“A forensic scientist is first a scientist. When he applies his scientific knowledge to assist juries, attorneys, and judges in understanding science, he is a forensic scientist.  Forensic scientists are thinkers, good with details, good with putting pieces of a puzzle together, and curious. Some scientists work in laboratories and some also go out to places where crimes are committed (crime scenes). Others teach in colleges and universities.”

                                                --American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)

What does the Chemistry Department at Southeast Missouri State University have to offer you in your pursuit of a career in forensic science?

Our department offers a first-rate education in chemistry that will prepare you for a wide variety of career opportunities.  We are accredited by the American Chemical Society and offer a Master of Natural Science degree in Applied Chemistry with a Forensic Option.  Unlike some institutions, we do not offer a degree strictly in forensic chemistry, in large part because we agree with the statement by the AAFS that one must first be a scientist before he can be a forensic scientist.  An informal survey of Midwest crime laboratory directors recently revealed that the majority of them would prefer a student with a solid background in one of the physical sciences—biology, chemistry, or physics—to one who had received a smattering of training in each of these areas in a forensic science degree program.  You will leave our program with just that—a strong scientific foundation as a chemist that will enable you to enter into a number of different fields, including forensic chemistry. 

Our students have a number of options available to them after graduation.  Most of our graduates go on to seek and gain employment as forensic scientists in local, state, regional, or federal crime laboratories.  Still others choose employment in the chemical industry with companies such as Pfizer, Colgate-Palmolive, and Eli Lilly to name a few.  Other students prefer to apply for advanced graduate or professional schools, such as Ph.D. programs in chemistry or toxicology or medical school.  The educational foundation you receive in our department will position you to attain any of these goals and to be successful in your chosen field.

Students interested in forensic science who enter our degree program will not only receive extensive training and education in chemistry, but will have the opportunity to enrich their degree program with a number of courses and opportunities geared specifically toward particular areas of interest within the forensic sciences.  For example, students have the opportunity to take such elective courses as Fundamental Concepts of Genetics, Cell and Molecular Biology I, Molecular Biology Investigations, Occupational Health, Fundamental Concepts of Botany, The Criminal Justice System: An Overview, Probability and Statistics I, Probability and Statistics II, Experimental Design and Analysis of Variance, Statistical Analysis for Forensic Science, Bioinformatics, and Methods of Research.

Our students also often have the opportunity to attend professional meetings, such as American Chemical Society (ACS), American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (MAFS), Midwest Forensic Resource Center (MFRC), and Missouri Academy of Science (MAS) meetings.

For more general information on what it takes to become a forensic scientist, what sort of educational background you will need, and what it is like to be a forensic scientist, we recommend the following excellent resources:

Forensic Students page on the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors website

Career Resources page on the American Academy of Forensic Sciences website

FAQ page on the Midwest Forensic Resource Center website

Trends in Forensic Science Education: An article in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry