Forensic Science Minor at UIndy

Investigate with insight.

The Forensic Science Minor is a collaboration between Biology, Criminal Justice, and Chemistry at the University of Indianapolis. Students completing the Forensic Science Minor will acquire the educational and practical skills to make them competitive applicants for forensic science jobs.

Advantages

  • Early mentorship from experienced forensic science faculty actively working in the field

  • Career-aligned curriculum designed to meet qualifications for state police forensic positions and beyond

  • Hands-on learning in evidence collection, analysis, and courtroom presentation
  • Exposure to diverse forensic specialties

  • Opportunity to pursue focused tracks

  • ranked national university by u.s. news and world report
  • 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio
  • colleges of distinction for 2024-2025
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About the Forensic Science MInor

UIndy's Forensic Science Minor allows mentor faculty active in the field of forensic science to come into contact with students early in their educational career. The minor is organized so that when paired with appropriate majors, students will graduate with all the required courses to apply for forensic science positions within our state police system and beyond.

Required Courses

The required courses will introduce students to (1) the basic rules of evidence from collection to analysis to presentation in court, and (2) a variety of different specialties within the field of forensic science.

  • CRIM 220 Criminal Evidence (3 credits)
  • CRIM 320 Criminalistics (4 credits)
  • BIOL 2XX Forensic Biology (3 credits)

Elective Courses

The elective courses will be chosen with mentor consultation to prepare students for a variety of forensic specialties including trace analysis, forensic DNA, serology, forensic anthropology, firearms examination, latent print comparison and polygraph examination.

Take any three of the following:

  • BIOL 103 Principles of Human Anatomy (4 credits)
  • BIOL 104 Principles of Human Physiology (4 credits)
  • BIOL 210 Human Biological Variation (3 credits)
  • BIOL 300 Internship (1-4 credits)
  • BIOL 305 Human Functional Anatomy (4 credits)
  • BIOL 320 Biochemistry (3 credits)
  • BIOL 350 Plant Biology (4 credits)
  • BIOL 377 Entomology (4 credits)
  • BIOL 390 Molecular Biology (4 credits)
  • BIOL 435 Forensic DNA Analysis (3 credits)
  • BIOL 450 Human Osteology (4 credits)
  • BIOL 452 Forensic Anthropology Tech. (3 credits)
  • BIOL 490 Independent Research Project (1-4 credits)

Optional Tracks

Students can strategically bundle their electives to allow for obtaining different tracks. Two tracks have been developed to date:

  1. Forensic DNA - Includes the Federally required courses to apply for a forensic DNA analyst position
    1. BIOL 320 Biochemistry (3 credits)
    2. BIOL 390 Molecular Biology (4 credits)
    3. BIOL 435 Forensic DNA Analysis (3 credits)
  2. Forensic Anthropology - Intended to prepare the student for the graduate studies in forensic anthropology required for board certification
    1. BIOL 305 Human Functional Anatomy (4 credits)
    2. BIOL 450 Human Osteology (4 credits)
    3. BIOL 452 Forensic Anthropology Tech. (3 credits)

Additional tracks will be developed as additional faculty and resources are acquired.

When Can I Start?

Courses start in August.

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