Applied Criminal and Forensic Investigation* BSc (Hons)

This module equips you with the essential ethical, professional, and analytical foundations that underpin effective investigative practice across the criminal justice sector and related industries. You will gain a clear understanding of how investigations are structured, the academic skills required to communicate your findings, and the importance of ethics, equality, diversity, fairness, and human rights in shaping investigative decisions. By the end of this module, you will be able to apply critical thinking and academic research skills to ethically grounded investigations while developing the investigative mindset needed for your future career.

This module introduces the concept of gathering of intelligence and information in respect of investigations, whilst recognising the importance of data protection legislation and the rights of an individual. You will receive comprehensive instruction on how intelligence plays an integral part in effective investigations through tactical and strategic decision-making, problem solving and the importance of the correct handling, sharing, dissemination, storage, and retention of sensitive information. 

This module introduces the concept of forensic evidence, which underpins modern investigative practice, and your ability to collect, preserve, and interpret that evidence ethically and lawfully which is essential to professional standards across the criminal justice sector.

You will explore how forensic opportunities shape investigations, gain hands‑on experience at crime scenes, and develop the investigative mindset needed to recognise, evaluate, and manage evidence in line with national policies and best practice.

This module examines the traditional forensic disciplines, for example fingerprints and DNA trace evidence, which play a crucial role in criminal investigations.

This module is designed for students that have completed an A-Level or equivalent in Spanish. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module is designed for students who have completed GCSE or equivalent in French. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module is designed for students that have completed GCSE or equivalent in Spanish. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module is designed for students who have completed GCSE in Chinese or equivalent. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module enables students with A-Level German or equivalent to further develop their grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations.You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop your oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module is designed for students that have completed A-Level or equivalent in French. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop your oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module provides the opportunity to study a new language from scratch and introduces you to basic grammar, vocabulary and cultural contexts. You will apply the language to practical situations using both oral and written skills. 

This module introduces you to theoretical and practical approaches to criminality and sociology. You will examine the relationship between victims and those who commit crime. Additionally, you will learn how to critically apply these fundamental underlying theories for sociological, historical, psychological, criminal, and cultural perspectives, studying the real world impact of crime and punishment and how societies respond to such offending.

This module emphasis collaboration with other organisations Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) and global collaboration across many government NGO's and commercial bodies.

In the private sector this will include internal investigations, misconduct and disciplinary procedures.

This module continues to develop your investigative mindset developing an understanding of collaborative working and how this can be effectively used in investigations.

The purpose of this module is to provide you with the knowledge and critical understanding of how investigative practice may be delivered in the future development in the digital world and how to protect your organisation from these emerging threats.

This an incredibly important and exciting area of work.

• You dive into the future of investigation, learning how developing technology shapes the way you solve cases. Emerging technologies are at the cutting edge of investigations that have not yet reached the mainstream digital crime arena.
• You build problem‑solving skills to identify both opportunities and limits in new technologies.
• You learn to apply the principles of evidence‑based investigation, making sure everything you gather is accurate and usable.
• You explore AI, biometrics, facial recognition, vehicle telematics, drones, chat companions, the metaverse and many other new developments, and how they are used by suspects and how the traces left by these technologies can be used as evidence.
• You gain insight into how investigators and researchers create new tools and methods.
• You learn to preserve digital evidence and manage digital crime scenes like a professional recognising investigative opportunities and preserving evidence for further investigation.
• This module lays strong ground work for the IP 6107 Crime in the Digital World which deals with the current threats in the digital environment and how this impacts upon the vulnerable in society and economic wellbeing.  
• You finish with a strong investigative mindset built for a technology‑driven world.

Having a critical understanding of emerging technologies is essential to the development of the investigative mindset.

This module provides a structured, university-level work placement for 4, 5 or 7 weeks as one continuous block / period with a placement provider (i.e. a local employer from the private, public, or charitable sector). It is designed to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting.  

The placement can either be organised by you or with support from university staff.  

All work placements within this module must be university-level; this means:  

• Undertaking high-skilled work commensurate with level 5 study (e.g. report writing, attending meetings, delivering presentations, producing spreadsheets, writing content on webpages, social media, marketing services/products etc)  

• Physically placed (albeit part of it can be hybrid) within an employer setting in one continuous block / period for 4, 5 or 7 weeks for a minimum of 140-147 hours over the course of the entire work placement 

• Where applicable, your existing part-time employer can be approached/used as the placement provider, if the high-skilled work criterion above is fulfilled for the full duration of the placement.   
• All quality assurances/agreements provided by the University are adhered to, by you and the employer.  

The work placement context may not necessarily, reflect your degree discipline per se, but rather, it will give you an enriched experience to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting. 

This module builds an investigation from start to finish allowing you to apply learning in a safe teaching environment and to develop employability skills as criminal investigators. The intention is for you to investigate a reported crime from initial report, up to presenting the developed case as evidence at court, bringing together the knowledge you have gained relating to critical thinking, informed decision making, communication skills, presentation skills, and public speaking.

You will both work as a team and individually through the course of this module as you gather evidence professionally and ethically to ultimately prove the case in the moot court (practice court).

This investigative journey will include an immersive digital experience, where you will receive the initial report of the crime, create a hypothesis of the cause and develop intelligence to identify a suspect. It will include practical visits to our crime scene house, taking witness statements, and planning and executing a search warrant leading to your arrest of the suspect. This will be followed by practical hands-on learning where you will interview the suspect and conclude with the preparation and presentation of your gathered evidence at a Moot Court.

Throughout this process you will be guided step by step by experienced investigators developing your investigative mindset. There are additional opportunities to visit and observe the Crown Court in action at Chester and to visit the Forensics laboratory at Cheshire Constabulary.

Whilst conducting your own investigation you will be preparing your case file ready for the time you present it as evidence in the moot court. This will allow students to apply learning and develop skills of investigation, teamworking, public speaking and communication skills in a safe supportive learning environment.

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at intermediate level. The first half of the module includes intensive taught sessions in interactive workshop mode which will prepare you for placements abroad or self-directed language development. The second half of the module includes an placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a business or tourism issue in a target language country. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at advanced level. The second half of the module includes a placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a sustainability issue in a target language country. The first half of the module will prepare you for placements abroad where appropriate as well as a deeper understanding of sustainability in target language contexts. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at beginner level. The first half of the module includes intensive taught sessions in interactive workshop mode which will prepare you for placements abroad or self-directed language development. The second half of the module includes a placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a cultural issue in a target language country. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

• The multiple facets of global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication
• Culture shock
• Cultural adjustment
• Self- assessment of needs: identification of the range of transferable skills, competencies and attitudes employees need and employers expect graduates to possess-with a strong focus on understanding the intercultural competencies (ICC) needed to live and work abroad.
• Critical analysis/evaluation of individual requirements in relation to culture/cultural adjustment/culture shock/visas/medical.
• Critical analysis/evaluation of skills already acquired in relation to key skills related to ICC.
• Devising strategies to improve one’s own prospects of working abroad in the future.
• Devising an action plan to address gaps in transferable skills based on organisational analysis and sector opportunities.

Part A:      

Preparation for Experiential Overseas Learning will take place at the University of Chester during level 5 and will include:  

• The multiple facets of Global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Theories and models Intercultural competence
• Theories and models of Integration and Multiculturalism
• Critical thinking skills and models of Reflection
• Experiential learning models
• Self-directed experiential learning

Personal and placement-related skills

• Enhanced independence
• Improved command of multicultural behaviour
• Increased knowledge and confidence in their individual facets of personal identity
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development
• Team building and team work

Part B:            Overseas

Students will engage in experiential learning activities overseas for at least 150 hours 

In this module, you build on everything you’ve learned so far to understand how digital investigations are conducted and how as investigator you can preserve this evidence effectively. You learn how digital evidence (data from phones, computers, or online activity) will enable you to investigate what happened in an investigation.

You’re shown, in an easy‑to‑understand way, how to research, identify, and track suspects online, and how to collect evidence from various digital sources, from devices, communications data, or cloud storage investigations and many others. You will be able to critically evaluate these sources and their value as evidence. 

You will learn how to trace suspects via their IP addresses and how this relates to almost every online activity. You will receive hands on teaching in the PC Lab on how to research and identify the evidence needed for you to support your investigation. You will also learn about the laws, national policies, and specialist teams that will support these digital investigations. 

This module will bring together all you previous learning on this course and introduce you to the concept of managing complex investigations. As crime has become globalised it is important to understand that the reach of offending behaviour is not restricted by borders, but has a global impact. 

This module explores the need to recognise the global reach of offending activity along with the need to collaborate effectively with other organisations and countries, recognising the diverse evidential needs of various other legal systems, and the demands of multi-national commercial organisations with offices in numerous regions worldwide.

Many such enquires are complex by their very nature and need to be effectively managed. This module will provide you with the knowledge to develop and critically evaluate your own performance in managing these investigations, and leading teams of investigators in highly dynamic environments. You you will be able to critically express underlying key theories in relation to leadership and management skills, evaluating how those skills can be applied to investigation leadership nationally and globally.

This module builds upon previous modules developing the investigative mindset, particularly relating to research methods, ongoing development of academic skills, and evidence based investigations. This provides you with an opportunity to carry out an in-depth study of a topic, major project or issue based in, or closely allied to, law enforcement by independent study. The module will continue to develop your investigative skills in the role of research. You will examine some of the main theories and methodologies used in social science and develop and critically evaluate the application of these theories and methodologies as they relate to research practice.

You will then develop your ability clearly define a problem for research or area for further study. You will develop the ability to extract relevant material from an in depth literature review using primary and secondary sources and to design and undertake an original investigation using acceptable research methodologies. Finally, you will critically analyse and interpret the results of your research, to present a coherent and critical account of the work developing time management skills and achieving a measure of independence, demonstrating proficiency in academic writing/referencing.

This will assist you to demonstrate your learned skills of critical thinking, informed decision making communication skills all very important skills to those who wish to become an effective investigator.