Forensic Science Accreditation

Staffordshire University's Awards in Forensic Science Attain the Accreditation of the Forensic Science Society

The Forensic Science Society has announced that Staffordshire University is to be amongst the first four Universities to have their undergraduate courses accredited. Furthermore, it is the only University so far to achieve this accolade for its postgraduate courses.

The Forensic Science Society's accreditation system is based on what are known as Component Standards. These are specifications of the qualities that a degree or postgraduate classification must have in order for the Forensic Science Society to accredit the course concerned. There are three Component Standards, namely:

• Interpretation, Evaluation and Presentation of Evidence (IEPE);

• Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)

• Laboratory Analysis (LA).

To be accredited, a course must meet the specifications of the first of these plus the specifications of at least one of the other two. Details of the Component Standards are available from the Forensic Science Society's website.

For each of its courses that are listed below, Staffordshire University applied for and achieved accreditation based on the combination of Component Standards shown.

The following courses have been accredited in all three Component Standards:

• BSc (Hons) Forensic Science;

• Postgraduate Diplome (PgD) in Forensic Science;

• MSc Forensic Science.

The following courses have been accredited in the IEPE and CSI Component Standards:

• BSc (Hons) Forensic Science and Psychology;

• BSc (Hons) Forensic Science and Criminology;

• Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) in Forensic Science.

Also as a result of earlier successful applications:

• BSc(Hons) Forensic Science degree course has received recognition by the Royal Society of Chemistry for graduates to achieve associate membership of the Society;

• BSc(Hons) Forensic Science and Psychology students can achieve the academic qualifications for application for membership of the British Psychological Society