Forensic Science (Foundation)

Reasons to choose Kingston

• This course is accredited by the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (CSFS) and will renew accreditation in 2031.

• Kingston is ranked top in London for Forensic Science by the Complete University Guide 2025 and the New Scientist Careers Guide 2024.

• We’ve received three commendations from the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences for our state-of-the-art technology, innovative student training, and enrichment activities with a strong employability focus, including guest lectures, paid placements, and collaborations with law students at mock trials.

• Our commitment to high quality teaching has been recognised with a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold rating. The University has received an overall rating of Gold, as well as securing a Gold award in the framework's two new student experience and student outcomes categories.

About this course
Our four-year integrated foundation year courses are ideal if you have non-traditional or unrelated qualifications or experience, are returning to education or would like some support to prepare for a degree. Subject materials and teaching are tailored to degrees at Kingston. You’ll develop practical, technical and communication skills, and apply knowledge to real-life problems.

This course prepares you for a career as a forensic scientist. Case studies, evidence interpretation, fieldwork and laboratory training cover all aspects of investigating a criminal offence. These include crime scene processing, forensic archaeology, drugs, toxicology, DNA profiling, body fluids, entomology, fibres, fire investigation and ballistics. You’ll also have an introduction to criminal law, which includes cross-examination in a Crown Court setting.

Specialist topics include blood pattern analysis (BPA), gunshot residue detection, counterfeits and forgeries, and the analysis of trace evidence. When you graduate you’ll be eligible to apply to be an Associate of the CSFS. In addition, this course also provides additional industry recognised certificates in BPA, forensic toxicology and DNA profiling at no extra cost.

We have recently updated our modules to enhance student-centred teaching and align course content with industry needs.

Future Skills
Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

Career opportunities
You’ll be prepared to work in a range of environments, including forensic laboratories, policing, analytical chemistry laboratories, hospitals and private consultancies.

Example modules:

• Analytical Techniques in Forensic Science
• Crime Scene, Evidence and Law
• Forensic Archaeology
• Forensic Chemistry and Trace Analysis.

For a full list of modules please visit the Kingston University course webpage.

Teaching includes lectures, seminars, workshops and practicals using specialist teaching areas such as our scene-of-crime house, private bone collection and state of the art analytical laboratories.

Forms of assessment include end-of-module exams, coursework exercises, laboratory reports, and presentations.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences