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What makes Forensic and Applied Biology at Worcester special?

At Worcester you can study forensic science alongside the biological aspects that underpin it, deepening your understanding and enhancing your employment prospects. With the forensic content you can learn 'what' to do, but with the addition of biology you will also learn 'how' and 'why', thus gaining a more rounded body of knowledge highly valued by employers.

All of the modules are interactive and give you all important experience of applying theory in real world practical sessions. Students are taught and supported in comparatively small groups by experts in their field.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Our Forensic and Applied Biology BSc course is ranked 18th out of all Forensic Science courses across the country
  • Accredited by the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. The first undergraduate degree in the country to be accredited with them for the Forensic Archaeology Component Standard
  • Excellent facilities including research labs, crime scene simulation house, geophysical equipment for detecting concealed burials and crime scene investigation kits
  • Strong industry links with West Mercia and Warwickshire police, and the Severn Area Rescue Association
  • Highly experienced staff with over 100 years combined experience in the field, giving you access to realistic scenes and real cases
  • Graduates successfully compete for both biological and forensic careers
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University of the Year - Finalist 2020

We're proud to have been shortlisted for the prestigious Times Higher Education University of the Year for the second year running.

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Student views

Chloe, Joe and Becci share their experiences of the course.

"There is a very hands on approach which I find enhances the learning. My personal favourite session was when the on-site crime scene house was set up for us to go and investigate, we managed to link it to a car and then to a ' body dump site' it was amazing!!"

Liz Webb, Forensic and Applied Biology student

Entry requirements

What qualifications will you need?

96-104
UCAS tariff points

Entry requirements

96 UCAS Tariff points MUST include A2 Biology and A2 another science, maths or statistics.

104 UCAS Tariff points MUST include A2 Biology.

Don't quite meet the entry requirements or returning to education? Consider studying a Biological Science with Foundation Year.

Other information

Non-standard entry via the exploratory essay route is available.

The University will consider each application on its individual merits and will recognise a range of qualifications not currently included in the Tariff, including pre-2002 qualifications such as GNVQ.

If your qualifications are not listed, please contact the Admissions Office for advice on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk for advice.

Further information about the UCAS Tariff can be obtained from http://www.ucas.com

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Course content

What will you study?

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

Year 1

Mandatory

  • Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • Introduction to Forensic Sciences
  • Cell Biology
  • Introduction to Biological Chemistry 

Optional

Year 2

Mandatory

  • Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology
  • Project and Career Development
  • Crime Scene Investigation 
  • Medical Forensic Science

Optional           

  • Work Experience
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • Human Genetics
  • Death & Burial
  • Immunology
  • Optional language modules      

Year 3

Mandatory

  • Research Project
  • Interpretation, Evaluation and Reporting of Evidence
  • Forensic DNA Analysis
  • Biological Indicators for Crime Reporting        

Optional

  • Work Experience
  • Pharmacology
  • Genomics and Bioinformatics   
  • Extension Module        
  • Parasitology
  • Biochemistry of cancer
  • Animal movement

Classes and experiences

Typical student experiences include investigating a sheep brain in the lab, skeletal detection and recovery field studies and work with local police forces. 
Teaching and assessment

How will you be taught?

We enable you to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement.

A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of lectures, practical work, field work, video presentations, group tutorials, discussions, directed reading, and formative assessments. The first year also includes study skills sessions. The course is very practical and offers you the opportunity to undertake an independent project in your third year. The emphasis on the development of 'hands on' practical skills will provide you with useful skills for your future career.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least 4 occasions in the first year and three occasions in each of the other years of a course.

You have an opportunity to take a work experience module in your second or third year, to engage with an Erasmus scheme and spend a semester abroad, or to become involved in staff research through the Vacation Research Assistantship Scheme.

Contact time

In a typical week you will have around 16 contact hours of teaching. The precise contact hours will depend on the optional modules selected and in the final year you will normally have slightly less contact time in order to do more independent study.

Typically class contact time will be structured around:

  • 4 hours of lectures
  • 11 hours of supervised laboratory practicals
  • 1 hour of group workshops
  • 1 hour of Study Skills (first year only)

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 27 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve going over your lecture notes and reading around the topic in order to reinforce the content, completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. You will mainly be taught by senior academics, but visiting speakers with specialised expertise may deliver some sessions. Technicians support practical sessions.

Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Teaching is informed by the research and consultancy, and 93 per cent of course lecturers in the Biological Sciences have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. Twenty per cent also have Teaching Fellowships from the University of Worcester. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.

Assessment methods include practical reports, presentations, posters, on-line activities, essays and examinations (which may be practical, written, data analysis, seen exams or open book exams).

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

Year 1
1 Essay
1 Forensic statement
2 Practical tests
2 Practical files
5 exams

Year 2
2 forensic case notes and statements
2 in class tests
3 practical reports
3 exams of 1.5 or 2 hours duration
1 portfolio of evidence
1 data exercise
1 research proposal
1 CV and practice job interview

Year 3
1 Independent study report
1 poster presentation
3 examinations of 1.5 or 2 hours duration
1 court room assessment
1 in class test
3 forensic case notes / witness statement
1 portfolio
1 essay
1 online activity

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Meet the team

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.

Here are a few of the current Forensic tutors and guest speakers. The biological aspects on the course will be taught by our specialist Biology tutors.

kate-unwin

Kate Unwin

Since February 2002 I have been a Forensic Biologist and have worked in this area and role since that time first with the Forensic Science Service as a Reporting Officer and then with Cellmark Forensic Services (to date).

During my time as a Forensic Scientist I have worked on hundreds of criminal cases, including offences such as sexual offences, serious assaults, murder, burglary, fraud and hit and run. Throughout my time as a Forensic Scientist I have examined evidence, both within a laboratory environment and at scenes of crimes. I have been classified as an expert witness and my areas of expertise include body fluid evidence, damage assessment and DNA profiling. I have given evidence in both Crown and Magistrates courts (my first court appearance being at the Old Bailey!).

I have worked alongside the Police, the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service), Defence Scientists, CSI (Crime Scene Investigators) and a wide range of specialists and world leaders in the field of Forensic Science.

I am currently also involved in training and awareness sessions for three local police forces.

During my time at the University of Worcester I have used my extensive case work experience to develop a course which gives students a true insight into the world of Forensic Science. Furthermore, the course is enhanced by the use of real case examples and my passion for enabling students to carry out as much practical work as possible to enhance the theory delivered on the course and maximize their employability opportunities.

dr-beverley-adams-groom

Dr Beverley Adams-Groom

Beverley is a leading expert in pollen forecasting and provides the UK and Ireland with forecasts for all the main airborne allergens, aided by colleagues in the pollen forecast team, and working in association with the UK Met Office. The main discipline for this work is Aerobiology, which is the study of the production, emission and dispersal of biological particles (bioaerosols).

Beverley is also involved in the field of Palynology, which is the study of microscopic biological particles (mainly pollen and spore identification). She applies this in the quality assurance of honeys for the UKs honey companies and analysts. This is a form of forensic work, involving identification of pollen extracted from honey of various countries to ensure the origin and floral composition. Beverley has also worked extensively on crime cases, applying palynology to produce evidence of links between suspect and crime scene.

keith-unwin

Keith Unwin

I first became a Forensic scientist in 2000, shortly after I graduated with honours in Applied Biology from Newcastle University. Since that time I have worked for two of the largest Forensic providers in the country. During my time as a court going Reporting officer, I have been involved in many high profile investigation and scenes. I have also been involved in the training of Forensic scientists and police officers in areas of scene examination and court reporting.

In 2011 I became a lecturer at the University of Worcester alongside my role as a Forensic scientist. I found that enjoyed it and that I got great satisfaction from seeing students develop, learn and grow through the three year course and go on to become scientific professionals in their own rights.

Careers

Where could it take you?

Employability

This course provides you with the core biology skills and knowledge to make you suitable candidates for all the biological careers available to those students on the mainstream biology programmes as well as forensic areas. These include:

  • Research
  • Biological testing
  • Teacher training
  • Medical sales
  • Diagnostics testing
  • Crime scene investigation
  • Forensic biology / sciences
  • Civil services
  • The police force
  • Further study - Masters / PhD.

There is a good employability rate for this course upon successful completion with our graduates going on to enjoy a variety of opportunities from Forensic toxicology, Forensic DNA analysis, Science based laboratory positions and further studies which include Phd/MSc/MRes in a number areas such as Genetics / Molecular studies, Forensic Anthropology and teaching qualifications.

This course prepares you for a range of careers in different fields and services, including the police force, fire service, local government and planning, laboratory and environmental research, Civil Service or teaching and all biology careers available to those on a traditional biology degree course (due to the unique combination of forensic and core biology course content).

You will have opportunities to develop a wide range of intellectual, practical and social skills. These include primary research using both quantitative and qualitative techniques, data collection and analysis, oral and verbal communication, critical evaluation and laboratory techniques.

In addition to transferable academic skills, you will develop skills and the confidence to operate in both the forensic area and a wide variety of other work environments.

For example, Biologists who can look at evidence and make measured and reasoned arguments are not only required in scientific fields but also in the media, retailing and finance to ensure there is a balanced view relating to new technology and the estimation of risk.

There is also a need for people to be able to explain these scientific arguments in 'lay' terms, not only in teaching but also in a wide range of other vocations.

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Costs

How much will it cost?

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fee for full-time UK and EU students registering in the academic year 2020/21 is £9,250 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international (non-EU) students registering in the academic year 2020/21 is £12,700 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fees for part-time UK and EU students registering on this course in the academic year 2020/21 are £1,156 per 15-credit module, £1,542 per 20 credit module, £2,313 per 30-credit module, £3,083 per 40-credit module, £3,469 per 45-credit module and £4,625 per 60 credit module.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying. The amounts vary between courses.

If your course offers a placement opportunity, you may need to pay for a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience, and our welcoming student communities are great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our halls of residence. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Hall' at £105 per week to 'En-suite Extra' at £169 per week (2020/21 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.
Joe Butler

Joe Butler

"I owe a great deal of gratitude to the University of Worcester, my time spent studying on the Forensic & Applied biology course was well spent. A week after my last assignment and before I had even been to my own graduation ceremony I was employed by the UK’s largest forensic science provider.

The education I received in Worcester was the impetus that got my foot in the door.  I started my career working in the biology casework department working on a huge variety of cases. This spanned from simple cases to high profile murder cases. I then made a lateral move into the drugs department where I am now a court reporting officer. I wrote my dissertation project on the commercially notorious ‘legal highs’ that have been proliferated by the media. Now these new psychoactive substances form a large amount of the work I see on a daily basis.

During my studies I did a lot of extracurricular activities such as co-founding the student run forensic society, facilitated the training of crime scene investigators, worked on a validation project for police DNA lab, work placement in a morgue. I volunteered with victim support and then went on to become a police support volunteer helping to look for missing persons. I now come back to Worcester to lecture and discuss my expertise."

I am not surprised that the Introduction to Forensic Science module has just won a student's choice award, my first year has been extremely exciting learning all about the different types of evidence that can be detected, collected and interpreted.

Liz Webb, Forensic and Applied Biology student

How to apply

How do you apply?

Applying through UCAS

Forensic and Applied Biology BSc (Single Honours) FC41 BSc/FSAB

UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for entry onto full-time undergraduate courses in Higher Education in the UK.

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application.

UCAS Code

FC41

Apply Via UCAS

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

 

Admissions office

admissions@worc.ac.uk
01905 855111

Kate Unwin

Award Leader
kate.unwin@worc.ac.uk
01905 54 2211

SSE Academic Support Unit

sse@worc.ac.uk
01905 855201/02/23

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