So, you want to become a Forensic Scientist? This article comprises a list of the top ten free online courses in forensics science with certificates in 2022.
Whether you are a beginner learner or you have been in this field already but seeking ways to gain more knowledge and improve some already existing skills, our list is designed to fit every learning level.
So, why don’t we jump right in!
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Free Online Courses in Forensic Science with Certificates in 2022
Below is a list of carefully researched and compiled a list of the best free online courses in forensic science you should go for.
These courses are accessible to you free of charge. Even more, all the courses on this list come with a shareable certificate each that learners will be awarded upon course completion.
1. Introduction to Forensic Science
This course is offered by the Young and research-intensive, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), a university that has consistently ranked 13th globally and is known as the 1st among the best young universities in the world. It is one of the best free online courses in forensic science with certificates.
The course aims to explore the specific principles and techniques facilitating the work of forensic scientists. Also, it illustrates that with the several case studies from Singapore and around the globe.
Furthermore, the course will answer the following questions:
- Can these methods be used in non-criminal areas?
- Blood. What is it? How can traces of blood be found and used in evidence?
- Is DNA chemistry really so powerful?
- What happens (biologically and chemically) if someone tries to poison me? What happens if I try to poison myself?
- How can we tell how long someone has been dead? What if they have been dead for a really long time?
- Can a little piece of a carpet fluff, or a single hair, convict someone?
- Was Emperor Napoleon murdered by the perfidious British, or killed by his wallpaper?
Course Syllabus
- Information
- Introduction to Forensic Science
- Chemical Analysis in Forensic Science
- Time of Death; Blood
- DNA in Forensics
- Fingerprinting; Polymers & Fibres; Firearms
- Narcotics
- Toxicology
- Case Studies
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 18 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Free
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2. Osteoarchaeology: The Truth in Our Bones
This course is offered by Leiden University, one of the foremost research universities in Europe devoted to giving graduates the leading edge and as well prepares them for careers within and outside of academia. It is also one of the best free online courses in forensic science with certificates.
This course explores the human skeleton and what can be learned and how the knowledge can be used to construct the lives of people who lived in the past. Also, it explores all the aspects of the human skeleton that can provide information about the different facets of life.
Even further, the course explores the scientific field known as human osteoarchaeology.
Human osteoarchaeology:
- Human – it is about humans and their ancestors,
- Osteo – it is about the human bones,
- Archaeology – humans can use this information to better understand the behaviors and events experienced by past people.
Furthermore, the course equips the learners with all the knowledge and ability they need to be able to decipher the clues left behind in the skeletons of past people with the methods as well as techniques presented.
This is a practical aspect of the course and it can even lead the learners to discover some clues hidden in their own skeletons as well as what they reveal about the life they are living.
Course Syllabus
- Introduction to the course
- Bones to Biography & Demography
- Bones to Biography & Demography: Lesson Choices
- Bones to Disease and Trauma
- Bones to Disease and Trauma: Lesson Choices
- Bones to Diet
- Bones to Diet: Lesson Choices
- Bones to Activity
- Bones to Activity: Lesson Choices
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 27 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
3. DNA Decoded
This course is offered by McMaster University, a university ranked among the top 100 universities in the world, and is devoted to creativity, innovation, and excellence by inspiring critical thinking, and a passion for learning and growth.
This course explains all you need to know about the microscopic molecules that make a human unique – DNA.
Also, it answers the following questions:
- Why is DNA called the “blueprint of life”?
- What is a “DNA fingerprint”?
- How do scientists clone DNA?
- What can DNA teach you about your family history?
- Are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) safe?
- Is it possible to revive dinosaurs by cloning their DNA?
Furthermore, the course explores the structure of DNA and examines how scientists cracked the genetic code as well as what DNA can tell humans about themselves. The course participants will get to learn the practical techniques that scientists employ in analyzing human genetic risks, manipulating DNA as well as developing new treatments for some diseases.
By the end of the course, the course offers a virtual lab that allows the learners to perform their own forensic DNA analysis of samples from a crime scene and solve a murder.
Course Syllabus
- Cracking the Genetic Code
- Getting the Message Across: Transcription, Translation, and Replication
- Manipulating DNA
- DNA and Me
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 23 hours to complete
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
4. Challenging Forensic Science: How Science Should Speak to Court
This course is offered by the University of Lausanne, a Swiss State research-intensive university focused on life sciences, medicine, geosciences, business, environmental sciences, humanities, social sciences, and sports sciences. It is also one of the top free online courses in forensic science with certificates.
Basically, the primary goal of this course is to promote critical thinking with regard o forensic science. It aims to alert the learners on the limits of the techniques to promote a sound administration of forensic science in the criminal justice system.
Also, the course teaches the learners the importance of probabilistic reasoning in forensic science.
Course Syllabus
- What is the “DNA” of a good forensic report?
- Elementary: source is not an activity
- DNA is not the magic bullet
- Trials by Numbers or Numbers on Trial
- The wonderland of certainty
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 17 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
5. Forensic Science: DNA Analysis
This course is offered y the University of Cambridge, a university with a mission to enrich society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest levels of excellence. It is one of the best free online courses in forensic science.
This course offers an introduction to bot genetics and forensic science and then it shows the learners the role of DNA in criminal investigations. Also, learners will get to learn about the different types of DNA to how DNAs are collected and examined at crime scenes.
The participants will also get to learn and understand the science and techniques employed by forensic scientists. The course follows real-life examples of criminal investigations where biological evidence, genetics, and forensic DNA analysis were used to exonerate individuals who were imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.
Also, the participants will learn to appreciate how genetics has changed over the years as well as the effects it has had on forensic investigation. In addition, they will learn how future advances in genetics may affect both future criminals and investigations.
By the end of the course, the learners will learn:
- Demonstrate knowledge of genetics
- Understand how genetics can be utilized in a forensic investigation
- Study the ethical issues surrounding genetics and its use in forensic science, for example, the National DNA Database
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: EDX
Duration: Approximately 5 weeks
Cost: Free
Certificate: N/A
6. Forensic Engineering: Learning from Failures
This course is offered by the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands’ largest and oldest technological university. It is also one of the top free online courses in forensic science.
In this course, the participants will learn how to utilize the TU Delft mindset to investigate the causes of such events so as to prevent them in the future. By the end of this course, the participants would have learned how to apply the lessons gained from investigating previous failures to new designs as well as procedures.
Also, by the end of the course, the learners will learn:
- The basic steps in a forensic investigation
- Essential forensic engineering methods and techniques
- How to apply the TU Delft Forensic Engineering mindset in the fields of Building Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, and Biomechanical Engineering
- Ways to develop a positive attitude and the right mindset to learn from failures.
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: EDX
Duration: Approximately 6 weeks
Cost: Free
Certificate: N/A
7. Digital Forensics Concepts
This course is offered by INFOSEC, an institution that believes that knowledge is power when fighting cybercrime. It is also one of the top free online courses in forensic science.
This course aims at exploring the legal considerations applicable to computer forensics as well as how to identify, collect and preserve digital evidence. Also, the course dives into the scientific principles relating to digital forensics and gives the learners a close look at on-scene triaging, keyword lists, grep, file hashing, report writing, and the profession of digital forensic examination.
By the end of the course, the learners will learn:
- How to identify, collect as well as preserve digital evidence.
- About the concepts like keyword lists, grep, file hashing, and report writing.
- About the scientific principles relating to digital forensics.
Course Syllabus
- Introduction to Digital Forensics
- Legal Considerations and search authority
- The Investigation Process
- Recognizing and Collecting Digital Evidence
- Preservation of evidence/On-scene triage
- Hash values and file hashing
- Creating a disk image
- Keyword and grep searches
- Network Basics
- Reporting and Peer Review
- Digital Forensics Project
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 7 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
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8. Digital Footprint
This course is offered by the University of Edinburgh, a university that has been at the forefront of innovation in education and research. Also one of the top free online courses in forensic science.
This course explores the concepts of digital footprints and why they are important. Also, it introduces the participants to some of the tools and approaches to adequately manage your online presence otherwise known as a digital footprint.
Furthermore, the course focuses on the different dimensions of a digital footprint which include developing an effective online presence, adequately managing your privacy, creating opportunities for networking, as well as balancing, and managing professional presence.
By the end of this course, the participants would have been equipped to ensure that their digital footprints work for them – this includes whether they want to be more private online, or are looking to create a more impactful and effective presence.
Course Syllabus
- What makes an online presence effective?
- Why does your digital footprint matter?
- What does it mean to be an effective online professional?
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 9 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
9. Computer Forensics Specialization
This course is offered by INFOSEC, an institution that believes that knowledge is power when fighting cybercrime. It is also one of the top free online courses in forensic science.
This course covers a broad range of computer forensics topics. It explores the legal considerations applicable to computer forensics as well as how to identify, collect and preserve digital evidence.
The course has three parts:
- The digital forensics concepts course
- The windows registry forensics course
- The windows OS forensic course
The first part of the course explores the scientific principles relating to digital forensics and it gives the participants a closer look at on-scene triaging, keyword lists, grep, file hashing, report writing as well as the profession of digital forensic examination.
In the second part of the course, the participants will learn how to examine the live registry, locate the registry files on the forensic image, as well as how to extract files.
The third part of the course covers windows file systems, Fat32, ExFat, and NTFs. The participants will learn how these systems collect and store data, what happens when a file gets written to a disc when a file gets deleted from the disc as well as how to recover deleted files.
Also, they will learn to effectively interpret the information in the file system data structures and gain a better understanding of how these file systems work.
Course Syllabus
- Digital Forensics Concepts
- Windows OS Forensics
- Windows Registry Forensics
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 7 months
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
10. Using clinical health data for better healthcare
This course is offered by the University of Sydney, one of the top universities in Australia as well as one of the top-ranked in the world. The course is one of the top free online courses in forensic science with certificates.
It provides an insight into the use o healthcare data and this includes an overview of the best practices as well as the practical realities of collecting useful information from digital health systems through the understanding of the fundamental concepts of health data analytics.
In this course, the participants will understand why data quality is important in modern healthcare. They will be guided through the various stages of the data life cycle beginning with the generation of quality data through to discovering patterns as well as extracting knowledge from health data employing common methodologies and tools in the basic analysis, visualization as well as in communication of health data.
Course Syllabus
- Using clinical health data for better healthcare
- Everyone plays a role in health data
- Interpret health data – turn information into new insights
- Share and integrate data into practice
In addition, this course comes with a shareable certificate that participants receive upon course completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 16 ours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
Conclusion
We hope you found the courses helpful. Also, it’s important to note that you can take as many courses as you deem fit.
FAQs
Introduction to Forensic Science
Osteoarchaeology: The Truth in Our Bones
DNA Decoded
Challenging Forensic Science: How Science Should Speak to Court
Forensic Science: DNA Analysis
Forensic Engineering: Learning from Failures
Digital Forensics Concepts
Digital Footprint
Computer Forensics Specialization
Using clinical health data for better healthcare
References
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