| MadSci Network: Chemistry |
Crissa, Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! The American Academy of Forensics Sciences (http://www.aafs.org/schools.htm) has a website with a list of colleges and universities that have both undergraduate and graduate programs in forensic science. A background in biology and chemistry is likely to be excellent preparation for these programs. Contact names are listed on the site so that you can get more information from the schools themselves. Forensics is a very diverse field. A variety of backgrounds would find success in this career choice. I noticed that the American Academy of Forensics Sciences includes physicians, criminalists, toxicologists, attornerys, dentists, physical anthropologists, and engineers. Forensic pathologists who do autopsies are often physicians with medical training. Toxicologists often have a degree in Chemistry. I once applied to a PhD program in toxicology itself at UCSF. Forensic biologists often do DNA testing such as PCR. For more about forensics as a career: http://library.thinkquest.org/17049/gather/careers/ I couldn't find any sources for rankings of Forensic Science programs although US News & World Report has some rankings that might be of interest to you but they are on more general graduate programs such and Biology or Chemistry. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/beyond/bchome.htm Hope this helps, Crissa. Good luck! Bonnie
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Chemistry.