FORENSIC INVESTIGATION at Canterbury Christ Church University

Do you want a career that is exciting, challenging and rewarding?  Do you want a career that really makes a difference to people and society in a world where crime is a part of everyday life? Do you want a career where every day is different, as you are working at the cutting edge of crime?   If yes, this is the degree for you as forensic investigators are key players in investigating and solving crime and they often provide the evidence that ensures offenders are brought to justice.

During the  course  you will have the opportunity to gain extensive knowledge of forensic theories, practices, procedures, cases and the criminal justice system as a whole, while also developing  practical skills using a range of crime scenes, laboratories, policing and court facilities, supported by experienced who are ex-forensic practitioners. Our students say that the Forensic Investigation course is engaging and exciting and the extensive experience of the teaching team is invaluable, while current forensic professionals confirm that the course is current, accurate, innovative and relevant to a range of careers, so join us to start your forensic career.

Why Forensic Investigation​​​​​​​?

Forensic careers are exciting, challenging, rewarding and really make a difference to people and society in a world where crime is a part of everyday life. There are ample opportunities and avenues that you could follow having studied Forensic Investigation at degree level. The scope of the forensic investigation course is innovative, as the compulsory modules enable you to gain a solid grounding in core areas of Forensic Investigation (e.g. Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Science and Interpretation and Presentation of Evidence), while the optional modules allow you to either focus on forensic investigation or explore related professions, such as policing, law, psychology and cybercrime. This variety is appreciated by our students and highly regarded by the forensic professionals and companies who hire forensic professionals.  In addition to ensuring that the scope, quality and currency of the programme content meets the demands of British benchmarks and forensic employers, we have also embedded a significant amount of practical and laboratory work into the crime scene and forensic science modules, to enable the development of practical skills, competency in completing a range of forensic documentation that you will use when you are employed in the field and an understanding of the application of concepts to real cases.

Our forensic investigation degree is delivered by staff who have worked as practitioners within the forensic field and we therefore have a wealth of experience that brings the theory to life and we have a solid understanding of the core knowledge and skills required for forensic roles. We also have a range of visiting lecturers, who are practitioners working in the forensic field currently, who support the core content of the course with lectures about their field of expertise and arrange trips and visits where possible to allow you to put your knowledge into context.  We also support our students in gaining work experience in the field through volunteer work, paid work, projects with external partners and through regular exposure to forensic professionals through guest lectures, again increasing the chance of employment. 

What will i study?

Members of the Forensic Investigation Staff have worked on high profile forensic cases, such as the London Bombings, the Phuket Tsunami and the Torso in the Thames case.

The Forensic Investigation degree enables you to develop a solid foundation in core forensic themes including Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Science and Interpretation and Presentation of Forensic Evidence (the proportion of each depending on the overall degree title). The course was designed using the QAA Benchmarks for Forensic degree courses, therefore providing you with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills that are valued by forensic and related employers.

To complement these core themes, you will be able to choose from a range of optional modules, including modules exploring police investigation, cybercrime, forensic intelligence, criminal psychology, forensic research, the criminal justice system and specialist forensic disciplines.

Work experience

We promote volunteering to our students and provide support and advice in identifying and applying for volunteering posts and work experience. We also provide some opportunities for students to work in the university as lab demonstrators and often invite our graduates back to deliver sessions on the course. These activities can be recorded with the university and lead to an extracurricular award.