Canadian Society of Forensic Science
 

Careers

Over the year, we receive many, many requests for information regarding Employment, Careers and Education in the field of forensics. 

For a free helpful career booklet on Forensic Science (Compiled by Gail Anderson) - Click here.

Below is a summary compiled by Glenn Carroll to answer most of those questions.

We have in Canada a provincial as well as a federal system of forensic laboratories. Resource materials and career enquiries may be addressed to the Directors of the two provincial labs, as follows:

Director
The Centre of Forensic Sciences
25 Grosvenor Street
Toronto ON M7A 2G8

Le directeur
Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale
1701, rue Parthenais
Montréal QC H2K 2S7

Six forensic laboratories are operated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (located in Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, and Vancouver), and your contact could be:

Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Recruiting Office
Room 164 - 250 Tremblay Road
Ottawa ON K1A 0R2

Each laboratory is subdivided into several sections. Academic prerequisites, for example, for Biology Section "specialists", i.e. those persons conducting casework and testifying in court, are a B.Sc. (Hons.) minimum, M.Sc., or Ph.D. Opportunities also exist for technologists with a pass B.Sc. or community college diploma.

 


Forensic Science Educational Programs



The BC Institute of Technology (BCIT)

is proud to offer a

Forensic Science Technology Program

Check out their website at: http://www.bcit.ca/cas/forensics/
for more details!


In Canada, Erindale College (University of Toronto) has recently begun a B.Sc. program in Forensic Science. It is a 4 year Honours B.Sc. with a double major required. The Forensic Science major is designed to provide the student with a broad base knowledge about different aspects of scientific application. The second major must be in an approved science (Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, or Psychology), and it is designed to provide additional in a subfield of primary interest.


There is now a Bachelor Science in Forensic Science program at Laurentian University (Ontario). More information can be found at:

http://forensicscience.laurentian.ca

The program is also offered with several combined specializations that may be taken in the areas Anthropology, Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation, and Psychology.

Full admission details and program offerings are available on the website.


There is a Forensic Studies program at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta. They have had an online Forensic Studies program for approximately 5 years now. It is a multidisciplinary program designed for professionals in justice, science, health professions, corrections and law who work with either victims or offenders. It is open also to undergraduates in their final year of these programs. They have transfer arrangements for Masters' programs as well as with a number of baccalaureate programs. Their advisory committee includes representatives from Emergency departments, corrections, courts, police, the medical examiner's office, and the RCMP forensic lab.

Information is as follows:

Forensic Studies Program
Mount Royal College,
4825 Mount Royal Gate SW
Calgary Alberta Canada
T3E 6K6
phone 1-888-240-7201 tollfree
email: FORE@mtroyal.ca
http://www.mtroyal.ca/forensic

Information:
- certificate in forensic studies
- designed for professionals working with victims or offenders
- transferrable to other postsecondary institutions
- online distance delivery courses


  
New Forensics program at Fleming College in Peterborough, ON.
Ministry certified program in Ontario and the only college (in Canada) that
offers laboratory high-throughput automation combined with Forensic
Analysis. For more information click here


The College Blue Book (23rd Edition, Macmillan Publishing Company, N.Y., 1991) lists 5 university departments offering undergraduate degrees and 1 department offering a masters degree in "Criminalistics". There are 2 departments offering undergraduate degrees in "Forensic Chemistry" and 10 departments offering undergraduate degrees, 6 masters degrees and 1 doctoral program in "Forensic Science". (These programs in the U.S. only)

These are listed below: (A=Associate, B=Bachelor, M=Masters, D=Doctorate)

Programs listed for Criminalistics:

California State University-Los Angeles, California (M)
University of Illinois-Chicago, Illinois (B)
Eastern Kentucky University-Kentucky (A)
Michigan State University-Michigan (B)
State University of New York, College at Buffalo-New York (B)
York College of Pennsylvania-Pennsylvania (A)

Programs listed for Forensic Chemistry:

Ohio University-Ohio (B)
West Chester University of Pennsylvania-Pennsylvania (B)

Programs Listed for Forensic Science:

Jacksonville State University-Alabama (B)
University of Alabama-Birmingham, Alabama (M)
Northern Arizona University-Arizona (B)
California State University-Sacramento, California (B)
National University-California (M)
University of New Haven-Connecticut (BAM)
George Washington University-District of Columbia (M)
University of Central Florida-Florida (B)
Albany State College-Georgia (A)
Eastern Kentucky University-Kentucky (B)
University of Maryland, College Park Campus-Maryland (MAD)
University of Mississippi-Mississippi (B)
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City of New York-NY (BAM)
University of Central Oklahoma-Oklahoma (B)
University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Centre at Dallas-Texas (M)

A list of forensic science programs was developed by Jay Siegel and Charles Midriff for the Council of Forensic Science Educators under the auspices of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Those programs not in the Blue Book that are on that list are cited below:


GRADUATE PROGRAMS


Master of Science in Forensic Science

California State University-Sacramento
School of Health and Human Services, California

Related Masters Programs

University of Illinois - College of Pharmacy, Chicago, Illinois

Master of Science in Chemical Toxicology

The George Washington University (see above under MSFS)

Master of Science in Criminal Justice/Concentration in Forensic Science

Albany State College-Albany, GA 31705
Department of Criminal Justice

Michigan State University, School of Criminal Justice-Michigan

Virginia Commonwealth University-Richmond, VA
Department of Justice and Risk Administration

Master of Science in Chemistry - Forensic related research

West Chester University, West Chester, PA
Department of Chemistry

Florida International University, Miami, Florida
Department of Chemistry

Master of Science in Natural Science - Forensic concentration

Southeastern Missouri State University-Cape Girardeau, MO


Online Master’s in Forensic Psychology Offered by The University of North Dakota www.conted.und.edu/ddp/mafp

Doctoral Programs


At this time, we have no information on active doctoral programs in forensic science in the US. There are, however, several universities that offer programs on the Ph.D. level with some specialization relating to forensic science. These are given below:

John Jay College

Ph.D. in Criminal Justice with a concentration in forensic science

University of California - Berkeley

Doctor of Public Health with research opportunity in forensic science. There are also Ph.D.'s in Comparative Biochemistry, Genetics, Immunology or Environmental Health with opportunities for research with a forensic science emphasis.

University of Illinois - Chicago

Ph.D. in Toxicology with forensic emphasis

In addition there are a number of universities which offer research emphasis in forensic science as evidenced by recent theses that were forensic science related. They are listed below:

University of Alabama
Department of Chemistry

Kansas State University
Department of Chemistry

Villanova University
Department of Chemistry


Graduate Programs Outside North America


INDIA

Master of Science in Forensic Science

University of Madras
Department of Forensic Science

University of Sagar
Sagar (M.P.)

PHILIPPINES

Master of Science in Criminology
Philippine College of Criminology, Manila

SWITZERLAND

Ph.D. in Forensic Science
Université de Lausanne
Institute de Police Scientifique et Criminologie
Place du Chateau 3
CH-1005 Lausanne, Switzerland

UNITED KINGDOM

King's College London
School of Health and Life Sciences,
Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NN.

PhD, in Forensic Science

University of Strathclyde
Forensic Science Unit
Glasgow, Scotland G1 1XW



Undergraduate Programs Outside North America


AUSTRALIA

University of Technology - Sydney
Broadway NSW 2000
Australia

GERMANY

University of Humboldt
Department of Forensic Science
Berlin, Germany

PHILIPPINES

Philippine College of Criminology
Manila, Philippines

POLAND

University of Cracow
Department of Criminalistics
Cracow, Poland

SWITZERLAND

Université de Lausanne
Institute de Police Scientifique et Criminologie
Place du Chateau 3
CH-1005
Lausanne, Switzerland

UNITED KINGDOM

University of Strathclyde
Forensic Science Unit
Glasgow, Scotland G1 1XW

What's new ?


2011-10-01 CSFS 2012 - Forensics: Public, Private or Patnership? - click here

Resources

Alcohol Test Committee - Recommended Standards and Procedures - Click here

For a free helpful career booklet on Forensic Science (Compiled by Gail Anderson) -Click here.

CSFS Awards & Prizes.
Click Here