Accredited through the Forensic Science Education Programs Accredited Commission, Pennsylvania State University is considered to have perhaps the top CSI program in the country. While the central concentration of study is on either the biology or chemistry behind CSI, there are several student organizations on campus in which the focus is on forensics. Penn State also offers a Master of Professional Studies in Forensic Science for the postgraduate student.
At the University of California, Davis, an estimated 85 percent of graduates from its school of forensic science go on to a career in forensics or a related scientific field. The university also offers a master's program designed for working students, with many evening and part-time classes available. Practical experience is part of the program, as forensic students work closely with both the Sacramento County Laboratory and the California Criminalistics Institute. Studies include DNA analysis, chemistry, accident reconstruction, fire and arson investigation, trace analysis, toxicology and crime scene investigation, among others. In 2010, "Princeton Review" rated UCD as "Best Value College" among public institutions.
Located in Orlando, the University of Central Florida offers several internships and job-placement opportunities with government agencies and private institutions. Orlando is known as the "Silicon Valley of the South," and UCF's state-of-the-art labs and equipment live up to this idea. Partnered with the National Center for Forensic Science, the university's CSI program includes training in digital evidence, in which students are taught to manipulate and investigate mobile phones, laptops and recording equipment as part of the crime-solving process, with a majority of students entering their preferred forensic fields shortly after graduation.
Michigan State University's forensic program offers a degree that emphasizes anthropology as well as biology and chemistry. With an anthropological focus students are specially trained in skeletal analysis and human identification. MSU has the oldest undergraduate CSI program in the U.S., having first offered a major in forensic science in 1946, and the university also offers doctoral specialization. Additionally available is an online course taken in three parts that certifies training in Homeland Security. Working closely with a number of civic and professional organizations allows MSU to offer several internships as well.