Forensic and Biological Anthropology

MSc Forensic and Biological Anthropology

Delivery method: Full-time
Course Reference: MSFBA

Course Overview

Specialist anthropological and archaeological skills can contribute, not only to our understanding of the past, but also to the effective investigation of serious crime, particularly murder, genocide and mass disaster. Forensic anthropology is concerned with the analysis of human skeletal remains within a forensic context and provides a vital suite of expertise and skills.

Internationally, human rights violations, genocide and disaster victim identification (DVI) are generating demand for skilled practitioners who can contribute to the identification of victims of such crime and the determination of the manner and cause of death. Such skills are also needed within the context of domestic criminal activity. Forensic anthropology demands an understanding of legal issues and constraints, professional skills enabling evidence to be presented to the courts. Biological anthropology also has value within archaeology where it is applied to skeletal materials from archaeological contexts.

The course is delivered by experienced anthropologists and forensic practitioners with an emphasis on professional capabilities.

The School of Conservation Sciences at Bournemouth University includes one of the largest communities of research-active academic forensic archaeologists and anthropologists in the world. Our mission is to provide excellent, theoretically informed, science-based teaching as well as research and consultancy relating to the natural and cultural environment. It has a strong commitment to practical and professional issues. Externally, special relationships, exchange agreements and links with other institutions in the UK and overseas provide numerous opportunities for student placements and personal research. Collaborations have included the Forensic Search Advisory Group, United Nations (International Criminal Tribunals), International Commission for Missing Persons (IC-MP), Universities of Newfoundland, Johannesburg and Witwaterstrand (South Africa), State University of New York (SUNY) at Canton, Metropolitan Museum of Art New York and the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA).

In the School we use a blend of different teaching methods from individual tuition during tutorials to formal lectures and practicals, with a range of group sizes. From this blend of teaching styles students gain confidence and flourish in their chosen fields to become professionals in waiting. The staff and students within the Centre for Archaeology, Anthropology & Heritage and the Centre for Forensic Science are undertaking ground breaking research in the field of forensic archaeology, forensic anthropology, physical anthropology and taphonomy, publishing leading books and materials in these subjects. Staff are world leaders in the development of simulations of crime scenes such as mass graves, human rights crime scenes, temporary mortuaries and air crashes for training and are consultants worldwide for forensic anthropology.

The School is part of European Union funded schemes such as Socrates-Erasmus, Tempus and Leonardo adding to the cultural diversity of the School and providing opportunities for overseas study.

Resources
The course is fully supported by a wide range of technical and scientific facilities. These include dedicated research and high specification analytical laboratories, osteological laboratory and skeletal collections, survey and geophysical equipment, GIS and spatial information suite, a cartographic studio, map library and a post-graduate student computer laboratory.

The Student experience
This Masters is a full-time, one-year course. Students take eight taught units with the majority of the third term devoted to the completion of a Masters dissertation for the award of MSc. Formal lectures, seminars and practical laboratory and field based sessions will be delivered by the programme team with contributions by experts who are leading practitioners and authorities in their fields. The anatomy aspects of the course are delivered in a leading UK teaching hospital.

Just as there are many ways to learn, there are a variety of ways your learning can be assessed, through coursework, group exercises, case study reports, presentations and role-play.

Assessment will be based entirely on course-work and the dissertation. Assignments will address specific theoretical and practical problems and some will attempt to simulate tasks likely to be encountered in the professional environment. They will include, for example professionally-structured reports, in-course tests identifying aspects of human bone, essays, presentations (in individual or group contexts)and role-play.

Candidates unable to complete the full Masters course may be able to leave with an interim award, Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) or Post Graduate Diploma (PG Dip) based oin the sucessful completion of four or eight taught units respectively.