2024/25 entry
BSc (Hons) Forensic Anthropology with Foundation Year
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Minimum UCAS points required: TBC
Why study Forensic Anthropology with Foundation Year at Liverpool John Moores University?
- Accredited by the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences
- Extensive hands-on fieldwork and laboratory work
- Opportunity to study abroad for a semester or year or to undertake a year-long work placement
- Access to excellent collections of human skeletal remains
- Taught by experts in forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology, human osteology, genetics, crime scene analysis, disaster victim identification and mass graves investigation
- Specialist facilities including osteology labs with digital X-ray, 3D laser scanning and printing equipment, geophysics equipment for detecting grave sites, plus scene-of-crime houses and laboratories
- International Foundation Year course available offering direct progression onto this degree programme - visit LJMU's International Study Centre
About your course
Through studying the BSc (Hons) Forensic Anthropology with Foundation Year degree at Liverpool John Moores University, you will acquire a solid grounding in human biology and skeletal anatomy, human variation, environmental sciences and forensic techniques to prepare you for a career as a forensic anthropologist.
About the Foundation Year
The Foundation Year is ideal if you have the ability to study for a degree but don't have the qualifications to enter directly onto the Forensic Anthropology honours degree programme Once you pass the Foundation Year you will progress directly onto the first year of the honours degree. If you are a full-time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to eligibility criteria).
About BSc (Hons) Forensic Anthropology
You will have access to our excellent collections of human skeletal remains, as well as dedicated laboratories for analysing and documenting skeletal material. We also have geophysics equipment for exploring burial contexts, specialist forensic analysis facilities and a scene-of-crime lab. You will also be actively involved in excavating medieval human burial sites in Cheshire.
This is an extremely practical, hands-on programme. It focuses on the recovery of information from locations where bodies are found, as well as the human remains themselves. Fieldwork and practical experience in the osteology labs form a large component of your studies, and you will have the chance to develop your archaeological and anthropological skills working on the Poulton Project in Cheshire.
"Doing Forensic Anthropology has opened my mind to new career options and broadened my horizons. It is a great course and all the tutors are friendly and helpful."
Professional accreditation/links
The degree is accredited by the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. A number of our students are student members and representatives for the British Association for Forensic Anthropology (BAFA), members of the British Association for Human Identification (BAHID) and the British Association of Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO).
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- Library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to programme-appropriate software
- Library and student IT support
- Free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you'll find all of the information you need on our specialist funding pages.
Practical and field activities underpin all programmes in the School. PPE is provided for all necessary practical work. There are no costs for day field trips for core and optional modules. Residential field trips associated with core modules are subsidised and include travel and half-board accommodation costs. Any residential field trips for optional modules will have costs involved. Locations may be subject to change and also subject to national and international travel restrictions.
A DBS check is not required for your application, however a DBS may be required for modules where there is a work based learning placement option. Work based learning placements that do not require a DBS check are available.
Employability
During criminal investigations and following mass fatality incidents such as natural disasters and human conflicts, government and non-government organisations recruit forensic anthropologists to assist in the recovery and identification of human remains for repatriation and legal purposes.
Commercial forensic science providers, police departments, universities, museums, industry and government laboratories all recruit graduates. Secondary science teaching is also a popular route. Some graduates have taken their studies further with a masters degree or PhD. The techniques used in forensic anthropology are derived from those used in traditional archaeological excavations and post excavation analysis of human remains. Archaeological units in the UK and abroad are therefore good places to seek employment and many of our graduates go on to become osteoarchaeologists.
If you decide not to pursue a career in forensic anthropology, your transferable skills will enable you to compete in the wider job market, for instance in the allied health sciences, where training in human anatomy and biology is highly valued.
Student Futures - Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service
A wide range of opportunities and support is available to you, within and beyond your course, to ensure our students experience a transformation in their career trajectory. Every undergraduate curriculum includes Future Focus during Level 4, an e-learning resource and workshop designed to help you to develop your talents, passion and purpose.
Every student has access to Careers Zone 24/7, LJMU's suite of online Apps, resources and jobs board via the LJMU Student Futures website. There are opportunities for flexible, paid and part-time work through Unitemps, LJMU's in-house recruitment service, and we also offer fully funded Discovery Internships.
One-to-one careers and employability advice is available via our campus-based Careers Zones and we offer a year-round programme of events, including themed careers and employability workshops, employer events and recruitment fairs. Our Start-Up Hub can help you to grow your enterprise skills and to research, plan and start your own business or become a freelancer.
A suite of learning experiences, services and opportunities is available to final year students to help ensure you leave with a great onward plan. You can access LJMU's Careers, Employability and Start-up Services after you graduate and return for one-to-one support for life.
Go abroad
LJMU aims to make international opportunities available to every student. You may be able to study abroad as part of your degree at one of our 100+ partner universities across the world. You could also complete a work placement or apply for one of our prestigious worldwide internship programmes. If you wanted to go abroad for a shorter amount of time, you could attend one of our 1-4 week long summer schools.
Our Go Citizen Scheme can help with costs towards volunteering, individual projects or unpaid placements anywhere in the world. With all of these opportunities at your feet, why wouldn’t you take up the chance to go abroad?
Find out more about the opportunities we have available via our Instagram @ljmuglobalopps or email us at: goabroad@ljmu.ac.uk.
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What you will study on this degree
Please see guidance below on core and option modules for further information on what you will study.
On this BSc degree course you will acquire a solid grounding in human biology and skeletal anatomy, human variation, environmental sciences and forensic techniques to prepare you for a career as a forensic anthropologist.
You will have access to our excellent collections of human skeletal remains, as well as dedicated laboratories for analysing and documenting skeletal material. We also have geophysics equipment for exploring burial contexts, specialist forensic analysis facilities and a scene-of-crime lab.
This is an extremely practical, hands-on programme. It focuses on the recovery of information from locations where bodies are found, as well as the human remains themselves. Fieldwork and practical experience in the osteology labs form a large component of your studies, and you will have the chance to develop your archaeological and anthropological skills working on the Poulton Project in Cheshire.
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Level 3
Core modules
Anatomy and Physiology
20 credits
This module enables you to examine the concepts of homeostasis, communication and transport within organisms. It also provides an introduction to human functional anatomy using a systemic approach to the organisation and function of organs and tissues in the human body.
Level 5
Core modules
Excavation and Analytical Techniques
20 credits
This module will provide anthropological work-based skills, including statistical data analysis, group work and experience of field excavation.
Level 6
Optional Modules
Forensic Archaeology
20 credits
This module gives preparatory field training, followed by the excavation of a simulated mass grave facility on an LJMU owned site, which is used to teach and assess core and advanced skills necessary for employment in forensic archaeology. This includes training on field technologies (drones, total stations, GIS and geophysical instruments), geological and archaeological field skills, forensic archaeological methods of recording and evidence recovery, and how to prepare and present formal evidence within culturally sensitive social and legal frameworks.
Teaching and work-related learning
Excellent facilities and learning resources
We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU. This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies. Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.
You will attend lectures, interactive workshops, laboratory sessions, online activities and small-group tutorials. Teaching accounts for approximately 12-15 hours of your week. The rest of your time should be spent in private study with the aid of resources available from our virtual learning environment, Canvas and LJMU Library, so you can learn in your own time, at your own pace. Independent study becomes increasingly important as you work on your research project in your final year.
Work-related learning
Work experience is a vital part of your studies and we strongly recommend that you undertake a 12-month sandwich placement after Level 5, either in the UK or abroad. You will also have the chance to do a short 4-6 week long work-based learning placement before your final year.
Placements not only give you a chance to put what you have learnt into practice, but they also develop your personal and subject-related skills and help you acquire new skills to enhance your CV.
Support and guidance
Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support
There will be times during your course when you need guidance and advice related to your academic studies or more personal matters. For this reason, you will be allocated a personal tutor, so that you can discuss course material informally as part of a small tutorial group or have one-to-one progress review meetings. You will also be allocated a supervisor for your project or work-related learning, and your year-long placement if you choose the sandwich option.
The school is fully committed to promoting a learning environment that supports a culture of equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) and has a Disability Support Coordinator, an EDI Coordinator and a School EDI Working Group. Personal Tutors also play a vital role in promoting awareness of support services for students.
Assessment
Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.
We understand that all students perform differently according to how they are assessed, which is why we use a combination of assessment methods. These include:
- exams in the form of multiple choice, short answer, interpretative, problem-based learning and essay questions
- coursework, including phase tests, fieldwork/practical reports, data handling, oral presentations, poster presentations, podcasts, online or real-time group discussions, essays or the evaluation of practical skills
As some of the modules are highly practical, they are assessed by coursework only. For the final year research project you will be expected to write a literature review and short scientific write-up. Work-based learning placements are assessed through a reflective diary, portfolio and student presentation.
Constructive feedback is vital in helping you to identify your strengths as well as the areas where you may need to put in more work. This is normally provided within three weeks of submission and may be via Canvas (our virtual learning environment), face-to-face or in writing.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
My experience as a practitioner enables me to provide in-depth knowledge of what it's like working as a forensic anthropologist and how to apply theory students learn on the programme to real forensic cases
Facilities
What you can expect from your School
You will study at the Byrom Street site in the universitys City Campus in the heart of Liverpool. You will have access to first class teaching facilities, laboratories and study areas. The Avril Robarts library is within easy walking distance and here you'll find all the information you need to support your studies.
The university reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the university. Where this does happen, the university operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.
Further information on the terms and conditions of any offer made, our admissions policy and the complaints and appeals process.