 Year
Crime scenes don't come with a step-by-step guide. You'll need to understand the evidence, make informed decisions and communicate your findings clearly. On this newly redesigned course, you'll develop a broad understanding of the scientific principles and techniques underpinning forensic investigation, while gaining practical experience of documenting, collecting, analysing and interpreting evidence. You'll work with simulated crime scenes in our £2M simulation facilities, laboratory evidence and digital and multimedia evidence, developing your skills as you progress from fundamental techniques to complex and specialist investigations. You'll also explore the legal and professional context of forensic investigation, including the role and responsibilities of the expert witness. We believe forensic investigation is best learned by doing. You'll combine lectures and academic study with practical classes, demonstrations, workshops, tutorials and simulated investigative activities. This means you can put what you've learned into practice and develop familiarity with processes and equipment relevant to future forensic careers. Through our award-winning Staffordshire Forensic Partnership with Staffordshire Police, and other global collaborations you'll have opportunities to engage with forensic professionals and gain insight into current practice and research. Our forensics students can apply for exclusive placement and volunteering opportunities with Staffordshire Police across a range of specialisms including digital, fingerprint visualisation and examination, submissions, and forensic investigation Plus, benefit from our visiting alumni giving you insight into what they do and how they got there, preparing you for a career in forensic investigation. On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: *BSc (Hons) Forensic Investigation*
This module will enable you to consider a range of factors, challenges, issues and mistakes that can and have influenced criminal justice outcomes and explore how change can overcome and improve these outcomes in both UK and international contexts. You will consider and explore real-world cases from criminological, policing and forensic perspectives by working with students from related courses and staff with subject expertise in these specific criminal justice sectors. As a result, you will be able to consider the contribution of professionals in your subject areas as well as those of others who all work together to deliver justice in society.
This module will provide you with a fundamental understanding of crime scene processing. During the module you will practise digital photography, utilising our Crime Scene House to give you a real world setting to develop your skills. Alongside which we will give you the knowledge and skills you need to be able to protect a scene and fully document it through sketching, measuring and logs in addition to photography. You will also be introduced to the collection and appropriate methods of packaging for items of evidence. All of these skills will provide an excellent basis for a potential future career as a Crime Scene Investigator.
This module will introduce you to scientific analytical techniques used within Forensic Investigation. You will learn the theory on a variety of forensic analytical techniques, which you will then put into practice within a laboratory setting. The module will give you basic knowledge and skills in techniques and principles that can be built on in your subsequent years of study and, applied to future careers within a forensic investigation capacity.
The Policing Theory module introduces and enables a critical evaluation of the key sociological, biological and psychological theories in relation to crime, and their relevance to policing, along with the national crime preventative strategies and tools. This also includes an overview of the history, structure, values, ethics and objectives of the police force in England and Wales, in comparison with the structure of other police forces. This module also introduces policing science, in particular debates on evidenced-based policing and data collection methods. Further, the module uses contemporary case studies in crime, conflict and deviance to enable evaluation of the main theoretical concepts, providing a foundation for critical analysis. Students will examine the link between theory and practice in evidence-based policing in relation to crime, victimisation, harm and the relationship between offenders and victims.
The process of DNA analysis starts at the crime scene with DNA collection (including anti-contamination procedures), DNA extraction, DNA interpretation and follows through to reporting the DNA evidence in context to the case.You will learn to identify body fluids at the crime scene through presumptive testing and an awareness of the availability of confirmatory tests; you will gain an awareness of the types of blood spatter patterns at a crime scene, and how to interpret these patterns and relate them to the investigation, including scene reconstruction using 'stringing' techniques and pattern re-enactment.You will gain an appreciation of related biological analyses such as forensic entomology, hair analysis and garment analysis. Specific case studies will be used where physical evidence and injuries such as wounds, burns and bite mark impressions can aid an investigation.
This module gives students step-by-step guidance and support to produce a group project proposal that outlines how their cross-discipline team would investigate and respond to a current problem or issue faced in the criminal justice, police or forensic science industry/sector. The module also equips students with the practical skills & competencies to retrieve, analyse and write up both quantitative and qualitative data.
Crime scene processing?there is more to it than ?bagging? evidence. This module will introduce you to forensic strategies and investigative skills that are applied to process crime scenes. You will learn the concept of forensic strategies, crime scene processing, imaging and management and, how to process evidence from complex scenarios. You will then put this theory into practice in a laboratory environment and at the ?Crime Scene House?. The module will build on knowledge obtained from previous years of study, as well as providing you with techniques and skills that can be developed in your subsequent years of study. The skills and knowledge gained in this module can also be applied to future careers within a forensic investigation capacity.
Marks and traces are a key forms of evidence seen in criminal investigations. This very practical based module will provide you with the knowledge and skills to analyse a variety of evidence types using a range of techniques. This module will cover marks and traces such as fingerprints, footwear impressions, toolmarks, fibres and glass. You will explore their use in casework, understand the methods used to analyse samples and learn to interpret this evidence for the courts. You will learn to apply your skills to mock cases, in which you analyse samples and report results. The practicals and assessments are based on real-world workplace activities and provide you with the skills needed to be a forensic scientist/investigator.
This module will put into practice the knowledge and skills you have developed in earlier modules and enables you to experience all aspects of the ?crime scene to court? process.Working as a small team, you will go to the crime scene house and, wearing full personal protective equipment, process a range of different mock crime scenes, collecting all the relevant evidence and documenting your actions. You will also analyse the evidence collected in those scenes using the appropriate laboratory equipment and writing scientific reports on the outcomes. For your final assessment, as well as a scientific report you will also create a court report which you will then be cross examined on in a mock court setting.
You will gain an understanding of the England and Wales legal system, with a particular focus on the role of the forensic scientist within this system. You will gain a good understanding of Criminal Law, and understand how an offence is defined, with a view to ensuring that your forensic strategy is relevant to the court of law and is therefore more impactful. You will gain experience of what it is like to be in a court of law and the roles and responsibilities of an Expert Witness. You will also understand the governance and regulations surrounding the production of expert witness statements and be able to produce expert witness statements yourself.You will also gain a greater understanding and appreciation of how probability is used in a court of law and pertaining to the criminal investigation. You will gain an understanding of Bayes Theorem and Case Assessment and Interpretation and will gain practical experience of applying these principles in a range of case studies.
You will devise, plan, execute and report on a substantial piece of independent research work in forensics. The topic will be selected from a list of research projects or you can design your own topic. It will normally include experimental work or fieldwork. The module will allow you to develop skills in defending your work through a viva-voce examination. You will need to select, deploy and adapt techniques, critically interpret and evaluate data, and present your findings both in writing and orally. As part of the viva voce examination you will be expected to give a concise verbal summary of your project, its findings and the significance of the research.
In this module you will discuss new and emerging technologies and concepts in forensic science and forensic investigation. All sessions will be interactive, with the opportunity to discuss your ideas with academic staff and experts from the field during an expert panel discussion.You will attend and participate in a modern forensics conference at the university, where you will present your knowledge of a new and emerging technology or concept in forensics and to present your ideas for the future of the discipline, which will be assessed in an evidence based summary. You will also be assessed on your conference presentation and your abstract and biography, which will form part of the conference proceedings.
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