Program Overview

Forensic Chemistry BSc (Hons)

Overview

Apply your passion for chemistry to the complex world of forensic analysis and investigation. From core chemistry principles to hands-on crime scene techniques, our Forensic Chemistry BSc brings together essential themes and applied skills from both subjects. You'll develop practical experience by working in state-of-the-art chemistry laboratories and authentic crime scene simulation settings, allowing you to gain professional abilities in gathering, processing and evaluating forensic evidence.

Why Study Forensic Chemistry at Keele University?

• Top 10 in the UK for Forensic Science (Complete University Guide, 2025)
• Develop your practical and professional skills in our indoor and outdoor crime scene simulation facilities.
• Use a wide variety of industry-standard instrumentation in Keele's state-of-the-art Central Science Laboratories.
• Chemistry at Keele is Top 5 in the UK for student positivity* National Student Survey (NSS) 2024 (Broad-based universities) *based on overall student satisfaction, which is an average score across 27 questions asked in the NSS
• Gain a certification in expert witness training

Course Structure

Year 1

• Compulsory modules:
  • Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills
  • Chemical Structure and Reactivity
  • Forensic Investigation: From Documents to DNA
  • Forensic Analysis: Evidence under Investigation
• Optional modules:
  • Sustainable Chemistry
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
  • Science and Society

Year 2

• Compulsory modules:
  • Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills 2
  • Chemical Characterisation and Transformations
  • Chemical Analysis and Detection
  • Drugs of Abuse
  • Crime Scenes: Blood, Marks and Prints
• Optional modules:
  • Counterfeits, Fakes and Forgeries
  • Principles of Drug Design
  • Flexible Work Placement

Year 3

• Compulsory modules:
  • Kinetics, Catalysis and Mechanism
  • Chemical Analysis: Instrumentation and Evaluation
  • Independent Research Project
  • Forensic Chemistry Literature Review
  • Crime Scene to Court
• Optional modules:
  • Forensic Toxicology: Ingestion to Detection
  • Explosives, Arson and Evidence
  • Synthetic Strategies in Organic Chemistry
  • Inorganic, Physical and Quantum Chemistry

Entry Requirements

• A Level: BBC in three A levels including C in Chemistry
• BTEC Extended Diploma / National Extended Diploma: DMM in any of the following BTEC Extended Diplomas / National Extended Diplomas: Applied Science, including completion of three out of four of the following units: Applications of Organic Chemistry, Applications of Inorganic Chemistry, Industrial Chemical Analysis, Practical Chemical Analysis
• International Baccalaureate Diploma: 554 in three Higher Levels including 4 in Chemistry, or 29 points including 4 in Higher Level Chemistry
• Access to HE Diploma: 112 UCAS points in an Access to HE Diploma with Chemistry related content, including Distinction in at least 15 Level 3 credits

Fees and Funding

• Tuition fees for 2025/26 academic year:
  • UK: £9,535 for the 2025/6 academic year (subject to Parliamentary approval)
  • International: Band 1, £17,700 for the 2025/26 academic year

Supporting You

• We offer a multi-layered student support structure to help you meet your academic and personal needs.
• Our open-door policy enables you to engage with us directly, meaning you can seek support, gain feedback or discuss any matters relating to your course on a regular basis.
• You will also benefit from the support of an academic mentor and Keele's Student Experience and Support team.

Your Future Career

• Graduate from this programme and you'll possess a multifaceted set of transferable skills perfect for roles across the chemistry and forensic science sectors.
• Whether you pursue a career as a chemist, forensic scene investigator or work in research, or enter health-related fields, the programme's focus on advanced problem-solving, data interpretation, analytical, and communication skills will open doors to numerous science-based careers.
• Careers that a Forensic Chemistry graduate could pursue include:
  • Analytical chemist
  • Forensic examiner
  • Forensic scene investigator
  • Intelligence analyst
  • Medicinal chemist
  • Quality control scientist
  • Researcher
  • Scientific laboratory technician
  • Science teacher
  • Synthetic chemist
  • Toxicologist
  • Academic chemist
  • Analytical chemist
  • Chemical engineer
  • Environmental scientist
  • Material scientist

Facilities

• Practical classes will take place in Keele's state-of-the-art Central Science Laboratories and our custom-built crime scene facilities.
• Our Central Science Laboratories house multiple analytical suites that include industry-standard equipment used in the analysis of forensic evidence.
• Equipment includes: Video Spectral Comparators, comparison microscope, AFIS, micro spectrophotometer, Raman spectrometer, NMR spectrometers, ICP-OES, GCs, GC-MS, UV Vis spectrometers, fluorimeters and FT-IR spectrometers.
• Keele's purpose-built crime scene house (equipped with CCTV, vehicles and blood pattern analysis room) enables you to gain hands-on experience in recovering evidence from a variety of realistic criminal settings.
• New commercial scenarios, including a pub and post office, will provide you with the opportunity to gain experience in other crime scenes as 50% occur in non-domestic environments.

Research

• At Keele we are proud to be at the forefront of important research in tackling society's global challenges.
• Keele chemists are helping to develop metal-organic frameworks for hydrogen storage - the fuel of the future, molecules that harvest light to create a new generation of solar panels and new drug molecules to fight illnesses such as malaria, cancer and viral disease.
• We take an interdisciplinary approach to our work and collaborate with various research centres at Keele in addition to a range of national and international universities and industrial partners.
• Much of our research is published in internationally-recognised journals.

Foundation Year

• Our Foundation Year provides an excellent alternative route to Keele, offering preparation for your chosen degree with guaranteed entry onto your undergraduate course once you successfully complete.
• This extra year of study can improve your academic skills, expand your subject knowledge, build your confidence, and provide a better understanding of higher education.
• On our Foundation Year, you'll join our undergraduate community from the outset, with access to all the facilities and support you'd get as an undergraduate student at Keele.