Criminalists are concerned with the reconstruction of crimes and the analysis of physical evidence. They must use a blend of investigative skills and practical experience. One of the primary functions of a criminalist is to properly identify and collect evidence in a wide variety of crime scenes. Combining scientific and legal methods taught in the classroom with actual experience, you will develop skills in identifying, sorting, comparing, interpreting and cataloging evidence for use in subsequent criminal proceedings.

Our criminalistics courses are uniquely designed as stepping stones throughout the major. You will collect evidence in classes and continue to analyze this evidence in subsequent classes. You begin to learn these processes in Introduction to Forensic Science, which opens you up to an overview of forensic science. Additional courses in the progression are Advanced Criminalistics, Evidence Processing and Trial Evidence. Throughout this progression, you will advance your experience from crime scene to the courtroom.