Forensic Facial Reconstruction: Finding Mr. X (FutureLearn)

Forensic Facial Reconstruction: Finding Mr. X (FutureLearn)

Learn about the forensic technique of facial reconstruction from the experts involved in a real crime case. On Saturday 22 January 2000, two men found a small holdall, abandoned on an industrial estate in the north of Sheffield. Upon opening the bag they made a gruesome discovery. A badly decomposed body. Who was this person? Why did they die? Where had the body been stored all of this time? On this course from The University of Sheffield, you’ll learn alongside the experts who worked to determine the identity of Mr. X. You’ll discover the forensic science techniques that were used to identify the body and understand the circumstances surrounding their death.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

What topics will you cover?

  • An introduction to the study of Forensic Anatomy.
  • How to analyse a skull to determine a person’s sex and ethnicity.
  • The circumstances under which a facial reconstruction would be necessary.
  • The key muscles groups of the face and the order in which they are applied to a skull in a facial reconstruction.
  • How the facial reconstruction method relates to the broader field of forensic work.

What topics will you cover?

  • An introduction to the study of Forensic Anatomy.
  • How to analyse a skull to determine a person’s sex and ethnicity.
  • The circumstances under which a facial reconstruction would be necessary.
  • The key muscle groups of the face and the order in which they are applied to a skull in a facial -reconstruction.
  • How the facial reconstruction method relates to the broader field of forensic work.

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Summarise the context and applications of facial reconstruction within the study of Forensic Anatomy.
  • Identify basic information about a person from their skeleton and in particular, their skull.
  • Describe the key muscle groups of the face.

Who is the course for?
This course is suitable for anyone interested in how forensic anatomy and facial reconstruction can assist police investigations. No prior qualifications in forensic science or other disciplines are required.
Students and practitioners in the fields of archaeology, anatomy, and anthropology may gain valuable insights into the use of anatomy expertise in forensic work that they can apply to their study and work in the field.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Causes of Human Disease: Understanding Causes of Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Causes of Human Disease: Understanding Causes of Disease (FutureLearn)

Learn the epidemiological methods used to understand the causes of diseases and how social factors influence their development. What causes human disease? Why do some people get a disease but others don’t? Through this course, you’ll learn how epidemiologists are helping to find answers to these complex questions and how the health of a population is measured and analysed.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics (Coursera)

This course gives you the background needed to gain Cybersecurity skills as part of the Cybersecurity Security Analyst Professional Certificate program. You will learn about the different phases of penetration testing, how to gather data for your penetration test and popular penetration testing tools. Furthermore, you will learn the phases of an incident response, important documentation to collect, and the components of an incident response policy and team. Finally, you will learn key steps in the forensic process and important data to collect.

Jun 29th 2026
4 Weeks
Using Infection Control to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Using Infection Control to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (FutureLearn)

Find out how effective infection control in health and social care can tackle the global risk of antimicrobial resistance. Get practical guidance on infection control in health and social care settings. This online course will explore the growing problem of antimicrobial-resistant infections in health and social care settings. You’ll find out how infectious diseases are acquired and spread, and how this contributes to the global risk of antimicrobial resistance.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Personal Identification in Forensics: Current Problems and Trends (edX) EdX
RUDN University,RUDNx

Personal Identification in Forensics: Current Problems and Trends (edX)

The objectives of the course are to acquire special theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of forensic medicine and medical criminology related to modern problems of forensic personal identification. The course includes practical master classes, as well as exclusive video interviews with leading scientists in the field of forensic medicine.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Windows OS Forensics (Coursera) Coursera
Infosec

Windows OS Forensics (Coursera)

The Windows OS Forensics course covers windows file systems, Fat32, ExFat, and NTFS. You will learn how these systems store data, what happens when a file gets written to disc, what happens when a file gets deleted from disc, and how to recover deleted files. You will also learn how to correctly interpret the information in the file system data structures, giving the student a better understanding of how these file systems work. This knowledge will enable you to validate the information from multiple forensic tools properly.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Decoding Forensics for Legal Professionals (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Monash University,Project 39A

Decoding Forensics for Legal Professionals (FutureLearn)

Delve into forensic science and examine its limitations to better understand how to use forensics in criminal trials. Explore the basics of forensic pathology. Explore commonly relied on disciplines in forensics. Today, forensic evidence is integral to criminal investigations and trials. Therefore, it is important for legal professionals to have an understanding of the scientific foundations and limitations of different types of forensic evidence, in order to engage more meaningfully with such evidence.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks