Program Overview

This is the only degree of its kind in Western Australia. Study a Bachelor of Criminology with a Bachelor of Science to gain a unique set of skills and expand your career options.

In your Bachelor of Science coursework, you will learn about a range of forensic disciplines including forensic palynology (the use of pollen grains to connect a suspect with a crime scene), the pathology of asphyxiation, electrocution, gunshot wounds and fatal fire injuries, as well as how to recognise blunt and sharp force injuries and the weapons that cause them.

In Criminology, you’ll learn what’s behind the motivations and patterns of criminal behaviour in Australia, the science that helps solve major crime, and how our justice system works in Australia.

Major: Forensic Biology and Toxicology

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, and forensic science including DNA analysis and Toxicology.

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.

You will learn the dynamics of blood pattern analysis and test your knowledge in the lab, exploring your fingerprints and features that are used for identification. You’ll also investigate wildlife crime through DNA analysis using the same techniques that are used to identify elephant ivory and rhino horn.

Using the latest cutting-edge analytical technology, you will learn how to identify toxins in body fluids and contaminated products, helping you piece together crimes.

Along with the technical skills, you will also get hands-on experience with forensic DNA profiling and analysing human profiles in simulated casework.

3 reasons to study Forensic Biology and Toxicology at Murdoch

• Five-star rating for student-teacher ratio for all undergraduate degrees by the Good Universities Guide 2024.
• Get hands-on experience as you apply DNA profiling and other forensic techniques from the lab to simulated crime scenes.
• Learn the latest real-world techniques and policies, with course input and guest lectures from forensic experts from PathWest and ChemCentre.

What you’ll learn

• Cell and molecular biology
• Statistical data analysis
• Forensic science
• Forensic DNA analysis
• Forensic anatomy and anthropology
• Forensic toxicology