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Young Forensic Scientists Forum Newsletter - November 2001 Forensic
Science Education: Bachelor's or Master's or PhD? |
| This article is one part advertisement for the new master’s program in forensic science and one part discussion of the appropriateness of forensic science education at various levels of higher education. The opinions in this article are strictly mine and do not represent those of other people who hold different opinions (with apologies to the Annals of Improbable Research). There are perhaps a couple of dozen colleges and universities in the U.S. that offer a degree in forensic science or a degree in some other discipline with a concentration, emphasis, or specialization in forensic science. Some of these programs are offered at the bachelor’s level, some at the master’s level, and at least one is a PhD. As director of the forensic science program at Michigan State University for the past 22 years, I get dozens of letters, phone calls, and e-mails each week inquiring about our program and often requesting guidance about what is the appropriate level of education to become a forensic scientist. This is a good question, given the various levels of education available and the general confusion in the public about forensic science and forensic scientists as well as crime scene investigators, medical examiners, forensic pathologists, etc. Michigan State University started its program in 1946 and has operated it continuously since then. It started out as a bachelor’s program (a concentration in forensic science within the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice). It evolved into a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science in 1981 and then to a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Forensic Science (30 semester hours) since 1994. In fall of 2002, it will evolve again, into an interdepartmental Master of Science in Forensic Science, with participation of faculty from a half dozen departments in three colleges. The new program will be 38 semester hours and have defined concentrations in forensic chemistry, biology, and anthropology at the start. Forensic biomechanics and investigations concentrations may be added in the near future. Applicants will have to apply to a particular concentration, although it will be possible to take courses in other concentrations once enrolled. Our decision to abolish the bachelor’s degree program was due to one major factor. Several surveys of crime lab directors, students, and crime lab personnel indicated that the preferred method for gaining an entry level position in a crime lab is to have a strong, basic science background in chemistry, biology, etc., and then to specialize at the master’s level in forensic science. This was especially the preference of crime lab directors. We had also noticed that our bachelor’s degree graduates were starting to have some problems getting jobs in crime labs, often losing out to applicants with bachelor’s degrees in the hard sciences. Bachelor’s Programs in Forensic Science In spite of our experience at MSU, I am convinced that there is a place for bachelor’s degrees or concentrations in forensic science. I think that the following factors are important: • Students need to be realistic about the job prospects in forensic science. The job market has been very good in recent years but also quite competitive. Those with a bachelor’s degree may find themselves in competition with people who have a bachelor’s degree in a science and a master’s degree in a science such as forensic science. Such programs may serve best those who wish to use their forensic science in another arena such as the law, crime scene technology, or investigation. • They work very well at smaller institutions where there are no graduate programs and where human and scientific resources are limited. • They work best as part of a strong science background such as a strong emphasis in chemistry and biology. • If they are part of a criminal justice program, there is a clear distinction so that potential employers will not get the impression that the forensic science program is not a glorified CJ program. • There is well-defined coursework in the forensic sciences and opportunities for a meaningful internship in a crime lab. The internship experience is especially critical. Master’s Programs in Forensic Science The handful of master’s degree programs in the U.S. all have much in common. They all require a strong science background for admission. Typically this would be a bachelor’s degree in chemistry or one of the biological sciences. They all have specific course work in forensic science, especially the "hard science" areas including drugs, chemical and microscopic evidence, DNA and other forensic biology, toxicology, etc. Some programs also offer course work in firearms, documents, and/or fingerprints. Most have in-house, well-equipped analytical laboratories. All offer and encourage internships. Most require a thesis. In recent years, virtually all of the reputable programs have been swamped with applications. This is exacerbated by the situation that all of them are pretty small operations. For example, at Michigan State, we had 92 applications for 12 spots this year. The average undergraduate GPA of successful applicants was around 3.6 and the aggregate GRE scores were around 2000 (out of 2400); about the 80th percentile. Our recent experience is that crime lab directors are starting to prefer applicants with master’s degrees in science or forensic science because they can. There is great interest in forensic science these days and many qualified applicants. We have had little trouble in placing our students as they graduate and many are snapped up even before graduation. PhD Programs There are very few PhD programs in the forensic sciences at this time and my personal opinion is that there is not a need at this time for science-based PhD programs. It takes four to five years to complete a PhD in this country and we need to ensure that there will be a market for such graduates. I am not convinced that this is the case at this time. At Michigan State, we are starting to develop articulation agreements with science departments on the campus; presently chemistry and biochemistry, with pharmacology to follow next year, wherein a student can complete a PhD in a science and the master’s in forensic science in the same four to five year time frame. This is done by sharing electives and by designing the dissertation in such a way that it is forensically oriented or has a forensic science component so that a piece of it can be carved out for the master’s research requirement. The PhD granting department supports the students financially for the whole four to five years. We have had one graduate of the chemistry PhD/Master’s in Forensic Science programs who is now at NIST on a postdoctoral fellowship. We have three more in the pipeline and two more who are pursuing master’s degrees in both chemistry and forensic science at the same time. We have an agreement in place with the biochemistry department and are seeking an agreement with the pharmacology department for a prospective student next year. There are no shortcuts taken and no requirements compromised for either program so the student has the benefits and options of both. It gives them maximum flexibility to pursue any of a number of career paths. Internships While we are on the subject of forensic science education, let's discuss the internship. In my opinion, the single most important component of a proper forensic science education is an internship in a practicing crime lab. Ours requires a 14-week, full time commitment on the part of the student and the lab. The trend these days seems to be for labs to hire their interns when a job opens up. This is how it should be. I suggest to my students that they should treat an internship as a 14-week job interview during which time they will be constantly evaluated by lab personnel. They should also use this opportunity to "interview" the lab as a possible place for a career. Many internships consist in part, of a project for the student. This serves the purposes of accomplishing tasks for the lab that personnel there do not have time to do and it may provide an opportunity to complete the required research component of the forensic science program. At some institutions, including MSU, there are expanded internship opportunities where a student can spend some time at a crime lab during the entire period of matriculation at the college or university. For example a student may spend 12-15 hours a week during the fall and spring semesters at the lab and then full time during the summer. The result is that a student may be practically fully trained in a discipline by the time that (s)he has completed the master’s degree. This can be a big plus for both the student and the lab. Training vs. Education When I started out teaching forensic science 25 years ago at Metropolitan State College in Denver, I had numerous conversations with crime lab directors concerning what they saw as the value of a forensic science program. The consistent answer was something to the effect that our business was to educate the students in the principles of science and forensic science and to leave the training in specific protocols and techniques to the crime labs. These days, lab directors are imploring those of us in education to get our students trained so they can "hit the ground running" when they get to the lab so that training times can be reduced. This raises the question as to what should be the proper role of a forensic science education program. My view is that our primary role should be education—teaching the principles of forensic science and exposing students to a variety of techniques and methods, without specifying a particular protocol for the analysis of evidence. That is the proper purview of the laboratories. I think that the internship can also provide some of the training that crime labs desire in prospective applicants |
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© 2001 Young Forensic Scientists Forum / American Academy of Forensic Sciences |