27,June 2024
The captivating intersection of science with crime investigation to help solve cases efficiently is known as Forensic Science. Because of its unique features that help in solving criminal cases, this field has become quite important in recent years. Young minds who aspire to work in a real crime-solving field where they have to tackle new challenges every day are driven to this multidisciplinary domain. And if you are someone who has the curiosity to enter this world full of mysteries and challenges then you should go through this blog. Here in this blog, we have mentioned every important detail that you need to know about Forensic Science including courses, admission, fees, syllabus, exams, colleges, and career scope as well.
What is Forensic Science?
Forensics is a dynamic field and encompasses several scientific disciplines that need to be applied in legal matters to solve investigations. This field requires an expert to analyze the evidence collected from the crime scene, investigate the crime scenes, and interact with the victims and the suspects to resolve the cases. It is a very dynamic field and thus demands a forensic scientist to be a keen observer with strong critical thinking ability and a deep understanding of basic scientific principles. If you are someone who is interested in DNA analysis, Forensic Ballistics, crime scene investigation, Psychology, Psychiatry, etc. then you should enter this field since it offers diverse specialization options that can be explored by you.
Courses Offered in Forensic Science:
Forensics is not a restricted or limited field instead it offers a wide spectrum of courses that can be pursued by the candidates who wish to make their career in this field. There are several high-ranking and good colleges and universities across India and abroad that offer specialized courses in this course. These forensic courses can be pursued at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctorate levels. Here we have given the details of the courses for your convenience:
1. Undergraduate Courses:
At the UG level, candidates can either choose to pursue a B.Sc. or B.Tech in this discipline. This course is a three to four-year program that helps a candidate to develop a scientific temperament that helps them to deal with criminal and civil cases. Through this course, you will get to learn the necessary skills required by an expert to collect and examine the evidence collected from a crime scene.
Students can pursue forensic science courses in both regular and distance mode. Apart from this, there are several colleges and universities that offer full-time and part-time degrees in this domain.
Courses offered:
- Tech (Forensic Science)
- Sc. (Forensic Science)
Eligibility Criteria for Undergraduate Courses:
- Students should have passed class 12th in science stream,
- For admissions, candidates need at least 50% aggregate marks in class 10th and 12th.
2. Postgraduate Courses:
Once you are done with the completion of your UG program, now you have the option of either going for further studies or starting a job. PG course is a two-year program and helps a student to inculcate mandatory skills and brush up the ones already acquired during your graduation. If a candidate opts for pursuing a postgraduate program then you can choose M.Sc., M.Phil., M.Tech., etc. For obvious reasons, a candidate with a postgraduate degree is considered automatically senior and deserving as compared to the one who is just a graduate. Hence, if you pursue PG as well you will get additional benefits of having a higher pay, seniority, etc.
Courses offered:
- Tech (Forensic Science)
- Phil. (Forensic Science)
- Sc. (Forensic Science)
Eligibility Criteria for Postgraduate Courses:
- Students must have passed class 12th with a minimum of 50% marks in the science stream from a recognized board,
- Additionally, candidates should also have passed the undergraduate degree with at least 50% marks in science or law background.
3. Doctorate in Forensic Science:
Another star that you can add to your scholar and professional life is pursuing a doctorate in this discipline. PhD is a research-based course in forensics that majorly focuses on the collection and analysis of evidence. The experts in this field help in knowing the real identity of the offender and reveal the cause of death of a person. If you wish to pursue a doctorate degree, then candidates need to hold a PG degree in a relevant domain.
Courses offered:
- Anatomy and Human Identification,
- Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science,
- Forensic and Investigative Sciences,
- Fingerprints and Forensic Mark Visualization,
- Clinical and Forensic Psychology,
- Forensic Pathology.
Eligibility Criteria for Doctorate courses:
- Students must have passed a postgraduate degree with at least 50% marks from a recognized university.
Forensic Science Admission Process:
To get admission into forensic science courses, candidates need to follow the admission procedures issued by each institute that they are willing to get admission into. The process of admission to forensic science colleges is not a standard one hence it is advised to the candidates that they check the admission procedure of each participating institute.
To get admission in this domain, candidates can either appear for the entrance examination of the respective institute or can directly apply for admission. Since there are some colleges that offer admission to students on a merit basis therefore you should appear for exams. For direct admissions, they should keep one thing in mind they should apply early because the admissions are offered on a first come first serve basis.
Eligibility Criteria:
Colleges that offer admissions to forensic courses release their respective eligibility criteria that need to be fulfilled by the candidates. Before making an application for admission to the institute the candidates should first check the eligibility conditions required for forensic science courses. However, here we have mentioned the standard criteria to help students understand the requirements:
- Students must have passed class 10th and 12th with PCM or Biology with at least 50 percent marks from a recognized board.
Entrance Exams of Forensic Science:
In order to get admission into the college offering a forensics program, the candidates will be required to appear for some dedicated entrance examinations. There are several colleges in India that offer admission to students on the basis of marks scored by them in the entrance examination. To give you an overview of the same here we have mentioned some of the exams that candidates can appear for admission to Forensic Science:
- LPUNEST:Lovely Professional University National Scholarship cum Entrance Test is a university-level entrance exam that is conducted to provide admission to various academic courses at the university.
- IPU CET: This entrance test is conducted by GGS Indraprastha University every year for admissions to various UG and PG courses.
- AIFSET: This entrance test is conducted every year for admissions to various forensic science courses across India at various colleges.
Fees of Forensic Science:
The tuition fees for forensic science programs vary across India depending on the institution. Government universities often offer more affordable options to students compared to private institutions. However, in a general sense, if we give you a rough idea of the fee structure then for private institutes it is somewhere between 4 Lakhs to 15 Lakhs, while for government institutes the fee is 1.5 Lakhs to 6 Lakhs.
Syllabus of Forensic Science:
The forensic science syllabus typically includes theoretical courses, practical laboratory sessions, and hands-on training in crime scene investigation techniques. The curriculum is divided into 6 semesters. The syllabus varies from college to college but there are a few common subjects as well that are taught in every institute. The syllabus of forensics is given below in the table in the semester-wise format:
| Semesters | Subjects |
|---|---|
| Semester-1 |
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| Semester-2 |
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| Semester-3 |
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| Semester-4 |
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| Semester-5 |
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| Semester-6 |
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Top Colleges for Forensic Science:
Several colleges in India are renowned for their forensic science programs that offer state-of-the-art facilities and expert faculty to their students. Some top-ranked colleges are as follows:
| Serial No. | Government Colleges | Private Colleges |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Banaras Hindu University | Lloyd Law College |
| 2. | Panjab University | Chandigarh University (CU) |
| 3. | Cochin University of Science and Technology | Amity University, Noida |
| 4. | BBAU | LPU |
| 5. | University of Mysore | Christ University |
| 6. | University of Madras | Dr M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute |
| 7. | Gujarat University | Amity University, Gurugram |
| 8. | University of Calicut | Galgotias University |
| 9. | GGSIPU | Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences |
| 10. | Osmania University | Kalinga University |
| 11. | Government Institute of Forensic Science, Nagpur | Aditya Degree College, Surampalem |
| 12. | IFS, Mumbai | Sir Issac Newton Arts and Science College, Nagapattinam |
Career Scope of Forensic Science:
Graduates of forensics can work as forensic scientists, crime scene investigators, forensic psychologists, digital forensics experts, forensic toxicologists, and more. Such experts can work in industries such as law enforcement, government agencies, forensic laboratories, and consulting firms that actively recruit forensic science professionals. Such professionals have the option of either working in private or public sector.
Some of the organizations that such professionals can work in are as given below:
- State Police Departments,
- Crime Branches like CBI and CID,
- Forensic Science Laboratories,
- Intelligence Bureau,
- Banks,
- Defense,
- High Courts and Supreme Courts,
- Quality Control Bureau,
- Narcotics Department,
- State Universities,
- Government Hospitals.
- Private Detective Agencies,
- Banks,
- Insurance Companies,
- Universities,
- Hospitals,
- Security Services Agencies,
- Law Firms.
Forensic science is not just a field of study instead it is a fascinating journey of using science in crime-solving. With emerging technologies, the field offers endless possibilities for those people who have a passion for science and justice. Read the blog carefully and choose the college, specialization, and profession carefully.
References:
- https://lifs.co.in/blog/bsc-forensic-science-course.html
- https://lexpeeps.in/forensic-science-scope-and-different-kind-of-methods/
- https://www.ifsedu.in/forensic-scope-and-career/
- https://www.shiksha.com/science/forensic-science-chp
- https://www.careers360.com/courses/forensic-science-course