Forensic Degrees Online

Forensic science laboratories in Switzerland or abroad
Swiss or foreign scientific police laboratories
Cantonal or federal technical police services
Cantonal laboratories
Institutes of legal medicine and toxicology
Private or public laboratories active in analytical fields, quality control, the environment, hygiene, …
Academic and research careers in the forensic and analytical chemistry fields
Insurance companies, loss control

To obtain the Master’s degree, a minimum average of 4 is required as well as passes in the examinations corresponding to 90% of the credits. The candidates must also pass their own personal work for the Master’s degree.
Mobility The school has concluded agreements with the Jagellon University (Krakow, Poland), the Ecole Polytechnique de Toulouse and the University of Technology (Sydney, Australia) for forensic science. Semesters or projects successfully completed abroad are, in principle, recognised on the student’s return from the relevant study periods.
The studies do not include any obligatory external study periods, but most students do in fact take advantage of the external study opportunities organised by the School.

This Master’s degree course is clearly dedicated to the application of analytical chemistry to forensic science, but it is also relevant to several other fields requiring instrumental analyses. It includes a theoretical component completed by a considerable number of practical work assignments involving analytical chemistry.
This master’s degree course has been organised jointly with the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Section (SCGC) of the Federal Polytechnic in Lausanne (EPFL) with the participation of the University Institute of Legal Medicine (IUML). The Chemistry section participates through service courses already existing in their degree course, as well as certain courses dedicated specifically to the students of this master’s degree.

In the first year, transversal courses cover common areas of the forensic sciences. Specialised subjects provide the students with in-depth training, both theoretical and practical, in the areas of forensic science that have a strong analytical component (narcotics, micro traces, etc.). The students also follow external theoretical courses on various methods of analysis.
In the second year, the students deepen their knowledge in the specialised subjects and approach new subjects (ultra-structural analysis, chemical criminalistics). In the external courses, they have the opportunity to do practical work in the context of advanced analytical chemistry projects. A semester is dedicated to personal research in the form of diploma work.

The candidate must be a holder of a Bachelor of Law or a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science or in chemistry awarded by a Swiss university.
Another degree or university title may be judged to be equivalent and give access to this Master’s degree course, with or without further conditions. The School of Criminal Justice is competent for the final decision on equivalence subject to the candidate’s formal admissibility to the master’s degree course.

Specialisation Courses ECTS credits
First year
Transversal Courses Forensic Sciences
Interpretation
Criminal Analysis
Documents
Fires 28
Specialised Subjects Identification through Forensic Genetics
Forensic Identification
Crime Scene Investigation Methods
Firearms 30
Optional Courses 12 credits over two years
Second year
Specialised Subjects Complex Cases 20
Diploma work 30
Optional Courses 12 credits over two years

Forensic science laboratories in Switzerland or abroad
Technical and scientific police services in Switzerland or abroad
Institutes of legal medicine in Switzerland or abroad
Police services at the cantonal and federal levels
Administrative services dealing with questions of identity
Academic and research careers in the forensic field
Service companies active in biometrics

The school has concluded agreements with the Jagiellonian University (Krakow, Poland), the University of Technology (Sydney, Australia), and the Ecole Polytechnique de Toulouse for forensic science. Semesters or projects successfully completed abroad are, in principle, recognised on the student’s return from the relevant study periods.
The studies do not include any obligatory external study periods, but most students do in fact take advantage of the external study opportunities organised by the School.

To obtain the Master’s degree, a minimum average of 4 is required as well as passes in the examinations corresponding to 90% of the credits. The candidates must also pass their own personal work for the Master’s degree.

This programme offers in-depth training, both theoretical and practical, in the identification of people or objects.
Transdisciplinary teaching covers the main areas of identification: fingerprinting, DNA analysis, biometrics, detection of traces, firearms and handwriting/signatures. The students approach the problems of research, detection and identification from both the investigational and the evaluation standpoints, in the latter case where the expert’s report is intended for use by the organs of criminal justice. Considerable emphasis is put on statistical methods of interpretation.
This master’s degree opens the door to a career as a judicial identification expert. With this aim in view, the practical teaching is strongly focused on the solution of fictional cases and case analysis.

In the first year, transversal courses cover common areas of the forensic sciences. The specialised teaching given allows the students to deepen their knowledge in the various areas and techniques of identification: detection of traces, fingerprinting, forensic genetics, analysis and interpretation of biometric data, firearms and munitions, ballistics, etc.
In the second year, the students put their knowledge into practice by working on fictional cases covering several types of traces. They also complete a diploma assignment consisting of a personal research project.
The course is completed by optional subjects worth 12 ECTS credits spread out over 2 years.

The candidate must be a holder of a Bachelor of Law or a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science.
Another degree or university title may be judged to be equivalent and give access to this Master’s degree course, with or without further conditions. The School of Criminal Justice is competent for the final decision on equivalence (mailto: info.esc@unil.ch), subject to the candidate’s formal admissibility to the master’s degree course.