Student experience

As a forensics student, you’ll have the chance to get hands-on experience for your future career through our exciting partnership opportunities.

We offer a range of placements and volunteering activities, which will help to put you ahead of a competitive field when you apply for a graduate job. It’s also a great way to see behind the scenes, work with forensic and policing professionals, and get involved with research projects that make a real difference.

Types of placement opportunities 

Our students have analysed real drug samples, worked with fingerprint experts and researched the best techniques to use at crime scenes. These are just some of the ways they’ve been able to make an impact through Staffordshire Forensic Partnership.

If you’re an undergraduate forensics student, you can apply for a competitive six-week summer placement, which normally takes place at the end of your third year. This involves completing an independent project, where you can focus on an area of forensic work.

You could be supporting the police force’s digital media unit, fingerprint team or working within another specialist area. In recent years, students from a number of other courses, including computing, criminology and marketing, have also undertaken placements through the partnership.

Your research could even lead to real improvements in collecting and analysing forensic evidence:

  • On the back of one student project, Staffordshire Police invested in a 360-degree camera to help capture crime scene imagery
  • Other students have been involved in   seeking to create a drug testing kit to help police identify the synthetic drug commonly known as ‘monkey dust’
  • Students have also helped to create apps to support specialist teams

Placements enable students to see police processes in action and understand quality standards that underpin forensic and investigative work. It’s great experience to add to your CV too.


Staffordshire Forensic Partnership logo on a white background showing the police, University of Staffordshire and Staffordshire Commissioner branding

Real-world experience

Students can get hands-on using real forensic procedures to help prepare them for their future career

Gain a competitive edge

Placements and volunteering look great on CVs and demonstrate commitment when applying for jobs

Make professional contacts

Some of our graduates have gained permanent roles with their placement providers

Forensic volunteers

Students have access to a range of work experience activities. Several students have become volunteers, where they typically spend at least four hours a week supporting forensic teams during their final year.

They could be assisting professionals in a variety of settings, such as at the scene of a burglary or car theft with Forensic Investigations, working within Digital Forensics or assisting the Forensic Services team in manging forensic submissions. The volunteering activities begin in the September of their third year and continue through until the summer.

Becoming a volunteer has lots of benefits. You can give something back to your community, grow your personal development and gain useful experience for your graduate career as well as deciding whether or not as career in the police is for you.

Between April 2025 and March 2026 over 350 hours of volunteering were completed by University of Staffordshire Forensic Volunteers. Two former volunteers have been successful in applications to work within the area they volunteered in with Staffordshire Police.

University of the year

Academic Employability Awards 2026, Graduate Futures Institute

for Social Inclusion

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026

for First Generation Students

The Mail University Guide 2026

in the UK for Games Education

Rookies Games Design and Development 2023, 2025

TIGA Best Games Institution 2024, 2025

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021