Title says it all
For undergraduate? Forensics departments do not prefer forensic science grads for hiring. Specializing like that is not at all beneficial. They hire science BSc graduates with the requisite credits in chemistry for chemistry and biochemistry/molecular biology for DNA. They then train you from the ground up on their forensic protocols as that is necessary for your results to be legally admissible. Specializing like that can severely limit your job prospects.
It is a hyper competitive field and there are not many jobs compared to the hordes that want to be forensic scientists after seeing NCIS or CSI. Thus if you are unable like many to get a forensics job your degree may be entirely worthless. The job is really a boring technician job doing the exact protocol for DNA or drugs of abuse over and over exactly as the protocols call as any deviation is cause for the evidence to get thrown out. The protocols need to be very very well vetted to be admissible in court. Also you need to fill out hordes of paperwork with no errors as that is most often what the lawyers go after non-adherence to protocol and bad paperwork. So much as a formatted date can cause the evidence to get tossed and a rapist to go free.
I don’t doubt what is said above, just wanted to let you know that UScranton has a Forensic Science program.
Go to the forensic department page and look at the qualifications for a Forensic scientist trainee, Criminalist I, Forensic scientist one or whatever the entry level designation is in the state you live. IN my state for chemistry it was BSc in science with 30 credits in chemistry for chemistry and molecular biology/biochemistry and cell biology for DNA.
In my state Illinois I had to go downtown and take a computerized exam for several hours to be on a list for both DNA and Chemistry I scored A ratings on both got put on a list, it never went anywhere, the list expired, I refused to waste my time taking it again to be on the list another year and moved on. If my degree was in forensics I’d be scr#wed as I’d not have been as competitive for chemistry or biochem jobs. I applied to other states as well with better processes but similar qualifications. My state, Illinois is @ss backwards.
Thanks for responses
If you don’t mind a cheap state school, IUP is highly ranked in those fields. A good friend who did really well in high school is going there on scholarships and in the honors college.