MSc Audio and Video Forensics

Program Overview

This MSc Audio and Video Forensics program, developed in partnership with Merseyside Police, equips students with the skills and knowledge to specialize in the field of digital forensics. Through a combination of theory, practical application, and state-of-the-art technology, the program prepares graduates for careers in audio and video forensics, law enforcement, or other industries requiring digital forensic expertise. The program's focus on applied learning and industry integration ensures graduates are highly employable in this growing field.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This MSc Audio and Video Forensics program is designed to prepare current and future media practitioners for work in the field of Audio and Video Forensics. It utilizes state-of-the-art methods and technology to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to help fight crime in the digital age. The program is specifically designed to help current and future practitioners drive forward the quality and impact of their work in the field.

Objectives:

• To provide students with a thorough understanding of the relevant theory, skills, processes, and procedures pertinent to their current or potential role as an Audio or Video Forensic Specialist.
• To equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to convert their current related qualifications and/or skills into high-value specialisms that can serve the many industries that now require qualified informed audio and video forensic expertise.
• To prepare students for a career in Audio and Video Forensics, working with or for the police, private investigative services, or other organizations that require digital forensic expertise.

Description:

The program is a bespoke course developed in partnership with Merseyside Police. It incorporates all the legal standards and guidelines that govern the use of various forms of digital media as evidence in investigation processes. The program is specifically designed to help current and future practitioners drive forward the quality and impact of their work in the field.

Outline:

Course Content:

The program covers a wide range of topics related to Audio and Video Forensics, including:

• Audio and video processing
• Signal processing
• Modern CSI techniques
• Media forensics investigation
• Evidence analysis
• Forensic Standards, Regulations, and Procedures
• Media Formats
• Research Skills
• Advanced Audio Forensics
• Advanced Video Forensics
• Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes, and the Future

Course Structure:

The program is a part-time course that can be completed in 27 months. It is divided into modules, each of which focuses on a specific area of Audio and Video Forensics.

Course Schedule:

• Year 1:
• Audio Forensics
• CCTV and Video Forensics
• Forensic Standards, Regulations, and Procedures
• Media Formats
• Research Skills
• Year 2:
• Advanced Audio Forensics
• Advanced Video Forensics
• Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes, and the Future
• Final 3 Months:
• MSc Dissertation

Individual Modules:

• MSc Dissertation: This project module provides students with the opportunity to develop their own in-depth investigation, undertake high-quality academic research, and demonstrate critical evaluation of their results.
• Audio Forensics: This module provides students with a thorough understanding of the relevant theory, skills, processes, and procedures pertinent to their current or potential role as an Audio Technician and prepares them for a career as an Audio Forensic Specialist.
• CCTV and Video Forensics: This module provides students with a thorough understanding of the relevant theory, skills, processes, and procedures pertinent to their potential role as a CCTV Video Forensic Specialist.
• Media Formats: This module introduces students to many of the formats that have been used to store and distribute media and explains the ways modern digital techniques can transfer, store, preserve, and interrogate their often-unique content to the very highest standards.
• Research Skills: This module is important as it sets the groundwork for the completion of the MSc project.
The module provides grounding in the skills required to formulate a project plan, design experiments, mitigate against uncertainties, and deliver a comprehensive description of the results.
• Advanced Audio Forensics: This module builds on the basic introductory knowledge accumulated in previous modules and provides students with a thorough understanding of the advanced practical theory, skills, processes, and procedures pertinent to their current or potential role as an Audio Forensic Specialist.
• Advanced Video Forensics: This module builds on the basic introductory knowledge accumulated in previous modules and provides students with a thorough understanding of the advanced practical theory, skills, processes, and procedures pertinent to their current or potential role as a Video Forensic Specialist.
It also examines the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing AI methodologies and related ethical issues.

Assessment:

• Assessment is through practical activities and coursework.

Teaching:

• Study Hours: Teaching contact is approximately five hours per week in semester one and two.
Self-study would bring the total study time to 20 hours per week.
• Teaching Methods: Teaching within modules is normally through online sessions delivering core knowledge and underpinning theory, which is reinforced by the use of tutorials and practice sessions.
• Applied Learning: Learning is heavily focused on applied learning related to the work many of the intended applicants will do every day.
The assessment philosophy is "learn by doing."
• Faculty: The program is led by Colin Robinson, who brings decades of professional audio and related media expertise, with 12 years of hands-on teaching of Broadcasting, Acoustics, Audio Restoration, and Audio and Video Forensics.

Careers:

• The program prepares students for a variety of career paths in Audio and Video Forensics, including:
• Audio Forensic Specialist
• CCTV Video Forensic Specialist
• Digital Forensic Investigator
• Forensic Analyst
• Crime Scene Investigator
• Law Enforcement Officer
• Private Investigator
• The program also provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to work in other industries that require digital forensic expertise, such as:
• Media Production
• Broadcasting
• Security

Other:

• The program is delivered in partnership with Merseyside Police.
• The program utilizes state-of-the-art methods and technology.
• The program is specifically designed to help current and future practitioners drive forward the quality and impact of their work in the field.
• The program is fully integrated and complimentary, with modules designed to help students convert their current related qualifications and/or skills into high-value specialisms.
• The program equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to operate within the proposed ISO frameworks of Modern Digital Forensic Services.
• The program prepares students for enhanced employability in specialist areas of the modern justice industry.

Tuition fees:

• Home fee: £5,210
• Home part-time per year: £1,390
• Home part-time per year: £5,210