Institutes across the United States offer a wide range of online and campus-based forensics programs including criminal investigations, forensic science, digital forensics, computer forensics training, and crime scene technician training, at both the Masters and Doctoral levels.
Graduates of Master of Science in Forensic Computing gain both an understanding of criminal justice issues related to electronic crime investigation and a computer science foundation in forensic computing. The theoretical grounding of the computing curriculum equips the students to respond to the continuously changing technical and legal challenges in the field and participate in research and training in computer forensics and security techniques. The practical side of the curriculum equips students to work as forensic computing specialists in such roles as cyber-investigators, first responders, technicians in forensic labs and consultants on computer security issues.
The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program consists of a general survey of the field with courses in research methods, the causes of crime, social control of social deviance, and analysis of the police, courts and correctional systems with opportunities to take additional courses in various sub-areas such as drug abuse.
Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology, this program is designed to train practitioners to provide psychological services to, and within, the criminal and civil justice systems. It focuses on the understanding, evaluation and treatment of adult and juvenile offenders, as well as the victims of crime and domestic violence. It covers crisis intervention, psychology and the legal system, and also the role of the psychologist in the courtroom. Through the curriculum, students are provided with an advanced understanding of psychological development and psychopathology, personality assessment, psychotherapeutic techniques and research methods.
Master of Science in Forensic Science, the program is designed to provide advanced education for scientists, scientists in administration, directors, and other professionals currently employed in crime laboratories and in such related areas as public safety, arson investigation, and environmental protection. It also prepares people who are interested in entering such careers. The curriculum meets an urgent national need for well trained forensic scientists.
PhD in Criminal Justice – The Doctoral Program offers an interdisciplinary education in the fields of criminal justice, criminology and forensic science which combines theory, empirical research, and normative analysis. Through a well-integrated core curriculum, the students are trained rigorously in social science methods, research design, statistics, and information retrieval. They are also provided with a firm grounding in criminological theory, criminal law, criminal procedure, organizational behavior, public policy analysis, and the psychology of criminal justice.
PhD in Forensic Psychology – The Program endorses the scientist-practitioner model of doctoral education in psychology. This model has been widely adopted by doctorate programs in clinical psychology nationwide. The model maintains the primacy of research training while also providing the necessary clinical preparation techniques. The program educates students both in providing professional psychological services to and within the law enforcement field and the criminal and civil justice systems as well as contributing to the development of knowledge in the field. Upon completion, students are eligible to apply for state licensure as psychologists.