Forensic Science

Entry requirements

The typical offer for this course is a 2:2 or above honours degree in Forensic Science, Chemistry or a relevant discipline, e.g. a physical or life sciences, not criminology. Applicants with alternative qualifications will also need appropriate experience in analysis.

Please note: each application for this course is assessed on an individual basis and may be subject to additional requirements, such as undertaking short course(s), work experience and/or English language qualification(s). Meeting particular minimum entry requirements does not automatically guarantee a place.

Months of entry

September

Course content

You’ll gain practical experience by investigating evidence in our scene-of-crime house

You'll also present expert witness testimony in a mock courtroom trial in Kingston Crown Court, in collaboration with law students.

Kingston University is one of the few UK institutions with an accredited forensic casework laboratory on-site. Kingston Analytical Services Toxicology (KAST) is an ISO 17025 and FSR codes accredited laboratory specialising in the testing of toxicology samples for the criminal justice system. The development of KAST by Kingston University academics demonstrates our excellence in forensic and analytical sciences.

You’ll also have the opportunity to carry out a research project. This can be completed in our extensive laboratories, in industry (potential placements include forensic labs, analytical companies, contract pharmaceutical companies or hospital labs). Alternatively, it can be completed as collaborative research with other laboratories and external partners.

Students can benefit from a wide range of facilities for practical work at our Penrhyn Road campus, including:

• our £9.8 million Eadweard Muybridge building with state-of the art laboratories
• new work areas and dedicated laboratories for research
• specialist equipment, such as:
  • chromatography instruments
  • a breathalyser
  • electrophoresis equipment
  • electron microscopes
  • electrochemical analysis
  • nuclear science equipment
  • thermal analysis
  • x-ray diffractometers
• spectrometers, including mass spectrometers, infrared spectrometers and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers
• computing laboratories and a team of IT technicians to offer assistance