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Forensic Science with a Year Abroad

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,C,C

including any required subjects as listed in the relevant qualification section

The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants should have grade C or 4 in Maths GCSE or a suitable equivalent level qualification.

120 Tariff points from your IB Diploma, including HL Chemistry or HL Biology at 5. Typically H5, H6, H6

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-DMM

including any required subjects as listed in the relevant qualification section

Scottish Highers qualifications are considered on an individual basis

The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.

UCAS Tariff

104-120

including any required subjects as listed in the relevant qualification section

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Forensic science

**Are you fascinated by the science behind crime scene incident investigation, evidence recovery and analysis? Keen to develop your investigative and laboratory skills and be trained in the delivery of expert witness testimony? This fascinating and challenging course teaches you skills that are attractive to employers in all fields, giving you the best possible start towards your future career.**

We create simulated crime scenes and conduct major incident exercises where you react in real time to an unfolding event. You can even prepare a case for court and present it at a simulated trial in a realistic court environment. You’ll see how forensic skills can also be applied within archaeology and in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

This course is fully accredited by The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.

**Reasons to study Forensic Science at Kent**
* Forensic Science at Kent was ranked 3rd in The Complete University Guide 2023.

* Apply your knowledge and practical skills in our fantastic forensic investigation facilities, which include a crime scene house and vehicles along with industry standard laboratories.

* Spend a year on professional placement gaining valuable experience before you graduate. It’s also possible to spend a year studying abroad.

* Our unique courses teach you the science behind crime scenes, as well as criminal law and specialist modules such as ballistics, DNA analysis and digital forensics.

* Our Forensic Science degree is accredited by The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.

* We support you in all areas of your student life with excellent in-house student support to assist with pastoral issues; careers experts with specialist knowledge to help prepare you for a great future; and Academic Advisors and Peer Mentors to help with your studies.

**What you'll learn**
* You start by getting to grips with the broad base of knowledge on which forensic science is built, including core chemistry, biochemistry, drug chemistry, and ballistics. You also develop solid investigative and laboratory skills.

* Next you build on this knowledge to cover analytical chemistry, forensic archaeology, digital forensics, fires and explosions, and firearms. You also are trained in forensic expert witness skills.

* Our crime scene house helps you to develop your approaches to evidence recording and preservation, and to appreciate the importance of persistence. Extensive use of these practical sessions helps to prepare you for the diverse nature of crime scenes you may encounter in your future career and to develop many transferable skills for the future.

* You spend the third year of this four-year degree at one of our partner universities. As well as studying some relevant credits during your year abroad, you also get the chance to study new and unrelated subjects, giving you the chance to broaden your knowledge and experience.

**Year Abroad**
Expand your horizons and tailor your degree to suit you with a year abroad, where you'll study at one of our partner institutions for a year. Studying abroad can help you grow in confidence, enhance your employability, plus you'll make friends in the country you're studying in and meet other adventurous students from around the world.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£22,700
per year
International
£22,700
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Kent

Department:

School of Physical Sciences

Read full university profile

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.

91%
Forensic science

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below 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.

Forensic and archaeological sciences

Teaching and learning

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
91%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

76%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
99%
Course specific equipment and facilities
82%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
32%
Male students
68%
Female students
94%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

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.

Forensic and archaeological sciences

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.

£19,399
high
Average annual salary
91%
low
Employed or in further education
46%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Science, engineering and production technicians
21%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
7%
Business, research and administrative professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Forensic and archaeological sciences

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£23k

£23k

£28k

£28k

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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here