Course description

The highlights

• If you are a Forensic Science graduate, this Masters will deepen your specialist forensics knowledge, advance your broader laboratory analysis skills, and enable you to undertake research in an area of your choice
• If you are a graduate from another science discipline (such as chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences or another analytical science), this Masters will enable you to learn specialist forensic science skills and techniques, at the same time as building on your expertise in laboratory analysis and research
• You will have access to a range of specialist facilities, including our Forensic Training Facility, forensic laboratories, specialist imaging suite, insectary, forensic anthropology suite, photography suite, vehicles, clandestine burial site, courtroom, and ballistics laboratory
• Our highly-acclaimed teaching team have a wealth of industry and research experience, both in the UK and internationally.

A new kind of Forensic Science MSc

This brand-new Masters has been specifically designed to appeal to both graduates of forensic science, and graduates of other analytical science degrees. It enables you to: advance your scientific analysis skills and apply these to a forensic science context, develop your own specialisms (such as in entomology, fire analysis or drug analysis), and pursue your own research interests.

You will learn to use your scientific knowledge in practical ways, working closely with our expert lecturers to undertake research and gain insight into industry.

This Masters covers a broad range of subjects relating to the application, interpretation and validation of laboratory based analytical techniques. For instance, we will cover areas such as:

• advanced professional and employability skills for forensic scientists
• separation science/chromatography
• advanced bioanalytical techniques, such as biological presumptives / screening, ELISA/EIA, PCR, capillary electrophoresis, advanced microscopy
• advanced analysis of crime scenes and evidence, which may include fire, entomology, blood pattern, DVI/anthropology, drugs and more
• spectroscopy and structural analysis
• research methods and data interpretation.

You will also undertake an Independent Research Project in a specialism of your choice, supported by an academic supervisor. The aim is to develop high-quality, original research that could be published. This will enable you to deepen your knowledge in a particular area of forensic science, and gain vital research experience if you're intending to move on to a PhD or further research after the programme.

Specialist facilities

Our bespoke Forensic Training Facility includes several crime scenes. There are domestic crime scenes — including a bedroom, lounge, garage and office — and there are also commercial crime scenes, such as a pharmacy or pub. The Facility also features a blood pattern analysis room used for both teaching and research, as well as state-of-the-art digital surveillance, including panoramic CCTV and equipment for two-way audio recording, so you can get live feedback during your investigations.

Other forensic science facilities include:

• an osteology lab for skeletal study
• ninhydrin and cyanoacrylate fuming chambers for fingerprint development
• a wet forensic lab
• a darkroom for specialised light searching
• an entomology lab and insectary for insect investigation
• a clandestine burial site
• a ballistics laboratory
• replica courtroom for presenting evidence
• two crime scene cars, and
• forensic imaging facilities.

This is an applied science MSc that teaches you to be highly analytical, so we have dedicated forensic, biological and chemical laboratories featuring a range of modern instrumentation. Our analytical equipment includes:

• Gas chromatography — mass spectrometry (GC-MS), including automated head space (HS) and solid phase microextraction (SPME) samplers
• Gas chromatography — flame ionisation detection (GC-FID)
• High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultra-violet (UV) and diode array detection (DAD)
• Liquid chromatography — mass spectrometry (LC-MS)
• Ion chromatography (IC)
• Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
• Scanning electron microscopy with X-ray diffraction (SEM-XRD)
• Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), including graphite furnace AAS (GF-AAS)
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), including attenuated total reflectance stage (ATR-FTIR)
• Ultra-violet/visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis)
• Fluorescence microscopy
• Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for DNA analysis
• Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)
• Capillary electrophoresis (CE).

Expert teaching. Inspiring research.

Our staff are supportive, approachable and passionate about their subjects. We have a great balance of expertise: some of the team are leading researchers, while others have significant experience in the forensic science industry — both in the UK and internationally.

Our research staff are conducting important studies into fields such as entomology, forensic photography, anthropology, taphonomy, drug analysis, and fire investigations.

Take a look at Sanita Nezirovic, lecturer in Forensic Science, discussing her involvement, as an anthropologist, in profiling a Bronze Age skeleton recently discovered in Northumbria:

How you will learn

During this Masters programme, you will learn in a variety of ways, including through crime scene training, lectures, workshops, practical laboratory sessions and court room role-play.

Your assessments may include formal witness statements and expert testimony, essays, laboratory reports, timed assessments, presentations and a dissertation.