Forensic Science Expertise
Faculty of Law
Department of Security and Safety
Speciality: Counteraction to Crime and Public Order Protection
Specialization: Forensic Science Expertise
Awarded qualification: Forensic Science Expertise
Level of qualification: Master
Length of programme: 3 semesters (2nd, 3rd and 4tn semester from the curriculum) – for Bachelors and Masters in the professional area National Security
4 semesters - for Bachelors and Masters in other professional areas.
Number of credits:
90 credits for 3 semesters
120 credits for 4 semesters
Field(s) of study (ISCED-F): 103: Securety
Specific admission requirements: A higher education degree, average grade - Good . Interview with the candidates
Specific arrangements for recognition of prior learning:
• Procedures: recognition of credits on the basis of an academic transcript or a diploma from a previous education; certifying knowledge and skills by sitting exams in specific for the professional area knowledge and skills by the Department of Security and Safety;
• Awarding of credits: Department of Security and Safety awards credits adequate for the curriculum of the major on the basis of the certified knowledge and skills.
Qualification requirements and regulations, including graduation equirements*:
To acquire the qualification 90 credits are needed (for training in 3 semesters) or 120 credits (for training in 4 semesters).
There have to be as follows:
• 66 (96 respectively) credits from compulsory subjects,
• 6 credits from elective subjects
• 3 credits from optional subjects
• 15 credits from a defense of a Master's Thesis.
Programme learning outcomes:
The methodology of training includes acquiring knowledge in the following major directions:
• nature and types of clues and evidence;
• principles, organization and rules for collecting and checking evidence in the criminal, civil, administrative, tax and arbitration law cases;
• characteristics of collecting evidence when investigating different types of crimes;
• powers of the investigating authorities, the prosecutor, the court in the process of proving;
• procedural status of the expert;
• nature of the expertise as a proving method;
• rules for appointing, assigning, preparation and carrying out the expertise;
• methodology for carrying out forensic expertise;
• nature of the conclusion of the expert;
• assessment of the conclusion of the expert. В The subject of training includes acquiring theoretical knowledge and practical skills for carrying out different types of forensic expertise.
Programme structure diagram with credits *:
| No | ECTS code | CourseTitle | Lectures and seminars | Out-of-class workload | Number of credits | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| MODULE EQUALIZATION COURSES FOR BACHELORS IN OTHER PROFESSIONAL AREAS | ||||||
| 1 | LAW 3315 | Constitutional Law | 30 | 60 | 3 | |
| 2 | LAW 3332 | Organization of the Judiciary | 30 | 60 | 3 | |
| 3 | LAW 3326 | Criminal Law | 60 | 120 | 6 | |
| 4 | LAW 3327 | Criminal Procedure Law | 75 | 150 | 7.5 | |
| 5 | LAW 3316 | Forensic Science | 90 | 180 | 9 | |
| 6 | SEC 2002 | Special Intelligence Means | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |
| Total for semester I | 300 | 600 | 30 | |||
| 1 | LAW 2015 | Constitutional Rights of Citizens | 30 | 60 | 3 | |
| 2 | LAW 2049 | Judicial System | 30 | 60 | 3 | |
| 3 | LAW 2026 | Crime and Criminal Liability | 60 | 120 | 6 | |
| 4 | LAW 2027 | Proof in Criminal Action | 75 | 150 | 7.5 | |
| 5 | LAW 2016 | Methods of Investigation | 90 | 180 | 9 | |
| 6 | SEC 2110 | Police intelligence | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |
| Total for semester II | 300 | 600 | 30 | |||
| Total for year 1 | 600 | 1200 | 60 | |||
| 1 | LAW 2170 | General Theory of Forensic Expertise | 75 | 150 | 7.5 | |
| 2 | LAW 2160 | Expert Ethics | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |
| 3 | LAW 2182 | Methodology of Dactyloscopic Expertise | 60 | 120 | 6 | |
| 4 | LAW 2191 | Methodology of Trace Evidence Analysis | 60 | 120 | 6 | |
| 5 | LAW 2193 | Methodology of Handwriting and Writing Style Expertise | 60 | 120 | 6 | |
| 6 | Elective courses 1 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | ||
| 7 | Elective courses 2 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | ||
| Total for semester IІI | 300 | 600 | 30 | |||
| 1 | LAW 2192 | Methodology of Ballistic Expertise | 45 | 90 | 4.5 | |
| 2 | LAW 2194 | Methodology for Forensic Document Examination | 45 | 90 | 4.5 | |
| 3 | Elective courses 3 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | ||
| 4 | Elective courses 4 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | ||
| 5 | Optional courses 1 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | ||
| 6 | Optional courses 2 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | ||
| Total for semester VІ | 150 | 300 | 15 | |||
| Total for year 2 | 450 | 900 | 45 | |||
| Graduation | 15 | |||||
| Total for the entire course of study: | 1,050 | 2,100 | 120 | |||
| Elective courses (choose 4 from 6) | ||||||
| 1 | LAW 2190 | Technical Means for Obtaining and Studying Evidence | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |
| LAW 2195 | Information Systems for Identification Research | |||||
| 2 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |||
| LAW 2180 | International Standards for Forensic Expertise | |||||
| 3 | LAW 2184 | Methodology of Odorological Expertise | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |
| LAW 2181 | Methodology of Situational Expertise | |||||
| 4 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |||
| LAW 2183 | Methodology of Portrait Expertise | |||||
| Optional courses (choose 2 from 3) | ||||||
| 1 | LAW 2150 | Substantiation in the Civil Law case | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |
| MED 2001 | Forensic Medicine | |||||
| 2 | 15 | 30 | 1.5 | |||
| LAW 2185 | History of Forensic Science and Forensic Expertise | |||||
* In Varna Free University, a credit equals 30 lessons, of which 10 contact hours (lectures and seminars) and 20 hours independent work.
Mode of study: full-time/ part-time
Examination regulations and grading scale: The leading lecturer of each course introduces rules for admitting students to the semester exam, methodology and evaluation criteria which are included in the syllabus of the subject and are presented at the beginning of the course in front of the students and are published on the university website. Various teaching methods are used in the process of training - lectures, seminars, practical seminars (expert internship), contact hours (including online) and others. The forms and ways of evaluation are the following: project assignments (carrying out different types of expertise), task assignemnts, tests, case studies and others. The evaluation criteria depends on the methods and forms used in each course.
Occupational profiles of graduates: The graduates from the Master's degree programme will possess the necessary competence to work as experts in criminal, civil, administrative and arbitration law cases. For that reason they can be added to the expert lists for forensic expertise for the different regions in the country. They can also be employed as specialists - technical assistants when carrying out investigation process.
Access to further studies: PhD programmes
Head of the Master's Degree programme:
Prof. D. Sc. Yonko Kunchev
mobile phone: 0888/ 378 350
e-mail:alexandra_angelova@yahoo.com