New Jersey Institute of Technology announced it has created the state’s first undergraduate degree program in forensic science.
The Newark college said in a news release that the 120-credit Bachelor of Science program will enable students to focus on forensic science and crime scene investigation. Offered through the College of Science and Liberal Arts’ Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, the program will include fieldwork, study of analytical methods, evidence and procedural law and more.
“This program fills a critically important and unmet need in the state of New Jersey: an accredited Bachelor of Science forensic science program, the first of its kind in the state,” Kevin Belfield, dean of the College of Science and Liberal Arts, said in a prepared statement. “This STEM-focused program expands our already-impressive slate of high return-on-investment degree programs for our students and establishes NJIT as a regional resource for future forensic science professionals, as well as the professional community in the state and region.”
The program is the first in the New York metro region designed to achieve approval by the top accrediting body in college-level forensic science academics, the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission.
“All students will participate in a ‘Forensic Science Capstone’ experience that entails a co-op position in a forensic science laboratory, a series of professional workshops or extensive forensic science research,” Belfield said.
It has established collaborations with professional agencies including New Jersey’s State Toxicology Laboratory and others.
