#4 Arcadia University
Glenside, Pennsylvania
Arcadia's Master of Science in Forensic Science (MSFS) program is very heavy on chemistry and biology, and they are known for an excellent program in getting you up to speed in one of these fields if you spent your college days working in the other. They do this with a "cohort" system, where undergrads who majored in chemistry take two upper-level courses in molecular biology and biochemistry their first year of the program, and undergrads who majored in biology take two courses in instrumental methods and one in polymers. This is done, of course, alongside the normal classes in general forensics. As far as these go, they're pretty standard: forensic law, crime scene investigation, pharmacology and toxicology, with general areas of forensics covered by a survey course in forensic science and forensic medicine. In the end, you can expect a two year general Master of Science in Forensic Science.
One of the coolest aspects of Arcadia is that they guarantee you an internship at the Rieders Foundation labs, about 10 minutes from central campus in Willow Grove, PA. Believe us -- if you've never had to spend your days sending letters and emails fighting for limited internship spots throughout the country, you're lucky. The Rieders lab guarantee is a big plus in our books. And it's a no-joke internship, too -- 14 weeks of intensive work in forensic biology, forensic toxicology or forensic chemistry. When you combine that with the fact that nearby NMS Labs also grants internships and part-time employment, you can see how Arcadia helps you get your foot in the door in a big way with real-world employment. We can't overstate the significance of this. At the very minimum, it's reassuring to know that you won't have to spend all your free time fighting over internship spots, not knowing where you'll spend the summer nailing down your internship credits.
For prospective college students, Arcadia also offer a smart, forward-looking 5 year program for interested undergraduates, where you can get your bachelors and your masters after just five years. Considering most college students these days don't even get their undergraduate degree in this amount of time, it's a smart, compact way to enter the field of forensics at a higher level, with higher pay -- provided, of course, you know that this is what you want to do after high school!
