Applied Criminology with Forensic Investigation, BSc

The first time we will meet will be week commencing 14 September 2026 when you will be invited to join a week of Welcome Activities.

This helps you to settle into University and you will receive the key information you need to get started with your studies. You will get to meet staff and fellow students who will also help you to become acclimatised to campus areas that will be relevant to your time at CCCU.

You'll also learn a lot about the course and studying at CCCU, so please engage with as many of the activities as you can!

Students often have mixed feelings about starting University, and this is perfectly normal. Whilst there may be excitement for new experiences, there may also be understandable concerns and things you are uncertain about. If you have any concerns about starting university, please do not fret.

We know that choosing to embark on a degree course is a big commitment in time, energy and money and we assure you that we are fully committed to supporting you and helping you to reach your goals.

Your Course

The Forensic Investigation aspects of the degree course aim to help you develop a solid foundation in core forensic themes including Crime Scene Investigation and Interpretation & Presentation of Forensic Evidence. 

You will have the opportunity to study a range of modules in crime scene investigation, to allow you to gain a thorough understanding of the theories and procedures that are associated with a range of crime types, accidents and disasters.

The Applied Criminology part of your degree aims to help you develop a solid foundation in core criminological theories, and provides many opportunities to apply these theories to current crime and social problems. 

The Level 4 (first academic year) is divided into two semesters. In each semester you will study three modules, as shown below:

Semester 1

Introduction to Criminology and Forensic Investigation

Criminal Justice and Accountability

Success modules – 3 x 5 credit modules

The Student Success modules are fully online. You can find out more information about the options available for you to choose from here.

Semester 2

Becoming a Criminologist

Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation

The Applied Criminology and Forensic Investigation teams are comprised of industry and research experts, who are still professionally active in their chosen field undertaking work for various agencies alongside their lecturing duties. We also bring in external subject matter experts for certain sessions to ensure that the student experience is as current and extensive as possible.

Blackboard

All your learning materials, lecture slides, reading lists, and assignment briefs will be available on Blackboard, our virtual learning environment. You'll be able to access Blackboard when you have set up your computing account and you will receive an introduction to Blackboard during Welcome Week. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the platform early—it will be your primary resource throughout your studies.

To help you prepare

We are here to help. Prior to commencing the course, it is a good idea to start familiarising yourself with the national and international crime agencies that will feature as part of your learning.

The following are the official websites that will assist you:

• British Society of Criminology
• Europol
• Human Rights Watch
• Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge
• Interpol
• National Crime Agency
• United Nations

You are also advised to watch crime documentaries and read books about real life crime.

We recommend that you start regularly reading about crime issues in newspapers and online with a critical viewpoint. Look at a selection of newspapers, especially broadsheets, and see how the same event has been reported in different publications.

Ask yourself how the news media affect our views and opinions about crime. Also think about the types of crime that are not mentioned much in the news.

There are lots of government and charity websites that have information about crime and criminal justice. Look at the Ministry of Justice and Home Office websites to learn about government policies in relation to crime. You can also find up-to-date crime statistics there and the latest figures on the prison population. Check out the websites of reputable charitable organisations, such as the Howard League for Penal Reform, the Prison Reform Trust, INQUEST, Victim Support and the Restorative Justice Council.

Given you have worked very hard to get into university, we recommend that you use the summer to prepare yourself for your transition to higher education and take some time to relax and rejuvenate. However, if you are keen to get started, we recommend any academic criminology or forensic introductory textbook that suits your learning style.

Our first year students particularly like:

• Burke, R. (2018) An Introduction to Criminological Theory. Abingdon: Routledge
• Coyle, T. and White, P. ed. (2016) Crime Scene To Court: The Essentials Of Forensic Science. Cambridge: RSC.
• Davies, M., Croall. & Tyrer, J. (2015) Criminal Justice. Harlow: Palgrave
• Hale, C., Hayward, K., Wahidin, A. & Wincup, E. (2013) Criminology. Oxford: OUP
• Jackson, A. and Jackson, J. (2016) Forensic Science. 4 th Ed. Harlow: Pearson.
• Newburn, T. (2017) Criminology. 3rd Ed. Abingdon: Routledge
• Saferstein, R. (2015) Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science. Harlow: Pearson.

You could also delve into the subject by watching crime documentaries and researching high profile crimes on the Internet and explore how forensic investigation was used in these cases, as this is what you will be working on in the future. Crime Library is a good website but note that it is not reviewed by forensic personnel, so some details may be incorrect. When doing your research, use reliable websites for forensic information such as:

• British Society of Criminology
• Cellmark Diagnostics
• College of Policing
• The Home Office
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (USA)
• Key Forensic Services
• LGC Forensics
• The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences
• The Forensic Regulator

If you are keen to get started, we also recommend the following 'light' reads. Staff have picked a broad selection so you can choose the areas that interest you most:

• David Simon: The Corner and Homicide (books) and The Wire (TV Series on DVD)
• Hallie Rubenhold: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
• Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
• Phil Scraton: Hillsborough: The Truth
• Alexander Masters: Stuart: A Life Backwards
• Tim Pritchard: Street Boys
• Harriet Sergeant: Among the Hoods
• Steven King: The Green Mile
• James Ellroy: My Dark Places
• Anne Rule: The Stranger Beside Me
• Caitlin Davies: Bad Girls
• Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case