A forensic sciences student in the foreground in a lab wearing gloves and handling small tubes while a professor gestures

Forensic Sciences

 

Forensic Sciences

 

Want to build expertise across all aspects of forensic and crime scene investigation? 

George Washington University offers graduate programs focused on developing in-demand forensic sciences skills in areas that include:

  • DNA extraction and analysis
  • Data interpretation
  • Psychological and behavioral analysis
  • Latent print examination
  • Crime scene investigation

Yes! I want to know more about GW's programs in Forensic Sciences.

 

The GW Advantage

 

  

Train alongside expert faculty in state-of-the-art laboratories equipped with advanced forensic instrumentation and technology.

  

Apply cutting-edge scientific methods — including chemical, physical, immunological and microscopic techniques — to real-world forensic challenges.

  

Choose a flexible path designed for working professionals, with master’s degrees and one-year graduate certificates that can help you advance your career without putting it on hold.

  

Network with professionals in government agencies, crime laboratories, medical facilities, legal organizations, research centers and more — taking advantage of GW’s unique location in Washington, D.C.

 

 

Programs at a Glance

Learn more about the program that fits your career goals:

 
Forensic Science, MFS

With this FEPAC-accredited master’s, you will gain the skills to evaluate and interpret crime scene evidence with the most up-to-date modern instrumental methods used in forensic laboratories, including mass spectrometry, optical spectroscopy, microscopy, chromatographic and electrophoretic separations. Equipped with deep knowledge of the variety of forms of physical evidence, your comprehensive understanding of the integration of forensic disciplines with the investigation of criminal activity will make you a highly sought after forensic specialist.

Forensic Chemistry, MFS

Through advanced work in medicinal chemistry, instrumental analysis and trace evidence analysis, this FEPAC-accredited master’s will help you gain the skills needed to master crime scene trace evidence analysis—from hair and fibers, glass and soil to paper, paint, ignitable liquids and explosive residues—including material composition, drug compositions and chemical components at the molecular level.

Forensic Molecular Biology, MFS

This FEPAC-accredited master’s prepares you to work in crime laboratories as DNA analysts and technical leaders. Using state-of-the-art lab facilities, you will learn chemical, physical, immunological and microscopic methods, and the theoretical and practical aspects of advanced methods, such as DNA extraction and data interpretation. Plus, gain simulated first-hand experience—via recreated crime scenes or participating in mock court cases—to develop the ability to collect, protect and preserve evidence, as well serve as an expert witness in testimony.

Crime Scene Investigation, MS

Designed for those seeking careers as investigators, detectives, lawyers, special agents, medical examiners, crime scene technicians and forensic pathologists, you will learn how to investigate crimes from medical and legal perspectives as you become proficient in crime scene investigation techniques including photography, fingerprinting, digital imaging and forensic pathology. This MS will enable you to acquire the skills required by agencies hiring CSIs for careers ranging from latent print examiners to medicolegal death investigators.

Criminology, MA

Broaden your understanding of how societies define, facilitate or reduce crime a through an advanced degree in Criminology. With a strong emphasis on research methods, the program incorporates required and elective forensic sciences courses and underscores the way crime and criminal justice need to be understood in a social context. 

Forensic Psychology, MA

If you are fascinated by the criminal mind and how it drives behavior, this program is for you. In courses ranging from psychopathology to law, you will examine the psychological underpinnings of human behavior of those involved in the legal system. You will evaluate the treatment of sex offenders and ethical issues involving interrogation, while learning techniques for successfully presenting expert testimony and advocating for at-risk individuals or populations. This breadth and depth of training — combined with externship opportunities found only in the nation’s capital — makes our graduates top contenders in growing and competitive fields.

Latent Print Examination, Graduate Certificate (online)

The first-of-its-kind program in the U.S., this one-year, online certificate program offers specialized courses for aspiring and transitioning forensic professionals that aligns with the Organization of Scientific Area Committee Standards for Friction Ridge Examination Training Program. Students are immersed in introductory and advanced latent print comparison, photography and digital image processing, fingerprint development techniques and providing expert courtroom testimony—making them ready to conduct real-world casework upon graduation.

Forensic Investigation, Graduate Certificate

Explicitly designed for working professionals in the forensic sciences community who seek to enhance their credentials and advance their career, this graduate certificate helps you develop a multidisciplinary fluency common to forensic investigations. As you build a cross-disciplinary perspective on best practices and emerging techniques in forensic photography, fingerprinting and medicolegal death investigations, you will also synthesize a broader view of cultural, legal, and technical field considerations.

 

A forensic science student working with equipment in a lab

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Employment Opportunities

Here are just some of the field’s top organizations where our graduates are advancing their exciting careers:

American Registry of Pathology
Bode Technology
DC Department of Forensic Sciences
DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner seal
Kansas Bureau of Investigation seal
Metropolitan Police Washington DC seal
Quest Diagnostics
SAIC
Tox Services logo
US Department of Defense with Pentagon rendering
US Department of Justice seal
FBI logo seal

 

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