A university student in a white lab coat and purple gloves pipetting samples into a microtitre plate at a forensic laboratory bench, with two clear evidence bags marked with case numbers, a PCR rack, and an open lab notebook beside her.

DEGREE GUIDE

Forensic Science

What do Forensic Science degrees involve?

Forensic Science degrees teach you how to apply scientific techniques to investigate crimes, analyse evidence, and support the justice system. You will explore key areas such as crime scene investigation, forensic chemistry, toxicology, DNA analysis, and criminal law. These courses help you develop strong analytical, laboratory, and problem-solving skills while learning how to interpret evidence and reconstruct events. As you progress, you may specialise in areas such as digital forensics, forensic anthropology, or trace evidence analysis. You will also gain hands-on experience through crime scene simulations, laboratory work, and collaborations with law enforcement professionals. With a combination of scientific expertise and investigative training, you’ll be prepared for careers in forensic analysis, criminal investigation, and forensic consultancy.

Example
Modules

Crime Scene Investigation: Learn how to secure, document and analyse crime scenes using photography, sketching, and evidence handling, ensuring nothing is missed in the search for justice.

Analytical Chemistry: Gain lab skills to identify substances and trace materials, studying chromatography, spectroscopy and chemical reactions used in forensic testing.

Forensic Anthropology: Examine bones to help identify individuals, learning how to assess age, sex, ancestry and trauma from skeletal remains.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement years are common, particularly in labs, policing, or forensic services.
🌍 Study abroad is offered at some institutions.

BSc (Hons) Forensic Science
BSc (Hons) Forensic Science and Criminology
BSc (Hons) Forensic Biology
BSc (Hons) Forensic Science and Psychology
BSc (Hons) Forensic and Analytical Science

A forensic evidence examination bench showing a fingerprint card with two lifted prints, a jar of fingerprint powder with a brush, an evidence bag labelled Exhibit A containing a fibre, a magnifying glass, a forensic measurement ruler, and a clipboard with an evidence log.

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Forensic Science applies scientific techniques to criminal investigations – from analysing DNA and fingerprints to examining crime scenes. Because you'll be working in laboratories and understanding biological and chemical evidence, universities look for at least one science subject.

Universities usually expect one or more from:

Chemistry – relevant for analysing trace evidence, drugs, and toxicology
Biology – important for DNA analysis, blood patterns, and human remains
Physics – accepted by some universities, useful for ballistics and materials analysis
Applied Science – accepted by many universities as an alternative

✨ Chemistry or Biology is usually required – you don't typically need both. Some courses allow you to specialise in either forensic biology or forensic chemistry, so check which suits your interests.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas in Applied Science (being phased out)
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside A-levels that meet the subject requirements above
T-Level in Science
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with a Science subject at Higher Level among your IB subjects (minimum two, ideally three - see relevant subjects above) alongside your Career-Related Study; an Applied Science pathway would be directly relevant

Some courses are more chemistry-focused, others more biology-focused – check specific requirements.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

Most courses ask for:

GCSE English Language, Maths, and Science at grade 4/C or above, or equivalent such as National 5s or MYP

📘 Some universities may prefer a stronger grade in Science or Maths (5/B or above - or equivalent) for more technical courses.

💬 Interviews

Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔍 Work Experience
You don't need work experience to apply, but forensic science is a lab-based discipline and getting practical exposure helps you understand what it involves. Science clubs, extra lab work at school, or entering science competitions all develop the careful, methodical approach this subject demands. If you have a school placement to fill, a laboratory, pharmacy, or police-related setting gives you useful context. Sitting in the public gallery at a Crown Court can also give you insight into how forensic evidence is used in practice.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What interests you about applying science to criminal investigations? Forensic science is a laboratory-based discipline. It uses chemistry, biology, and analytical techniques to examine evidence like DNA, fibres, drugs, and fingerprints. If you enjoy practical science, working carefully and methodically, and the idea of your results having real-world consequences, think about what draws you to forensic work specifically. You don't need to have visited a crime lab, but if you've enjoyed chemistry or biology practicals, explored how forensic techniques actually work, or thought critically about the science behind the headlines (rather than just the drama), reflect on what sparked your curiosity. Reading about how evidence is analysed in real cases, following developments in forensic techniques like DNA profiling, or exploring the difference between forensic science in the lab and forensic science on television can show genuine engagement. Admissions tutors want to see you're drawn to the rigorous science, not just the idea of solving crimes; this degree is much more lab coat than crime scene.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Forensic Science or Science

Many universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required science subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Science or Forensic Science)

Widely accepted by universities offering Forensic Science. Make sure your course includes strong biology and chemistry content, and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your science units.

💼 Level 3 Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships such as Laboratory Technician carry UCAS tariff points from 2026 and can support a university application. Forensic Science degrees are offered broadly, including at universities with flexible admissions policies.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a Forensic Science degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Chemicals, Materials & Reactions: Analytical chemistry is the scientific backbone of the degree. You'll use techniques like chromatography and spectroscopy to identify unknown substances, analyse trace materials, and interpret forensic evidence.

Fairness, Justice & Rights: The whole purpose of forensic science is to serve the justice system. You'll learn how scientific evidence is gathered, preserved, and presented in court to support fair and accurate legal outcomes.

Living Things & the Natural World: Forensic biology is a significant strand. You'll study DNA profiling, forensic genetics, and how biological evidence from crime scenes is analysed and interpreted.

The Human Body & How It Works: You'll study forensic anthropology and toxicology, learning how the human body provides evidence, from how bones reveal identity to how drugs and poisons are processed and detected.

Students who thrive in a Forensic Science degree are often motivated by

Precision and Thoroughness

You feel satisfied when work is done accurately and completely. Whether it's getting calculations exactly right, spotting errors others miss, or making sure every detail is correct, the pursuit of precision gives you a sense of accomplishment. Sloppy or "good enough" work frustrates you, and you take pride in getting things right first time.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

What makes Forensic Science click for the students who love it?

Forensic Science is for the kind of person who can read a whole story out of a fragment or a stain. They want to work out exactly what happened from the traces left behind, the small physical things most people would walk past. Piecing that picture together is what they enjoy most, fitting each clue to the next until it holds. Since the evidence may end up in court, they take care to get the lab and crime-scene work exactly right, knowing one slip can undo the whole case.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you tend to notice things other people miss — small details, inconsistencies, or things that don't quite add up?
Do you enjoy the idea of using science to figure out what really happened — working from clues and evidence rather than guesswork?
Do you find yourself drawn to careful, methodical work where getting things exactly right really matters?
Do you like building a logical argument from evidence — and being confident enough in your reasoning to stand behind it?

Careers a Forensic Science degree could lead you to

Forensic Science

What do Forensic Science degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers a Forensic Science degree could lead you to

Example
Modules