Forensic science certificate programs

The certificate will also provide the individual who is already a professional public service criminal justice employee with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills and just provide opportunities for advancement. Students pursuing this certificate will be taught and trained in the basics of the gathering, collecting, and the analysis of evidence.

Job opportunities for students who complete this certificate will be available in local, regional, and national public service police employment. Department of Education. You must be a high school graduate or possess a General Education Development GED certificate or other equivalency diploma.

You are also encouraged to complete orientation before you start classes. Refer to the University Catalog or speak to an Advisor to learn more. If you are a certified sworn law enforcement officer who has completed National Peace Officer Standard Training, your accomplishments may qualify you to receive credit toward your certificate.

Earn credit for prior coursework completed at eligible institutions, including community colleges. Your Experience Counts. Financial Aid FAQ. Employee Savings and Benefits. Tuition Savings for Military. Credit for Military Training. International Tuition and Benefits. Discover tools and additional resources on the value of a crime scene technician certificate and potential career pathways to pursue. Propel your career in a growing, in-demand field.

Learn the skills and education you need to collect and analyze evidence at crime scenes. Expand your career opportunities in the criminal justice field. Learn how continued education could set you up for success down the line. Qualified crime scene technicians can seek employment opportunities in a variety of work environments including insurance companies, law enforcement agencies, laboratories, large law firms, and medical examiners' offices.

Labor market, salary, and projected growth information are supplied by Emsi. Average salary range is based on national data. Projected growth represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period — at the state level and is based on your geographic location.

Actual outcomes vary by geographic area, previous work experience, and opportunities for employment. Purdue Global cannot guarantee employment placement, salary level, or career advancement.

Students will obtain skills in the various approaches to examining and documenting crime scenes and in the proper handling, packaging, and transport of physical evidence to crime laboratories for further analysis. A significant component of this graduate certification program in CSI is to enable applied learning and support career development. It is the mission of the CSI program to foster critical thinking, knowledge, technical skills, ethics, discernment and humility in preparation for working in the medico-legal realm and with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and the justice system.

The CSI program prepares students for securing entry level forensic science positions with job titles such as crime scene investigator, crime scene technician, crime scene analyst, forensic investigator, forensic science technician and evidence technician. These classes are staggered within the fall and spring semesters to ensure you get the most out of each course. The graduate certificate specifically ties into crime scene analysis, investigation or forensics.

Many, many additional graduate-level certificates in forensics can be found, but they correlate to very niche fields, such as computer forensics or forensic accounting. Most of these programs do provide an option for an elective or electives, giving students choice in personalizing their certificate or gearing it toward the subject or subjects that interest them.

The programs included above are all offered by not-for-profit institutions that have earned regional accreditation for their overall academic rigor. The criminal justice system in America is the overarching establishment through which crimes and those who commit them are discovered, tried, and punished. A criminalist collects, documents, preserves, and examines the physical evidence at a crime scene, which could be something as huge as a bus, or as tiny as a pollen grain; criminologists, on the other hand, study why crimes occur, how they can be prevented, and the effects they have on a society.

The multitude of forensic science scholarships available to students is a testament to the viability of this academic profession, demonstrating promise within the field. As technology infiltrates every aspect of our lives, it is no wonder that solving crimes has become almost futuristic in its advances.

March is National Criminal Justice Month. The crime scene investigator, also called a CSI, will come to crime scenes in order to conduct an investigation and to collect evidence, and although there are varied paths to becoming a crime scene investigator, they typically involve a mix of rigorous coursework and empirical training. Search For Schools. Select Your State:.