Located in University Park, Pennsylvania, Penn State's Eberly College of Science offers a Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC)-accredited bachelor of science in forensic science with a focus in either biology or chemistry. Penn State also offers a master of professional studies degree in forensic science. The program is suitable for students who have an undergraduate degree in biology or chemistry. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for acceptance into the master's program. The school also boasts several organizations for forensic students, including the Penn State Forensic Science Club and the Forensic Chemistry Research Group.
University of California, Davis offers a master of science degree in forensic science. Students can pursue the degree in both thesis and non-thesis tracks and can specialize in criminalistics or DNA analysis. The program features classes in forensic science instruments and methods, identification and DNA typing, arson inspection, courtroom testimony and forensic science research methods. Applying students must have an undergraduate degree in the sciences, engineering or related field where they've maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In the graduate program, students must sustain a GPA of 3.0 or higher or they will be placed on academic probation.
Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice offers a masters program in forensic science. The program began in 1946, making it the oldest continually functioning educational degree program in forensic science in the United States. The program focuses on both theoretical and practical background in the scientific, legal and investigative aspects of forensics. The school offers three concentrations, including forensic chemistry, forensic biology and forensic anthropology. The school, located in Lansing, boasts modern research and teaching laboratories that feature state-of-the-art equipment such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectrophotometry and polarized light microscopy. To qualify for the master's program, students must complete at least 38 undergraduate credits in the forensic chemistry, forensic biology and anthropology disciplines.
Located in Syracuse, New York, Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences offers its master's program. It is a 34-credit-hour program with two possible tracks. The forensics laboratory track prepares students for forensic science careers such as analyst positions in crime labs, private companies and federal agencies. It requires a B.S. or B.A. in natural science or forensic science or the equivalent. The general track is appropriate for jobs such as law enforcement officer, paralegal, court psychologist, criminal profiler and forensic microscopist. It calls for a B.A. or B.S. in a field relevant to the student's intended course of study. The forensics laboratory track 34-credit requirement includes seven credits in gateway courses (advanced forensic science and forensic chemical analysis), three credits in quantitative skills (probability and statistics) and 24 elective credits that must include one science and one social sciences and humanities course.