The Forensic Science Education Blog

The criminal justice system has systemic flaws that disproportionately punish the poor and reward the rich. A bevy of factors play into this disparity, but mainly manifest themselves in discrepancies in bail, discrepancies in sentencing, and discrepancies in incarceration.

A deepfake is video, audio, or imagery that artificial intelligence has generated or altered to show something that never happened. Generative video models released in the last two years produce clips that hold together frame to frame, and the flaws that once made detection a matter of looking closely are largely gone.

For those with the intelligence and focus to complete the steps to become a medical doctor and then complete residencies and fellowships that lead to the forensic psychiatrist specialty, this is a fascinating career. Keep reading to learn how one can become a forensic psychiatrist.

Nearly every crime now leaves a digital trail. Phones, laptops, cloud accounts, and networks hold the evidence investigators need, and cybersecurity and digital forensics professionals find it, preserve it, and defend the systems where it lives.

Forensic scientists are a bold breed. Who else could, when asked to determine the makeup and origins of a single stray thread, accept the task with zeal? Welcome to the world of textile forensics, which analyzes fibers and fabrics found at crime scenes. Identifying those fibers and fabrics, and tracing them back to their origins, can, in turn, link them with suspects, victims, and locations. Entire investigations might hinge upon analyzing a sample thinner than a strand of human hair.

Forensic science used to mean a lab coat and a microscope. Today it increasingly means DNA analysts working alongside forensic psychologists, digital examiners, anthropologists, and lawyers, all reading the same case from different angles.

Students looking to learn about computer forensics can find a variety of options from the undergraduate to graduate level, from certificates to full degree programs.  Check out the top 15 programs in computer forensics and digital forensics that are offered online.

Like any other practice of psychology, forensic psychologists must have clinical skills that include assessment, listening with the ability to discern underlying emotions and intentions, the ability to communicate effectively, and critical thinking.

Proteomics is a rapidly growing field of science that offers exciting possibilities for understanding and managing disease. By studying the structure and function of proteins and their abundance and interactions in different types of cells, scientists can better understand how diseases develop.

Taking on debt to fund a college education used to be a direct path to social and financial advancement, but the latest studies show that student debt actually might hinder it. The good news is that help is out there for those who need it, and there are more scholarships available than ever before.

Forensic nurses combine the nursing, forensic, and legal sciences to bring safety, medical treatment, and justice to their patients. Initially focused on victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, forensic nursing has grown to incorporate a wide variety of roles across the healthcare spectrum.

Whether you’re an up and coming forensic analyst or just someone who can’t get enough of CSI, chances are you have heard a thing or two about blood spatter analysis. This field involves using the physics of fluids to help to determine the events of a (usually) violent crime by analyzing the placement of the blood droplets at the crime scene.

The candy is a given, but the debate still continues on: does an actual uptick in crime occur every October 31st on Halloween? Turns out this can vary depending on factors as simple as the night of the week that Halloween falls on (Monday versus Friday, for example), and even the city itself.

Crime scene complexes give students the chance to make mistakes before those mistakes matter. A student who mishandles evidence in a lab exercise is working with a known sample and a known outcome. A student working a staged crime scene has to make judgment calls in real time: where to enter a room, what to photograph first, and how to lift a print without yet knowing whether it belongs to the case.

Explore the most affordable online forensic science degree and certificate programs in 2026-2027 and learn which options can help students enter or advance in the field.