Forensic Studies, Certificate

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The Forensics Studies certificate is designed to provide an introductory and interdisciplinary overview of the field of forensic studies, grounded in the intersections between criminal justice and science. This certificate program is open to all undergraduate students at UNR. Students will gain a general understanding of Forensic Studies and the educational requirements needed to pursue a degree program that will lead to potential careers in Forensic Science. Courses from a wide range of fields, including criminal justice, psychology, anthropology, biology, chemistry, and biochemistry, can be taken as part of the certificate program.

NOTE: Students who are enrolled in this program solely are not eligible for Federal Financial Aid.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Explain Forensic Studies and the educational requirements needed to pursue a degree program that will lead to potential careers in Forensic Science.
Examine scientific components of criminal investigation and criminal justice processes, while building a cross-disciplinary perspective on best practices and emerging techniques.
Identify specialized forensic services and how they may aid in the criminal justice system.

Contact Information

Department of Criminal Justice
Ansari Building 601
cjdept@unr.edu
(775) 784-6164
https://www.unr.edu/criminal-justice

College of Liberal Arts Student Center
Lincoln Hall 305
(775) 682-8745
https://www.unr.edu/liberal-arts/academic-advising

I. Program Requirements (12 units)

Any student may pursue the certificate in Forensic Studies by completing the following:

Certificate GPA| 2. 0
Certificate Upper-Division Units| 6
Certificate Residency Requirement| 3 Upper-Division Units in the certificate at UNR

A. Required Course (3 units)

CRJ 160 - Foundations in Forensic Studies (3 units)

B. Elective Courses (9 units)

Complete at least 3 courses of at least 3 units each from the list below.

It is highly recommended that students take at least ONE elective course that includes a lab within the following prefixes: BCH, BIOL, CHEM, or MICR. (Note: Some science lecture courses carry a corequisite requiring simultaneous enrollment in a separate, accompanying lab course.)

ANTH 222 - Fundamentals of Forensic Anthropology (3 units)
ANTH 468 - Forensic Anthropology (3 units) (recommended for Anthropology majors)
BCH 242 - Biochemistry of Poisons, Toxins & Venoms (3 units) CO9
BCH 303 - Analytical Biochemistry Laboratory (3 units) (recommended for Biochemistry majors)
BIOL 190A - Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology Lecture (3 units)
CHEM 121A - General Chemistry I (3 units) CO4 AND
CHEM 121L - General Chemistry Laboratory I (1 unit) CO4L
CHEM 330 - Analytical Chemistry (4 units) (recommended for Chemistry majors)
CRJ 161 - Crime Scene Investigation (3 units)
CRJ 311 - Forensic Science (3 units)
CRJ 342 - Forensic Psychology (3 units)
CRJ 469 - Psychology and the Legal System (3 units)
CS 252 - Digital Forensics Fundamentals (3 units)
MICR 100 - Microbes and Society (3 units) CO4L
MICR 276 - Introduction to Microbiology (3 units) AND
MICR 276L - Introduction to Microbiology Laboratory (2 units) (recommended for Microbiology & Immunology majors)