This fall, UNCW will launch an online post-baccalaureate certificate program designed to help students from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds break into a uniquely specialized job market. The new 18-hour program, Forensic Science: Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), will prepare students for entry-level positions in the CSI workforce.

Courses, such as “Expert Testimony and Challenges in Court,” “Crime Scene Photography” and “Death Investigations,” will provide graduates with the skill set needed to become crime scene investigators, analysts and evidence technicians. They will learn to examine and document crime scenes and properly handle, package and transport physical evidence. The program will also focus on professional development and prepare students to be successful during their job search.

The College of Arts and Sciences already offers an interdisciplinary forensic science minor that prepares students for specialized education at the graduate level, but this new certificate program will increase employment opportunities for students who wish to pursue CSI careers without an advanced degree. This additional credential will add value to students’ undergraduate degrees and make them more competitive when applying for jobs in the medico-legal realm, the justice system and with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

The program will provide students with a cost-effective, flexible way to increase their post-graduate opportunities and broaden their career prospects, while helping meet the regional workforce’s need for highly trained crime scene investigators.
 
“It is wonderful that UNCW is supportive of this effort to educate the next generation of crime scene investigators and forensic evidence analysts,” said Midori Albert, professor and coordinator of the forensic science program. “This program will reach all types of students, including adult learners, military veterans and spouses, and individuals in remote or rural locations who are unable to relocate to Wilmington yet who feel a calling to enter a profession that helps their community.”
 
Applicants seeking admission to the Forensic Science: CSI graduate certificate program must hold a bachelor’s degree or minor in criminology, criminal justice, biology, chemistry or a relevant social science or natural science and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. The program is accepting applications for 2018 fall admission now through June 30. For more information, contact Midori Albert or visit the program’s website.

Aswani Volety, Ph.D., is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology. Volety earned a Ph.D. in marine science from the College of William & Mary, and a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Andhra University. The College of Arts and Sciences is UNCW’s largest academic unit, employing over 450 full-time and 150 part-time faculty members and awarding approximately three quarters of the university’s academic credits. Volety serves as the chief academic, fiscal and administrative officer of the college, which is responsible for educating students across the arts, sciences, humanities and social sciences, and includes the UNCW Center for Marine Science. Volety is also the current president of the Southern Association of Marine Labs.To learn more about the UNCW College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.uncw.edu/cas. Questions and comments can be sent to [email protected].