PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination: Key Highlights, Admission, Syllabus and colleges

It is rightly said after someone’s death the dead body doesn’t come to prove his point. It is the documents that present enough evidence to prove what the deceased wanted in his life. For example when someone is dead and he leaves no official successor of his wealth then the will he might have prepared does the task. But what if the will is an altered one and not the actual one? Yes, this case also happens and in such cases, document examiners come into the picture. Candidates who pursue a PG Diploma in forensic document examination perform such a task. Here in this blog, we have given the complete details on the PGD forensic document examination course, admission process, eligibility, scope, career options, etc.

What is a PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination?

The most crucial information about the case is gathered from the documented evidence. This branch of forensic science course is also known as questioned documents. PGD in forensic document examination is a 1 year postgraduate course that is divided into 2 semesters. These people work in close collaboration with law enforcement officers in a manner that they play an important role in the investigation. In this course, candidates will be trained in such a manner that they can easily examine and analyze the documents and extract the exact details about the same that prove to be beneficial in crime investigation.

Key Highlights of PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination:

Candidates can have a look at the key points of this course below to get a better understanding of the same:

Particulars	Details
Name of the course	PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination
Type	Postgraduate Diploma
Duration	1 year
Eligibility Criteria	Bachelor’s degree in Science
Admission process	Entrance Exam/ Merit
Entrance Exam	PGCET
Average Fees	Rs. 50 Thousand
Average Salary	Rs.7 Lakhs
Top Recruiters	Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation, Forensic Laboratory, Income Tax Department, Banks, Crime Branch.

PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination Admission Process:

Once you make up your mind that you wish to work as a document examiner then after completing your graduation you should look for admission to the PGD course. Candidates are advised to closely follow the admission procedure of their desired college as the process is not standardized and varies from college to college. There are a few colleges that provide admission on the basis of the merit list released by them while others provide admission to the candidates on the basis of entrance exam marks. The merit list for PGD in forensic document examination admission will be prepared on the basis of graduation marks along with the interview marks scored by the candidates. Along with this candidates are also required to comply with the eligibility criteria as mentioned by the institutes.

Eligibility Criteria:

Before filling out the application form for admission to this course, candidates should once check the eligibility conditions for the same. Students who wish to take admission in the PG Diploma forensic document examination course are required to fulfill the basic criteria as mentioned below:

• Applicants must have passed class 10th and 12th in the science stream with at least 50 percent marks from a recognized board.
• Candidates should have passed their graduation in science with a minimum of 50 percent marks from a recognized university.

Entrance Exams:

As mentioned earlier, the ratio of colleges offering admission to this particular course on the basis of merit list and entrance exam score is almost the same. Even there are a few colleges that solely provide admission to the students on the basis of the entrance exams. Exams that candidates can appear for are:

• PGCET: It is a common entrance test conducted each year for admission into postgraduate diploma courses.

PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination Syllabus:

For a candidate to pursue this course it is quite important that he should be well-versed with the syllabus of PGD in forensic document examination. This syllabus is not fixed hence vary from institute to institute depending on the curriculum and paper pattern. You can check the syllabus for the same from the table given below:

Semesters	Subjects
Semester-1	Basics of Crime, Evidence and Law
	Introduction to Forensic Document Examination
	Principles of Handwriting and Document Examination
	Class and Individual Characteristics of Handwriting
	Document- Definition and Significance
	Laboratory Course-I
	Minor Project/ Field Visit/ Crime Scene Visit
Semester-2	Allied Problems in Forensic Document Examination
	Advances in Forensic Document Examination
	Various Types of Forgeries and Their Examination
	Handling, Care and Preservation of Documents
	Ethics and Professionalism in Document Examination
	Laboratory Course-II
	Minor Project/ Field Visit/ Crime Scene Visit

Scope of PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination:

Simply looking at a set of multiple handwritten documents, you will find all the writing styles to be the same. But there is a catch that only handwriting experts have and it is their sense of differentiating among different writing styles. These people are an important part of the legal system as they are responsible for bringing light to those facts which other investigators fail to do. Let us tell you every individual’s writing pattern has some unique feature that distinguishes it from others. These people can either work in the public sector or with private companies depending on their individual choice.

Top Recruiters:

The number of such experts available in the market is less and hence the demand for them is high. Companies often hire such professionals either in the final year of their program or immediately after the completion of their course. There are enough recruiters present in the market of forensic science who hire such experts are lucrative packages.

Top Government Recruiters:

Some of the best public sector recruiters for such profiles are as follows:

• Intelligence Bureau,
• Central Bureau of Investigation,
• Government Forensic Laboratory,
• Crime Branch,
• Quality Control Bureau,
• Courts,
• Narcotics Department,
• Police Department,
• Defense Sector,
• Department of Forensic Medicine.

Top Private Recruiters:

Some of the best private sector recruiters for document examiners are as follows:

• Private Hospitals,
• Private Hospitals,
• Private Forensic Laboratory,
• Insurance Companies,
• University,
• Banks,
• Private Investigator,
• Law firms,
• Secret Service.

Roles And Responsibilities:

These experts play a vital role in helping the police department and crime branch officials to solve the case. They play several responsibilities while serving as a forensic document examiner. Some of the top roles played by such professionals are as follows:

• Uncover alterations, erasures, and variations in pen inks used in the documents,
• Classification of documents presented as evidence or proof,
• Examination of presented documents,
• Examination of signatures on the documents,
• Determining the age of documents,
• Examining the printouts,
• Identification of dot-matrix used in the documents,
• Determine the type of printers used for documents,
• Cross-examining the documents presented.

Career Options after PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination:

There are several options available to experts working as a forensic document examiner. Candidates can work in both private and public sector organizations. Some of the job profiles on which these experts can work after the completion of their diploma course are as follows:

• Handwriting expert,
• Digital document analyst,
• Signature expert,
• Forensic expert.

PG Diploma in Forensic Document Examination Salary:

These professionals get competitive salary packages and enjoy excellent career growth. Though the salary received by such professionals is almost the same it varies depending on some factors. These factors include the following:

• Geographical location,
• Educational Qualification,
• Experience.

Salary Variation Based on Experience:

Based on the years of experience a person is having the salary they receive varies. A person with fewer years of work experience receives lower salary packages due to obvious reasons. This is because companies think a person who has worked for a few years has a better understanding of their work than someone who is a fresh graduate. This variation in the salary based on experience has been mentioned below in the table:

Serial No.	Experience	Salary (Per Annum)
1.	Entry level (less than one year)	4-5 Lakhs
2.	Early career (1-4 years)	5-6 Lakhs
3.	Mid career (5-9 years)	7- 9 Lakhs
4.	Experienced (10-19 years)	9- 14 Lakhs
5.	Late-career (20+ years)	15 Lakhs+

The profile of a forensic document examiner or questioned document examiner is a reputed one. These people get good job opportunities and hence earn well in their professional careers.

References:

• https://www.nfsu.ac.in/Programs /programinfo/16?deptid=103
• https://www.shiksha.com/univers ity/national-forensic-sciences-university -gandhinagar-48862/course-pg-diploma- in-forensic-document-examination-253947
• https://www.collegesearch.in/un iversity/gujarat-forensic-sciences -university-gandhinagar/pgd- forensic-document-examination
• https://upsifs.org/pg-diploma-in -forensic-document-examination.php
• https://www.ifsedu.in/forensic -science-and-document-examination/