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Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science

The Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science degree is designed to prepare students for careers as forensic scientists and is accredited by the Forensic Science Educational Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Students using a centrifuge

Mission Statement

The mission of the forensic science program is to prepare the student, through the development of student knowledge and laboratory skills, for post-baccalaureate training and careers in forensic science and related fields, in an environment that emphasizes faculty-student mentoring.

Academic and Career Preparation

UTampa students have interned with many forensic laboratories which enhance the curriculum. Some examples include the following:

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Florida Department of Law Enforcement
  • Hillsborough County Medical Examiner
  • Pinellas County Crime Laboratory
  • Defense Forensic Science Center
  • National Forensic Science Technology Center

The program also prepares students for graduate programs in forensic science, chemistry, toxicology, biochemistry and health professional schools; alumni from the program are prepared for and have attended, medical school and pharmacy school.

Experienced Faculty

All of the faculty in the program were formerly forensic science practitioners, with experience as crime scene investigators or in forensic laboratories. This ensures that our students are taught by professors who have practiced what they are teaching; they have done forensic science and testified to their results in court.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates of the program are well-prepared for employment with local, state, and federal crime laboratories as well as law enforcement agencies. Based on polling, 93% of our graduates from the past three years are employed in forensic science or analytical laboratory science, are pursuing doctoral programs related to their training, or are enrolled in medical or pharmacy school.

The majority of graduates (50%) work in forensic science, reflecting the program's training focus. They work in the most common subdisciplines of forensic science: crime scene investigation, forensic toxicology, forensic chemistry, friction ridge (fingerprints), biology/DNA, and firearm and tool mark examination.

Most graduates who do not enter forensics directly use the analytical skills they learned in their training, commonly in industrial or medical analytical laboratories. Some graduates have used their training to become law enforcement agents, including graduates working as special agents for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Additionally, several graduates are in or have attended doctoral programs in top schools in their field.

By the Numbers

Forensic Science Post-Graduation Employment Data

 Graduation Class of 2021-2022Graduation Class of 2022-2023Graduation Class of 2023-2024
Number of graduates with jobs or job offers16128
Number of graduates admitted into an advanced degree program112
Number of graduates who  did not respond to the post-graduation survey232

Internship / Research Project/ Capstone Experience Information

Academic Year 2024-2025

Types of Experience
(internship, research, or capstone)
Title or Topic of Project/Area of StudyLocation
InternshipChemistryGlobal Forensic and Justice Center @ FIU Center, Largo, FL
InternshipForensic DNAGlobal Forensic and Justice Center @FIU Center, Largo, FL
InternshipForensic DNAPinellas County Forensic Lab, Largo, FL
InternshipForensic DNAGlobal Forensic and Justice Center @FIU Center, Largo, FL
InternshipChemistryGlobal Forensic and Justice Center @FIU Center, Largo, FL
ResearchUsing a Handheld Van de Graaff Generator to Electrostatically Drive PSI and Glass-PESI for Use with Mass Spectrometry 
ResearchOptimization of Squalene Ionization Conditions 
ResearchEvaluating 1,1-Difluoroethane for Headspace Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Volatiles 
ResearchLC-MS/MS analysis of caffeine in synthetic blood: an introduction to instrumentation for undergraduate chemistry students 
CapstoneDeveloping Methods for the Detection of Drugs in Human Bone 
CapstoneStorage of Fire Debris Evidence 
CapstoneThe Transfer and Persistence of Trace DNA in Forensic Casework 
CapstoneForensic DNA Phenotyping Utilizing Epigenetic and Proteomic Markers 
CapstoneThe Analysis of Polymers in 3D-Printed Firearms 
CapstoneThe Physical Examination of 3D-Printed Firearms 
CapstoneFieldable Technologies for Seized Drugs 
CapstoneDistinguishing Tauopathies: Utilizing Biochemical Analyses to Develop an In Vivo Diagnostic Technique for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy 
CapstoneEfficient DNA Collection Methods 
CapstoneEvaluation of the Use of Single-cell Analysis in Forensics with the DEPArray 
CapstoneDetermination and Quantification of Cannabinoids 
CapstoneApplications of Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Capillary Microextraction of Volatiles for the Analysis of Organic Gunshot Residues 
CapstoneImproving the Detection of Fentanyl Isomers and Analogues Using an Ionic Liquid Stationary Phase, GC-IRD, and SERS 
CapstoneDetermination of Accuracy and Reliability of Firearm and Toolmark Examinations 
CapstoneThe comparison of toolmarks on 3D printed components 
CapstoneThe Dual Analysis of Inorganic and Organic GSR with the Use of LC-MS/MS 

 

Academic Year 2023-2024

 

Types of Experience
(internship, research, or capstone)
Title or Topic of Project/Area of StudyLocation
InternshipFirearmsFlorida Department of Law Enforcement, Tampa, FL
InternshipChemistryFlorida Department of Law Enforcement, Tampa, FL
ResearchChemical Compounds in K-Cup Coffee Pods and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry 
ResearchTrace Drugs in Surface Waters 
ResearchElectrostatic Capture and Ionization of Surface Residues 
CapstoneOptimization of DNA Extraction for Low-Level Samples 
CapstoneImproving Throughput by Optimizing PCR Methods 
CapstoneInferring Activity from Fingermark Placement 
CapstoneBlood Spatter Analysis 
CapstoneFieldable Mass Spectrometry at the Crime Scene 
CapstoneImproving the Recovery of Male DNA from Sexual Assault Kits 
CapstoneCollection and Preservation of Ignitable Liquid Residues 
CapstoneFieldable Mass Spectrometry at the Crime Scene 
CapstoneImproving Throughput of DNA Profiling - The Optimization of PCR Methods 
CapstoneOptimization of DNA Extraction for Low-Level Samples 

 

Academic Year 2022-2023

 

Types of Experience
(internship, research, or capstone)
Title or Topic of Project/Area of StudyLocation
InternshipCrime ScenePasco County Sheriff’s Office, New Port Richey, FL
InternshipChemistryFlorida Department of Law Enforcement, Tampa, FL
InternshipToxicologyFlorida Department of Law Enforcement, Orlando, FL
InternshipForensic DNAGlobal Forensic and Justice Center @FIU Center, Largo, FL
InternshipForensic DNAGlobal Forensic and Justice Center @FIU Center, Largo, FL
InternshipForensic DNAGlobal Forensic and Justice Center @FIU Center, Largo, FL
ResearchIon Formation in Mass Spectrometry of Explosives 
ResearchSPME-DART-MS of Explosives 
CapstoneDNA Transfer in Casework 
CapstoneBlunt Force Trauma in Burn Remains 
CapstoneThe Sexual Assault Backlog 
CapstoneCanines and Human Scent 
CapstoneElectrostatic Capture of Forensic Evidentiary Residues 
CapstoneCauses of Excited Delirium 
CapstoneHandheld Raman and FTIR in the Field 

 

Academic Year 2021-2022

 

Types of Experience
(internship, research, or capstone)
Title or Topic of Project/Area of StudyLocation
InternshipChemistryPinellas County Forensic Lab, Largo, FL
InternshipCrime ScenePasco County Sheriff’s Office, New Port Richey, FL
InternshipCrime ScenePasco County Sheriff’s Office, New Port Richey, FL
InternshipCrime ScenePasco County Sheriff’s Office, New Port Richey, FL
InternshipForensic DNANational Forensic Science Technology Center, Largo, FL
ResearchLC-TOF Mass Spectrometry of Explosives 
ResearchMeasurement of Halides in Water 
ResearchIon Formation in Mass Spectrometry of Explosives 
ResearchTwo Different GC-MS Analyses: Trihalomethanes in Water and Caffeine in Coffee 
CapstoneLivor Mortis and Circumstances of Death 
CapstoneProfiling Fentanyl Analogue Metabolites 
CapstoneIgnitable Liquids Analysis 
CapstoneVirtual Firearms Comparison Microscopy 
CapstoneSequencing Degraded DNA 
CapstoneOdorants for Training Detection Canines 
CapstoneFingerprint Capture from Mummified Deceased
CapstoneForensic Toxicology of Skeleton Tissue 
CapstoneAnalysis of Fentanyls 
CapstoneBacterial Microbiomes at Crime Scenes 
CapstoneInstrumentation in Seized Drug Analysis 

Enrollment/Graduation Data

 Academic Year 2021-2022Academic Year 2022-2023Academic Year 2023-2024
Number of students enrolled in forensic science177138139
Number of forensic science graduates191612