El Camino College’s forensics-related options divide into two distinct areas: physical crime-scene investigation through Administration of Justice and digital evidence through Cybersecurity. The college also offers broader Administration of Justice degrees that can include CSI electives, plus a Chemistry Associate in Science for students planning toward laboratory-based study after transfer.
The clearest field-investigation credential is the 20-unit Forensics option listed under the Administration of Justice Certificate of Achievement. Its required courses cover criminal investigation, crime-scene processing, fingerprints, crime analysis, report writing, photography, and drawing. The Cybersecurity Certificate of Achievement takes a different route, combining network security with a laboratory-based digital forensics course and a criminal-justice course in digital evidence.
El Camino does not currently list a dedicated forensic science or criminalistics degree. That limits its suitability for students seeking the chemistry, biology, and instrumental analysis preparation associated with crime-laboratory careers. It does not diminish the value of the college’s scene-investigation, fingerprint, documentation, or digital evidence coursework, but it does define which careers each pathway can reasonably support.
El Camino is a public community college in Torrance. Readers comparing it with other institutions can also review the broader directory of California forensic and CSI schools.
El Camino’s forensic and related programs compared
| Program | Classification | Main focus | Formal laboratory work | Best academic direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forensics option, Certificate of Achievement | Direct | Physical crime scenes, fingerprints, documentation, photography, crime analysis | AJ 132 has applied objectives but no separately designated laboratory hours | Field CSI, evidence support, fingerprint support, investigative support |
| Cybersecurity Certificate of Achievement | Closely related | Cybersecurity, digital forensics, digital evidence, networking | CIS 120 includes three laboratory hours per week | Entry-level cybersecurity and later digital forensics study |
| Administration of Justice AS-T | Adjacent | Criminal justice transfer preparation with an optional CSI course | Depends on elective selection | CSU transfer in criminal justice or administration of justice |
| Administration of Justice AA | Adjacent | Broad criminal justice study with several optional forensic electives | No degree-wide laboratory requirement | Criminal justice preparation that can be shaped toward CSI or crime analysis |
| Chemistry AS | Adjacent | Inorganic and organic chemistry with laboratory science | Multiple chemistry laboratory settings | Transfer toward chemistry, forensic chemistry, toxicology, or criminalistics |
These credentials are not interchangeable. The Forensics option concentrates on physical evidence and scene documentation. The Cybersecurity certificate is a technical IT security program containing digital evidence coursework. The Administration of Justice degrees provide broader criminal justice foundations, while Chemistry supplies science preparation without teaching crime-scene processing.
Forensics option, Certificate of Achievement
El Camino’s direct CSI pathway is the 20-unit Forensics option listed on its Administration of Justice Certificate of Achievement page. The college’s current web materials are not fully consistent about whether this is a separately titled certificate or an option under the broader certificate structure. “Forensics option” is therefore the most accurate description based on the current program page.
The required curriculum includes:
- AJ 111 Criminal Investigation
- AJ 132 Forensic Crime Scene Investigation
- AJ 133 Fingerprint Classification and Investigation
- AJ 134 Introduction to Crime Analysis
- AJ 135 Report Writing
- ART 110 Drawing Fundamentals I
- PHOT 101 Elementary Photography
This course combination is directed toward field investigation and documentation. Drawing and photography support accurate visual records, while report writing addresses the written documentation expected in investigative work. The fingerprint and crime-analysis courses extend the certificate beyond a single introductory CSI class.
What AJ 132 covers
AJ 132 is the central crime-scene course. Its official outline covers evidence recognition and collection, latent prints, biological material, impression evidence, trace evidence, scene sketches, photography, DNA preservation, crime-scene management, search-and-seizure principles, controlled substances, and pattern evidence. The course also distinguishes crime-scene processing from work performed inside a forensic laboratory.
That distinction defines the certificate’s career alignment. A crime-scene technician may document a scene, collect evidence, maintain chain of custody, and prepare reports. A criminalist or laboratory analyst applies scientific methods to evidence in a controlled laboratory environment. El Camino’s certificate teaches the first group of functions much more directly than the second.
AJ 132 is officially a three-unit lecture course with three weekly lecture hours and no separately designated laboratory hours. Its objectives include applied tasks such as scene sketches, photography, evidence collection, and contamination prevention, but the transcript and course outline classify it as lecture rather than a separate lab course. Students seeking extensive laboratory or practicum hours will not find a verified internship, external placement, capstone, or degree-level crime-scene laboratory requirement in the current materials.
AJ 133 adds fingerprint classification and investigation, including lifting, identification, latent-print processing concepts, and documentation suitable for court. AJ 134 focuses on crime data, patterns, methods of operation, simulated analytical scenarios, and written analytical reports. It is also a lecture course without separately designated laboratory hours.
Admissions and completion requirements
The program page states that students must complete the certificate curriculum with at least a C average. At least 50 percent of the certificate coursework must be completed at El Camino College. AJ 132 has no formal prerequisite, although eligibility for college-level English is recommended. Other required courses can carry their own preparation or sequencing expectations.
The full certificate’s delivery format is not specified. Individual sections can be offered in different formats by term, but the published evidence does not establish a fully online completion path.
Career alignment
This is the most direct El Camino credential for preparation related to crime-scene technician, evidence technician, fingerprint-support, or investigative-support work. Employer standards vary across California. Some agencies employ civilian crime-scene personnel, while others assign scene duties to sworn officers. Job titles also differ, so completion of the certificate is not a guarantee of eligibility for a particular agency.
The curriculum is too light in chemistry, biology, and laboratory analysis for criminalist preparation. It contains no verified sequence in organic chemistry, quantitative analysis, molecular biology, or instrumental methods. Its purpose is scene investigation and documentation, not laboratory criminalistics.
Cybersecurity Certificate of Achievement
El Camino’s 24-unit Cybersecurity Certificate of Achievement is the relevant pathway for digital evidence. The college describes it as taking less than one year, although sequencing and course availability will affect an individual schedule.
The required curriculum includes:
- CIS 13 Computer Information Systems
- CIS 40 Personal Computer Support and Networking
- CIS 119 Introduction to Computer Security
- CIS 120 Digital Forensics
- CIS 121 Cybersecurity Programming with Python
- CIS 122 Ethical Hacking
- CIS 137 Computer Networking Fundamentals
- AJ 142 Introduction to Digital Evidence
The certificate’s primary purpose is cybersecurity preparation. Networking, computer security, ethical hacking, and programming occupy more of the curriculum than digital forensics. Still, CIS 120 and AJ 142 create a useful connection between technical examination and legal evidence handling.
CIS 120 versus AJ 142
CIS 120 Digital Forensics is a three-unit course with two weekly lecture hours and three weekly laboratory hours. It is the strongest formally designated forensic laboratory course among El Camino’s verified offerings. Students use forensic hardware and software, investigate compromised systems, collect and analyze evidence, preserve material, document findings, and address chain of custody.
CIS 13 with a grade of C, or equivalent experience, is a prerequisite for CIS 120. CIS 119 is recommended preparation. Those requirements reflect the course’s technical nature and distinguish it from a general overview of cybercrime.
AJ 142 Introduction to Digital Evidence is also three units, but it is structured as a lecture course without separate laboratory hours. Topics include metadata, evidence seizure, documentation, chain of custody, digital imaging, video, legal standards, first-responder responsibilities, and courtroom presentation. Recommended preparation includes AJ 100 and eligibility for college-level English.
Together, the courses address two sides of digital evidence work. CIS 120 concentrates on technical tools and forensic examination. AJ 142 concentrates more heavily on recognition, lawful handling, documentation, and courtroom use.
No internship or external digital-forensics practicum is listed in the current program materials. The complete certificate is not advertised as a guaranteed online program.
Where the cybersecurity pathway can lead
The certificate provides entry-level preparation for cybersecurity and IT security work. It can also form the beginning of a longer digital forensics education, particularly because CIS 120 is transferable to both the California State University and University of California systems.
The college lists forensic computer analyst as a possible longer-term career requiring further education. That is a more accurate expectation than treating a 24-unit cybersecurity certificate as equivalent to an associate or bachelor’s degree in digital forensics. It is also unrelated to most physical CSI duties such as fingerprint lifting, bloodstain documentation, impression casting, or scene photography.
Administration of Justice degree pathways
El Camino has two Administration of Justice associate degrees with different structures. Neither is a forensic science degree, but both can incorporate CSI-related coursework.
Administration of Justice Associate in Science for Transfer
The AS-T requires 60 CSU-transferable semester units, completion of the applicable general education pattern, at least 18 units in the major, a minimum 2.0 GPA, and grades of C or better in major courses.
AJ 132 Forensic Crime Scene Investigation appears as an option within the major. It is not required of every AS-T student. A student can therefore complete this transfer degree without taking the CSI course.
The degree is primarily a California State University transfer pathway in administration of justice or a related field. It guarantees admission somewhere in the CSU system for an eligible transfer student, but not to a specific campus or major. It provides a broader criminal justice foundation than the Forensics option while offering less concentrated preparation in fingerprints, photography, crime analysis, and scene documentation.
The AS-T works better for a student planning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, criminology, or administration of justice. It does not contain the laboratory science sequence needed for criminalist work.
Administration of Justice Associate in Arts
The Administration of Justice AA requires at least 60 degree-applicable units, including a 27-to-32-unit major. The major contains a 21-unit core followed by at least six elective units.
Available forensic-oriented electives include:
- AJ 132 Forensic Crime Scene Investigation
- AJ 133 Fingerprint Classification and Investigation
- AJ 134 Introduction to Crime Analysis
- AJ 111 Criminal Investigation
This degree gives students room to create a CSI-oriented elective sequence, but none of those specialized courses is mandatory. A student selecting other electives would receive broad criminal justice preparation without a concentrated forensic component.
General graduation requirements include a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and completion of at least 12 degree-applicable units at El Camino. At least half of the major requirements must be completed through the college.
Compared with the AS-T, the AA allows a clearer cluster of scene-investigation, fingerprint, and crime-analysis electives. The AS-T has the more explicit CSU transfer structure. Neither includes the chemistry and biology depth associated with a laboratory forensic science degree.
Chemistry Associate in Science for laboratory career planning
The Chemistry AS is an adjacent option rather than a forensic credential. El Camino presents the degree as transfer preparation covering atomic and molecular structure, energy, kinetics, and inorganic and organic reactions. The program also provides work in multiple laboratory settings and preparation in laboratory safety.
The college lists forensic scientist and toxicologist among careers associated with chemistry study. The degree, however, has no verified coursework in crime-scene processing, chain of custody, fingerprints, evidence documentation, or criminal investigation.
Its value lies in the scientific foundation it can provide before transfer. A student targeting forensic chemistry, toxicology, criminalistics, or another crime-laboratory discipline needs deeper science preparation than the Forensics option supplies. Chemistry is therefore the more relevant El Camino starting point for laboratory ambitions, provided the student plans a bachelor’s degree and maps the transfer curriculum around upper-division admission requirements.
California’s Criminalist examination bulletin requires the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree with a major in a physical or biological science. The education requirement also includes eight semester hours of general chemistry and three semester hours of quantitative analysis. An associate degree or CSI certificate alone does not meet that stated standard.
The Chemistry AS provides a science-based transfer route, but current public materials do not establish that the associate curriculum by itself contains every course required for the state classification. Its proper role is preparation for continued study in chemistry or another relevant physical or biological science.
Tuition, fees, and program cost
California residents pay a $46-per-unit enrollment fee at El Camino College. Based on that rate:
- The 20-unit Forensics option carries approximately $920 in enrollment fees.
- The 24-unit Cybersecurity Certificate carries approximately $1,104 in enrollment fees.
- A 60-unit associate degree carries $2,760 in enrollment fees.
El Camino estimates that a typical 60-unit, two-year degree costs about $2,900 in tuition and fees for a California resident. Books, transportation, housing, photography or art supplies, computer equipment, and other living or course-specific expenses are not included in the per-unit calculations.
Beginning with summer 2026, nonresidents pay $370 per unit in nonresident tuition plus the $46 enrollment fee, for a combined $416 per unit. Fall and spring terms also carry a $27 health fee, while the summer health fee is $22. The student representation fee is $2 per term. Parking, student activities fees, and instructional material charges can add to the total.
Eligible recent high school graduates may receive two years of waived enrollment fees through the South Bay Promise. Financial aid and scholarships can also reduce direct college charges.
Accreditation and forensic science accreditation
El Camino College is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, a division of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. ACCJC reaffirmed the college’s accreditation in February 2021, with the next comprehensive review scheduled for fall 2027.
No current evidence identifies El Camino’s Forensics option or Cybersecurity certificate as accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission. FEPAC accreditation is most relevant to college programs built around forensic science and laboratory criminalistics. It is less central to a field-oriented CSI certificate or a broader cybersecurity credential.
Institutional accreditation supports college credit and transfer, but it does not change the curricular focus of a program. El Camino’s Forensics option remains an investigations credential, while Chemistry remains an adjacent science pathway.
Choosing the appropriate El Camino route
Select the Forensics option when the goal is physical crime-scene work, evidence recognition, fingerprints, photography, documentation, report writing, or investigative support. Its seven-course curriculum is more focused on CSI functions than either Administration of Justice associate degree.
Choose the Cybersecurity Certificate when the intended direction is network security, compromised-system investigation, digital evidence, or later study in computer forensics. CIS 120 supplies genuine laboratory hours with forensic hardware and software, while AJ 142 adds chain of custody, legal standards, and courtroom presentation.
Use the Administration of Justice AS-T for a structured CSU transfer route in criminal justice. Within the AS-T, students can select AJ 132 as a CSI-related major option. The Administration of Justice AA provides access to a broader elective cluster that includes AJ 132, AJ 133, AJ 134, and AJ 111, allowing a more concentrated combination of crime-scene investigation, fingerprints, crime analysis, and criminal investigation.
For crime-laboratory careers, begin with Chemistry and plan to complete a bachelor’s degree in a qualifying physical or biological science. Prioritize general and organic chemistry, quantitative or analytical chemistry, biology where relevant, statistics, laboratory methods, and upper-division instrumental analysis. El Camino’s Forensics option can add useful awareness of evidence collection, but it cannot replace the science education required for criminalist and forensic laboratory positions.