Forensics Colleges
It has become quite a trend to associate forensic science and criminal justice with adventure, righteousness and justice. The higher demand for specialists as well as the social awareness of the mechanisms that support the act of justice has determined many educational institutions to create programs, courses and distance learning formats dedicated to forensics. There is a large number of accredited forensics colleges that one can choose from, depending on personal motivation and career objectives. Different programs will train people for different jobs. Thus, some will train for crime scene investigations, others for lab work, others for computer forensics and so on.
Forensics colleges provide two types of programs: some for bachelors degrees and others for masters degrees. The competency is different for the two, since some of the jobs associated with criminal justice require special supplementary training and lots of years of study. DNA lab work represents one such domain, and the selection criteria are usually met only by the candidates with a solid education in chemistry, biochemistry, genetics and biology. Applicants for MA degrees will benefit more from their studies and their time if they have some forensic work experience, if they don't, extra courses will have to be attended.
Microscopy, forensic molecular biology, crime scene reconstruction, population statistics and lots of others are just a few of the programs that need to be undertaken for a masters degree with most forensics colleges. Keep in mind that skills are created in labs, and if you want to be a forensic technician for instance, you should have access to direct lab work to learn methods, techniques and the basis of the forensic procedure. This is where distance training is not that efficient, because people who choose programs that do not involve in-class work, will not develop the same skills. Therefore, although they are accredited, distance education formats remain questionable.
The application for forensics colleges is probably the first step towards building a career in the field of criminal justice. However, the first criterion is a perfectly clean personal record. References to drug use and personal convictions are a no-no. There are US states like Miami, where smokers are not allowed to train in the domain of forensics. And even if people have access to specific education, they will not be employed as long as they are addicted to nicotine. Although it seems rough, the nature of such criteria is understandable and so is their necessity.