California State University, Long Beach offers two primary options for studying forensic work: a 27-unit academic Minor in Forensic Studies and an 80-hour, noncredit Crime Scene Investigator Certificate Program. Although both cover evidence and investigations, they serve different purposes.
The minor is completed as part of a CSULB bachelor’s degree. It combines criminal justice, criminal procedure, investigation, criminalistics, and selected forensic electives. The CSI certificate is open to the public and emphasizes practical crime-scene work through in-person exercises, photography, evidence processing, report writing, and a final scene practical.
CSULB also operates professional training courses for law-enforcement employees through its Center for Criminal Justice Research and Training. These include an 80-hour Crime Scene Investigations course and shorter advanced courses in scene processing and photography. The university’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminology and criminal justice provide related pathways with forensic electives, but neither is a forensic science degree.
Students comparing CSULB with other institutions can find additional options in this directory of California CSI and forensic schools.
CSULB forensic and CSI options compared
| Offering | Credential or training type | Intended audience | Length | Academic credit | Main emphasis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minor in Forensic Studies | Undergraduate minor | Current CSULB undergraduates | 27 units | Yes | Criminal justice, investigation, criminalistics, and forensic electives |
| Crime Scene Investigator Certificate Program | Noncredit certificate of completion | Public applicants and aspiring civilian CSI personnel | 80 hours | No | Crime-scene processing, evidence, photography, fingerprints, reports, and testimony |
| Crime Scene Investigations Course | Professional in-service course | Law-enforcement employees | 80 hours | No | Field evidence collection and crime-scene investigation |
| B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice | Bachelor’s degree with optional forensic electives | Undergraduate degree seekers | 61 major units | Yes | Broad criminal justice education with room for forensic coursework |
| M.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice | Graduate degree with optional forensic electives | Graduate students and working professionals | 36 units | Yes | Criminal justice theory, research, policy, and selected forensic subjects |
| Advanced CSI and evidence courses | Professional training | Primarily agency-employed personnel with prior training | 8 or 24 hours | No | Advanced processing, photography, reconstruction, or evidence preservation |
CSULB is located at 1250 Bellflower Boulevard in Long Beach. Some professional courses, however, meet in Garden Grove or at other off-campus locations. The location attached to a particular course matters because the noncredit programs do not necessarily meet on the main university campus.
Minor in Forensic Studies
The Minor in Forensic Studies is CSULB’s principal academic forensic credential. It requires 27 semester units under the 2026-2027 curriculum and must be paired with a bachelor’s degree.
Students begin with CRJU 101 and CRJU 300. The required core then includes CRJU 230, CRJU 301, CRJU 350, CRJU 412, and CRJU 440. Collectively, these requirements address the criminal justice system, research and writing, courts, constitutional criminal procedure, criminal investigation, and criminalistics.
Two electives allow students to develop a specialty. The current choices include:
- ANTH 481 Forensic Anthropology
- CRJU 430 Criminal Evidence and Trials
- CRJU 441 Investigating High-Tech Crimes
- CRJU 442 Forensic Psychology
- CRJU 443 Forensic Pathology
- CRJU 444 Forensic Photography
- CRJU 445 Fingerprint Development and Analysis
- An approved CRJU 490 special topic
Every minor course requires a grade of C or better. The program also has prerequisite sequencing. For example, CRJU 445 requires both CRJU 230 and CRJU 440, so students interested in fingerprint examination need to leave enough room in their academic plan to complete the earlier courses first.
The elective choices influence the minor’s practical depth. Forensic Photography and Fingerprint Development and Analysis are more directly connected to scene documentation and physical-evidence processing than electives such as Forensic Psychology. ANTH 481 provides exposure to forensic anthropology, but it is one course rather than a separate anthropology credential.
Current scheduling also indicates that the applied upper-division sequence has a campus component. Criminalistics, Forensic Photography, and Fingerprint Development and Analysis were offered face-to-face in Fall 2026. Individual formats can change by term, but the verified schedule does not support describing the minor as fully online.
Where the minor fits professionally
The minor aligns most directly with crime-scene, evidence, investigation, forensic photography, fingerprint, and related criminal justice interests. It provides more academic breadth than a short professional course because students also study courts, constitutional procedure, research, and writing.
It is not a laboratory criminalistics degree. The curriculum does not contain the chemistry, biology, quantitative analysis, molecular biology, or instrumental-analysis sequence normally associated with laboratory forensic science.
California’s Criminalist examination requirements illustrate the difference. The state classification requires the equivalent of a college degree with a major in a physical or biological science, including eight semester hours of general chemistry and three semester hours of quantitative analysis. The forensic studies minor alone does not satisfy that standard.
A student targeting laboratory work would be better served by majoring in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or another applicable natural science and using forensic coursework as a supplement. A student targeting scene processing, evidence work, or investigations can obtain more directly relevant preparation from the minor, especially by selecting photography and fingerprint electives.
The current minor worksheet does not list an internship as a required component. Practical preparation therefore comes primarily from course selection unless the student completes an internship through a major or pursues separate CSI training.
Adding the minor
The College of Health and Human Services generally requires at least a 2.5 GPA in the applicable GPA categories before a student can submit a request to add a minor, double major, or academic certificate. First-semester transfer students must establish a CSULB GPA before adding one of these objectives. Requests may also be limited by the university’s timely-graduation policy.
These rules make early planning useful, particularly because the 27-unit minor includes prerequisite chains. Transfer students arriving with many completed units may have less scheduling room than students who begin planning during their first two years.
Crime Scene Investigator Certificate Program
The Crime Scene Investigator Certificate Program is the more concentrated field-CSI option. It is an 80-hour, in-person program delivered through ten required modules.
This is a noncredit certificate of completion. Participants do not receive academic credit, a CSULB transcript, POST credit, state licensure, or an independent professional certification. Enrollment is open to people who are not CSULB students.
Applicants must be high school graduates and have an interest in crime-scene work. CSULB reviews applications and selects up to 24 qualified participants for each session. That limited cohort supports exercises that require equipment use, mock scenes, and team participation.
The ten modules cover:
- Crime-scene investigation procedures
- Fingerprints and fingerprint comparison
- Biological and trace evidence
- Impression evidence
- Chemical processing
- Crime-scene and nighttime photography
- Death investigation
- Firearms evidence
- Courtroom testimony
- Career preparation
- A final realistic crime-scene practical
The program requires attendance at every module. Assessment includes quizzes, a written final examination, a written crime-scene report, and demonstrated competency during the practical exercises. Participants work in indoor and outdoor settings and complete laboratory exercises, photography assignments, physical simulations, report writing, and courtroom-testimony practice.
The physical component includes standing, walking, bending, kneeling, crouching, and lifting up to 25 pounds. This is relevant preparation for field CSI work, where personnel may need to document evidence at awkward angles, work outside, carry equipment, or remain at a scene for an extended period.
Schedule, location, and price
The posted Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 schedules carried a total program charge of $2,750. Payment was divided into a $275 deposit and three installments of $825. Financial aid was not available, and the university indicated that charges could vary by session.
Regular Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 meetings were scheduled on Saturdays at the Sheraton Garden Grove. Summer 2026 accelerated sessions were held on the Long Beach campus. Anyone budgeting for this certificate needs to account for transportation to the location assigned to the selected session, not simply assume attendance at CSULB’s main campus.
As of September 26, 2026, the Fall 2026 session was underway. The Spring 2027 application period had closed on September 18, 2026. Later cohorts will have their own application windows and payment schedules.
Internship assistance may be available to qualified graduates, but placements are limited and not guaranteed. The same applies to employment. Completing the certificate documents 80 hours of training, but hiring remains tied to the requirements of the individual agency and position.
Best career use of the certificate
The curriculum is directly relevant to civilian crime-scene technician, evidence technician, forensic photographer, fingerprint, and related field-investigation work. Its strongest features are practical scene processing, evidence recognition, photography, written documentation, and testimony preparation.
California agencies structure these jobs differently. A crime-scene investigator may be a civilian employee at one department and a sworn assignment at another. Some entry-level positions accept a combination of education and experience, while others require a degree, agency employment, prior evidence experience, or law-enforcement status.
The certificate does not replace a natural-science bachelor’s degree for laboratory criminalist positions. The California Department of Justice distinguishes laboratory criminalists, who analyze evidence scientifically, from technicians and investigators who document scenes and collect or preserve evidence. CSULB’s public certificate is primarily on the field side of that division.
Law-enforcement-only Crime Scene Investigations training
CSULB’s Center for Criminal Justice Research and Training runs a separate Crime Scene Investigations Course for law-enforcement employees. It was formerly called the Field Evidence Technician Course.
This is also an 80-hour course, but it should not be confused with the public certificate. Registration is restricted to law-enforcement employees and is handled through the participant’s training department. Priority goes to active crime-scene investigators or personnel performing equivalent duties.
The curriculum includes scene search, evidence law, daylight and nighttime photography, impression casting, fingerprint recovery, biological evidence, trace evidence, death investigation, DNA collection, firearms evidence, gunshot residue, mobile forensics, and digital-evidence examination. Participants must supply specified equipment, including a digital camera, flash equipment, tripod, flashlight, fingerprint kit, batteries, and accessories. Prior familiarity with the camera is expected.
The official page lists the course as POST Plan IV and posts a charge of $999. CSULB also states that the International Association for Identification has approved the course for 80 training hours toward initial crime-scene certification and recertification. That IAI approval applies to this law-enforcement course, not to the public CSI Certificate Program.
Additional in-service CSI and evidence training
The Center for Criminal Justice Research and Training maintains shorter courses for personnel who need advanced or duty-specific instruction. These are professional training courses rather than college credentials.
Advanced Crime Scene Investigation
The Advanced Crime Scene Investigation course provides 24 hours of instruction over three days. Eligibility requires active employment by a POST-participating law-enforcement agency and completion of an 80-hour basic Crime Scene Investigation or Field Evidence Technician course.
Topics include computer forensics, chemical processing, major and death scenes, crime-scene reconstruction, blood-spatter interpretation, and additional forensic resources. The current page identifies it as POST Plan IV and lists a $373 charge. A February 22 through 24, 2027 session in Garden Grove was posted as open when researched.
This is follow-on training for working personnel. It is not an alternative entry course for someone without basic CSI preparation.
Advanced Crime Scene Photography
The Advanced Crime Scene Photography course is another 24-hour, three-day option. Participants must have completed an 80-hour POST-certified basic CSI course.
The hands-on curriculum covers close-up photography, impression evidence, chemical-processing photography, forensic light sources, bullet trajectories, bloodstain patterns, nighttime photography, and UAV documentation. The posted charge is $370, and the course is identified as POST Plan IV. A March 22 through 24, 2027 session in Garden Grove was listed on the official page.
Its narrow photographic focus is useful for crime-scene personnel who already understand basic evidence procedures and need better documentation skills for difficult lighting, small evidence, trajectories, or large scenes.
Basic Evidence Procedures for First Responders
Basic Evidence Procedures for First Responders is an eight-hour introductory course. It covers recognizing, documenting, packaging, and collecting biological and physical evidence, along with basic crime-laboratory processing and courtroom presentation.
The posted charge is $175, and the page states that there is no POST reimbursement plan. The most recent displayed session was April 2, 2026, which had already passed by the research date. The course remains part of the center’s training inventory, but no future session was posted.
Related criminology and criminal justice degrees
CSULB’s general criminal justice degrees allow some forensic study, but they have broader academic goals than the minor or CSI courses.
B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice
The B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice requires 61 major units. Its core covers policing, courts, corrections, criminological theory, research methods, statistics, ethics, and criminal law or procedure.
Students complete 15 units of approved electives. Available choices can include criminal investigation, criminalistics, high-tech crime, forensic psychology, forensic pathology, forensic photography, and fingerprint analysis. ANTH 481 Forensic Anthropology is an approved cognate elective.
The degree also requires CRJU 493 Internship or CRJU 497 Directed Research or Independent Study. An internship is not automatically a forensic placement, but the requirement gives students a structured way to pursue practical experience or faculty-guided research.
This route works better for someone who wants a broad criminal justice bachelor’s degree while building a field-investigation emphasis through electives. It remains too light in natural science for most laboratory criminalist positions unless substantial chemistry and biology coursework is added separately.
For Fall 2026 transfer admission, the published preparation included CRJU 101 and two courses selected from sociology, psychology, and political science, along with stated GPA requirements. The requirements applicable to a particular transfer cycle can change with admission conditions.
M.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice
The M.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice requires 36 semester units and a capstone experience. CSULB offers a traditional full-time campus format and a part-time online accelerated format.
The core emphasizes criminological theory, research methods, statistics, ethics, policy, and law. Approved electives include Criminalistics, Investigating High-Tech Crimes, Forensic Psychology, and Forensic Pathology. Graduate internship courses are also available, although an internship is not required of every student and elective availability varies.
The master’s degree is best aligned with criminal justice research, policy, administration, teaching, or advanced investigative study. It has no named forensic science concentration and is not designed to supply missing undergraduate chemistry or biology prerequisites for crime-laboratory employment.
Tuition, accreditation, and credential distinctions
For Fall 2026, California-resident undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees totaled $2,938 for enrollment in 0 to 6 units and $4,376 for 7 or more units. These are semester charges for academic enrollment, not the price of the forensic studies minor by itself. Nonresident students pay additional nonresident tuition.
CSULB’s 2026-2027 undergraduate cost-of-attendance budget separately listed $6,838 in annual tuition and $1,910 in mandatory fees. Cost of attendance is higher because it can also include housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses. The $2,750 public CSI program charge is separate from standard undergraduate tuition because the certificate does not award college credit.
California State University, Long Beach holds institutional accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Institutional accreditation applies to the university as a whole.
The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission accredits qualifying bachelor’s and master’s forensic science programs, including certain natural or computer science degrees with forensic concentrations. CSULB’s minor, noncredit certificate, and in-service courses fall outside that degree-program scope. No reviewed CSULB source claims FEPAC accreditation for these offerings.
Choosing the right CSULB route
The Forensic Studies Minor is the appropriate academic option for a current undergraduate who wants criminal justice coursework plus focused study in criminalistics, investigation, photography, fingerprints, anthropology, pathology, psychology, or high-tech crime.
The public CSI Certificate is more concentrated and practical. Its 80-hour format, mock scenes, photography work, evidence exercises, report, examination, and testimony practice align with field crime-scene responsibilities. It does not provide college credit or the natural-science foundation required for laboratory criminalistics.
Working law-enforcement personnel have a separate sequence. The 80-hour Crime Scene Investigations Course provides basic field-evidence training, while the 24-hour advanced CSI and photography courses build on that foundation. The eight-hour first-responder course is introductory evidence-preservation training rather than full CSI preparation.
Career goals should drive the education plan. Field CSI and evidence positions call for scene documentation, photography, fingerprints, evidence recovery, chain of custody, reports, and testimony. Laboratory criminalist work calls for a physical or biological science degree with substantial chemistry and quantitative coursework. CSULB offers credible preparation on the criminal justice and field-investigation side, but students seeking laboratory analysis need to build their degree around science first.