Forensic Science
Entry requirements
A level
Including Chemistry For year 2 entry, BCC including Chemistry and either Biology or Human Biology
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
including Chemistry or Biology For year 2 entry, 28 points required including Chemistry and Biology
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Including Chemistry
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
For year 2 entry
Scottish Advanced Higher
including Chemistry and Biology/Human Biology
Scottish HNC
Entry to Year 2 with a HNC in Applied Science or relevant science-based title
Scottish HND
Entry to Year 3 with HND in a relevant subject
Scottish Higher
Including Chemistry
T Level
UCAS Tariff
Including Chemistry
About this course
**OVERVIEW**
The BSc (Hons) Forensic Science degree will prepare you for a career in a vital role in the UK and international criminal justice systems through recent advances in analytical sciences and genetics as you will develop expertise in crime scene examination and the scientific examination of recovered materials.
This degree will prepare you for life as a forensic scientist capable of using the latest chemical and biological techniques to analyse materials such as drugs, toxicology samples, trace evidence, DNA and ignitable liquids. This will help you in prepare for a career such as a Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) or a civilian forensic support role which assists the police / law enforcement to investigate serious crimes and obtain vital fingerprint or DNA evidence. You will also have access to work-based learning opportunities with industry partners including GlaxoSmithKline.
**PRACTICAL FOCUS**
The BSc (Hons) Forensic Science will equip you with the practical and transferable skills for a rewarding career as a forensic scientist in Scotland or abroad.
Laboratory work is an important part of your studies, practical exercises include chemical analysis, optical microscopy, biochemical tests, forensic anthropology, fingerprint development and CSI.
Other activities will develop transferable skills, these include writing a report on a high-profile case, making a poster presentation, participating in a mock court and giving a presentation on a crime scene.You will be exposed to state-of-the-art specialist software to present investigation findings.
Throughtout the course, your lectures are augmented by a variety of activities such as group work, guest speakers from industry.
After year 3 you will also have the option to undertake a year’s paid work experience as part of the BSc (Hons) Forensic Science (Sandwich award). This is normally spent working in an industry based pharmaceutical or environmental laboratory.
**PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION & YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT**
Graduates of the BSc (Hons) Forensic Science are eligible to apply for Associate Membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry (AMRSC). Successful application is, however, dependent on your subject selection within the degree. AMRSC status allows you to start your journey towards chartered status by joining the professional registers. As an AMRSC you can apply to become a Registered Scientist (RSci).
**CAREER PROSPECTS**
The BSc (Hons) Forensic Science offers an excellent foundation for a rewarding career in a support services function with the following law enforcement and national security agencies: Police Scotland / UK police forces / HM Customs and Excise / UK Border Force
The transferable skills gained also make graduates attractive to many employers in the biotechnology, biomedical, chemical and pharmaceutical industries in environmental protection, accident investigation, distilling and brewing, chemical analysis, drug research, and policing roles. Recent UWS graduates have secured roles, including:
Crime scene examiner // Environmental forensic scientist // Counterfeit whiskey investigator // Pharmaceutical researcher // Alzheimer’s disease researcher
**Further Study**
Previous graduates from the BSc (Hons) Forensic Science have choose to continue their studies in forensic science on taught MSc degrees and in postgraduate research (PhD) programmes.
Modules
In year 1, you will cover core chemistry and bioscience topics and be introduced to data analysis. In forensic science, a range of topics are studied including drink driving, drugs, fingerprint development, explosions and crime scene investigation.
In year 2, core chemistry modules are studied, building knowledge and practical skills in organic, physical and analytical chemistry. Classical and molecular genetics are studied along with a genetics laboratory. Crime scene investigation is studied along with the use of probability and statistics to evaluate forensic evidence.
In year 3, a range of forensic topics are examined in greater detail. You will begin to specialise in the treatment and analysis of evidence through modules which include extensive hands-on experience of instrumental techniques used routinely in forensic science investigations. This includes the study of arson (fires and explosions), fibre microscopy, electron microscopy of fire-arms discharge residue, DNA profiling, chemical and biochemical analysis, chromatographic analysis of toxicology samples and the spectroscopic analysis of seized drugs. Crime scene examination is covered in a number of modules with a focus on topics such as contamination prevention, trace evidence recovery and presumptive tests for blood and drugs.
Finally, in year 4, specialist modules will deepen your understanding of analytical sciences, forensic biology, toxicology and physical evidence. Students will have hands-on access to the modern instrumental techniques at the forefront of forensic science such as ICP-MS, NMR spectroscopy, GC-MS and Scanning electron microscopy with elemental analysis. A major part of your finaly year of studies is a supervised research project on a topic of your choice. Recent projects include spectroscopy of cannabinoids, novel extraction of benzo-diazepines, development of a fingerprint powder, presumptive tests for saliva and spectroscopic identification of trace evidence.
Assessment methods
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials and workshops.
You will also have the opportunity to take part in group work and independent learning to develop your transferable skills such as research, presentation, communication and working as part of a team.
This degree is assessed using a variety of assessment methods including:
// Written examinations // Coursework // Practical assessments // Reasearch poster presentation // Dissertation
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships
The Uni
Paisley Campus
Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Chemistry
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Chemistry
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Chemistry graduates are in demand from a wide range of industries, from the food, oil, chemicals and pharmaceuticals to consultancy, technical analysis and teaching. They're also prized by business and finance employers for their research and data handling skills — anywhere there is research and data to be explained, you can find chemistry grads. If you want a career in research, you need a doctorate, so start planning now if you fancy one of these exciting and challenging jobs - but good students can usually get grants to take a doctorate, so don't worry about the financing if you think you have what it takes. The recession wasn’t too kind to chemists, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry (one of the key employers for chemists), but things are getting back to normal for this flexible group and it's one of the few degrees that is bucking the current trend and increasing graduate numbers.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Chemistry
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£23k
£29k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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