Forensic Science – (M.Sc.)

The MSc is a one-year conversion course offering candidates the opportunity to qualify as scientific and court-going forensic scientists, as well as making them eligible for all industrial posts where problem-solving analyses are required.

It covers the areas of :

* criminalistics (statistics, splash patterns/particulate material distribution)
* forensic chemistry (fires, explosives, glass, paint, soil, etc),
* toxicology
* drugs of abuse (cannabis, heroin, cocaine, etc)
* body fluid analysis (blood, saliva, semen, vaginal secretions, etc)
* hair and fibre (natural and manmade) analysis,
* and questioned documents.

The emphasis on scenes-of-crime appraisal and the presentation of evidence in the witness box requires candidates to become expert analysts and develop strong written and verbal communication skills.

Students become familiar with :

* all common separation techniques (thin layer, HPLC and gas chromatography)
* modern spectroscopic methods (infra-red, ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence)
* and microscopic procedures (polarising, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy)

DNA analysis forms a central role in body fluid characterisation.

MSc students undertake a three-month placement in a forensic science institute.

The eight-month Postgraduate Diploma course has core elements in common with the MSc course, but does not include a simulated court exercise, or the placement.

All teaching and research is carried out in the Centre for Forensic Science, which is the only one of its type in the EU teaching the broad aspects of forensic science.

Staff are experienced researchers in forensic science and all have presented evidence as expert witnesses in Courts of Law.

The Centre works in close collaboration with UK forensic laboratories.