Forensic Anthropology with Foundation Year (Hons) Liverpool John Moores University

Overview

Through the Forensic Anthropology with Foundation Year (Hons) course at Liverpool John Moores University 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.

Career

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.