PgCert Advancing Forensic Practice at Queen Margaret University

The PgCert Advancing Forensic Practice develops advanced forensic practitioners among registered nurses, midwives and paramedics working in forensic healthcare settings such as Custody and the Sexual Assault Response Co-ordination Service. It is the first postgraduate advancing forensic practice course in Scotland and takes a person-centred, trauma-informed approach, with competence assessed against the ASET standards for the Custody or Sexual Assault Examination routes.

Faculty: School of Health Sciences  |  Department: Nursing and Paramedic Science  |  Duration: 1 year part time  |  Intake: January 2027  |  Study mode: part-time  |  Location: Musselburgh (Edinburgh), Scotland, United Kingdom

What you will study

Three 20-credit modules: Introducing Forensic Science, Professional Legal Skills for Non-Lawyers, and Advancing Forensic Clinical Practice (Custody or Sexual Assault Examination). Delivery mixes online learning, QMU campus teaching, Tulliallen Police College and residential workshops, with about 12 days of face-to-face content.

Career pathways

Prepares practitioners already working in Custody and Sexual Assault Referral Centre settings for advanced forensic roles, and gives eligibility for the UKAFNP ASET Certificate.

Official programme page