Forensic Science

The Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science is designed to prepare students for careers as field evidence technicians or forensic laboratory technicians and to enhance the credentials of police officers desiring to join a CSI unit. Students receive instruction in the areas of crime scene processing, documentation and reconstruction, digital assessments, evidence collection, cataloging and preservation, fingerprints and fingerprint examination, crime scene photography, chemical, biological, and microscopic analysis of evidence, report writing, and legal issues relating to physical evidence. Students will learn the skills necessary to identify potential evidence, analyze and process a crime scene, and establish a chain of custody for all collected evidence, both in the field and in the laboratory. This specialized knowledge will provide investigative personnel with the skills to facilitate their career advancement and is a foundation for students who wish to pursue advanced degrees and careers as criminalists, forensic scientists, or crime scene investigators.