Applied Criminal and Forensic Investigation

Studying Applied Criminal and Forensic Investigation gives you the specialist skills, investigative mindset and practical experience needed to thrive in a wide range of modern investigative careers.

Within your first year, you build a strong foundation in investigative principles, learning how evidence is gathered, preserved and assessed in line with legislation such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). You will explore traditional and digital forensics, safeguarding, public protection, and offender behaviour, helping you understand how investigations unfold within a multi‑agency environment.

In your second year, you deepen your expertise in digital crime, forensic techniques and investigative strategy. You develop your ability to think critically, ethically and strategically while strengthening your academic skills in writing, research, teamwork and communication. You also benefit from specialist facilities, including the Crime Scene House, Virtual Reality Suite and Hydra Immersive Teaching Suite, where you apply theory to realistic scenarios.

In Anatomy of a Crime, you follow a full case from initial report to conclusion, developing witness, forensic, digital and intelligence strategies while applying the nationally recognised PEACE interviewing model. Industry speakers, expert practitioners and staff from the Institute of Policing ensure your learning is rooted in real investigative practice.

In your final year before graduation, you will continue developing skills in investigating Digital Crime and understanding Safeguarding and Management of Offenders. Importantly, you will learn how to manage people and the global nature of Investigations. Finally, you will complete a research project dissertation on a subject of your choice relevant to the field of study.

By the end of the course, you will have gained practical investigative experience, strong forensic and digital skills, and the critical mindset needed for roles across policing, regulatory bodies and private‑sector investigation units. You graduate as an ethical, capable and well‑rounded investigator ready for the demands of contemporary practice.

Course Modules

Check out "visit our course page link" underneath the provider information section at the bottom of this page for the most up-to-date information about what you will be studying.

Modular in structure, this course contains three 40-credit modules each year. Each with 80 hours of face-to-face teaching over 10-week terms, with 320 hours of self-directed study. Assessments per module will vary, but will include a podcast, an academic poster, essays and other academic submissions, for example, a decision policy file.

You will be supported with various teaching methods used on this course, including live in-person classroom learning, independent study, in-person small group activities, experiential practical learning and problem-based learning. The 40-credit modules are designed to use role-play activities together with specialist facilities such as the Hydra Immersive Suite and Crime Scene House to provide you with authentic activities and assessments relevant to the role of an investigator.