Put your curiosity to work as you investigate crime from a scientific viewpoint. Our course is unique in WA as it focuses on biology and life sciences forensics as well as crime scene investigation and chemistry.

Industry terms such as forensic palynology (the use of pollen grains to connect a suspect to a crime scene), forensic anthropology (the identification of skeletal remains) and forensic entomology (the insects that decompose human remains) will become part of your professional vocabulary as you get hands-on training in these areas.

Learn how to recognise blunt and sharp force injuries and the weapons that cause them. Study the pathology of asphyxiation, electrocution, gunshot wounds and the injuries associated with fatal fires, be exposed to the techniques used for disaster victim identification and learn how to estimate time of death.

You’ll work in our labs learning witness imaging techniques, with hands-on training in facial approximation, using clay-based sculptures to ‘reconstruct’ facial features from a human skull.

You’ll also explore DNA sequencing and work on simulated crime scenes on and off campus collecting evidence and brushing and dusting fingerprints.

7 reasons to study Forensic Biology and Toxicology at Murdoch

• Five-star rating for student-teacher ratio, overall experience, student support and teaching quality.*
  *Source: Good Universities Guide 2020
• Get hands-on experience as you apply DNA sequencing and other forensic techniques from the lab to simulated crime scenes on and off-campus.
• Study the latest analytical techniques for toxicology in our state-of-the-art laboratory, which is part of the Australian National Phenome Centre.
• Learn the latest real-world techniques and policies, with course input and guest lectures from forensic experts from PathWest, ChemCentre, WA Police, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Coroner’s Office.
• Build your network of contacts by becoming a member of professional bodies and associations through our industry connections.
• Learn from respected forensic practitioners who take a practical approach and are experts in their field.
• In your final year, you’ll build on everything you have learnt throughout your degree by investigating a murder case from examining the crime scene to presenting evidence in a court room.

What you’ll learn

• forensic science and miscarriages of justice
• crime scene investigation
• forensic DNA analysis
• forensic anatomy and anthropology
• forensic toxicology.

With a degree in Forensic Biology and Toxicology, you could pursue a range of roles in Australia or overseas.

Careers could include:

• Crime Scene Officer
• Forensic Biologist
• Forensic Investigator
• Forensic Toxicologist
• Wildlife Forensics Officer.