Feather River College offers one direct crime scene investigation credential: the Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Crime Scene Investigation. The college also has an Administration of Justice Associate in Science for Transfer that allows students to choose crime scene and evidence courses, although those courses are not required for every student.
A third option, the Anthropology Associate in Arts for Transfer, has some relevance to biological and forensic anthropology. It is a broad anthropology transfer degree, not a forensic anthropology or CSI program.
Feather River College is a public community college in Quincy, California. Its offerings are best understood as introductory crime-scene preparation and lower-division transfer education. The college does not currently list a degree in forensic science, criminalistics, forensic chemistry, forensic biology, digital forensics, or crime scene investigation.
Readers comparing Feather River with other institutions can also review the broader directory of California CSI and forensic science schools.
Feather River College forensic and CSI options compared
| Program | Credential | Forensic or CSI content | Primary purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forensic Crime Scene Investigation | Certificate of Achievement, published as 19 units | Investigation, crime-scene methods, criminal law, forensic anthropology, visual documentation, and laboratory science | Introductory preparation related to scene processing, evidence documentation, and investigative support |
| Administration of Justice | AS-T, 18 major units within at least 60 transferable units | Students may select evidence, investigation, and crime-scene courses | Transfer preparation in criminal justice with optional CSI coursework |
| Anthropology | AA-T, 18 to 20 major units within at least 60 CSU-transferable units | Physical anthropology, optional laboratory work, anatomy or geology, and statistics; forensic anthropology is offered separately | Transfer into anthropology or a related discipline, including possible later study in biological or forensic anthropology |
The certificate is the only current Feather River credential specifically named for forensic crime scene investigation. The Administration of Justice AS-T is broader and better suited to students who want a transfer degree. The Anthropology AA-T is an adjacent route for students interested in skeletal biology or later forensic anthropology study.
Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Crime Scene Investigation
The Forensic Crime Scene Investigation certificate is Feather River College’s most direct option for learning about scene investigation and evidence. It combines Administration of Justice courses with forensic anthropology, photography or digital media, and a science option.
The college publishes the certificate as a 19-unit credential. Most combinations add up to that total, but the listed five-unit general chemistry option appears to create a 20-unit course sequence. The recent graduation application still identifies it as a 19-unit Certificate of Achievement, so 19 units is the college’s official published total even though the chemistry route may require one additional unit.
What the curriculum covers
The certificate’s required and elective structure includes:
- ADMJ 108 Introduction to Investigation
- ADMJ 126 Crime Scene Investigation, also described on some college pages as Forensic Crime Scene Investigation
- ADMJ 204 Criminal Law and Procedure
- ANTH 200 Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
- A visual-documentation course in photography, digital imagery, or video production
- A laboratory-science selection involving physical anthropology, biology, human anatomy, or general chemistry
ADMJ 108 addresses the organization of investigations, crime-scene searches, interviews, surveillance, evidence, scientific analysis, and an investigator’s role at trial. This course gives the certificate a broader investigative foundation rather than limiting the curriculum to evidence collection.
ADMJ 126 introduces forensic methods used in criminal investigations. Published topics include crime scenes, pattern evidence, forensic instruments, firearms, questioned documents, and controlled substances. That range provides exposure to several evidence categories, but the course remains an introduction rather than a sequence of advanced specialty laboratories.
Criminal Law and Procedure adds legal context. Scene personnel need to understand lawful evidence handling, procedural requirements, and how investigative work enters the court system. ANTH 200 introduces the analysis of human skeletal remains in forensic contexts and adds a biological dimension that many short CSI certificates lack.
The visual-documentation requirement is also directly relevant to field work. Current program materials list Introduction to Photography, Digital Imagery, or Video Production as options. These courses are not dedicated forensic photography credentials, but they develop skills connected to image creation and documentation.
Laboratory and practical training
The certificate requires a science selection with laboratory exposure, but its two main Administration of Justice courses are listed as lecture courses without separate laboratory hours. Current requirements do not identify a dedicated crime-scene laboratory, internship, externship, residency, or field placement.
As a result, the program teaches the concepts and procedures associated with investigation and scene work, while its formal hands-on science component comes primarily from the selected laboratory-science course. It should not be confused with a laboratory-intensive bachelor’s degree in forensic science.
The choice of science course can influence how useful the certificate is for a particular goal:
- Physical anthropology with laboratory work supports an interest in skeletal analysis and human variation.
- Human anatomy provides biological preparation relevant to understanding the human body.
- Biology supplies a general life-science foundation.
- General chemistry provides the most direct introductory connection to laboratory criminalistics among the listed options.
One general chemistry course, however, is far below the science preparation normally expected for criminalist positions. Students targeting a crime laboratory typically need a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, physics, or another qualifying physical or biological science, together with substantial chemistry coursework.
Career alignment
The certificate is most closely aligned with introductory preparation for roles or assignments involving:
- Crime-scene documentation
- Evidence recognition and collection
- Investigative support
- Evidence or property functions
- Forensic photography fundamentals
- Law-enforcement support work
California agencies use titles differently. A crime scene investigator may be a civilian employee at one department and a sworn assignment at another. Evidence technician and property technician positions can also have different education, experience, background, and hiring requirements across agencies.
The California Department of Justice’s criminalistics guidance separates crime-scene personnel from laboratory criminalists. Crime-scene work can involve documentation, photography, measurements, reconstruction, evidence recognition, collection, and preservation. Criminalists generally perform scientific analysis in a laboratory and usually hold a four-year physical or biological science degree with specified chemistry preparation.
Feather River’s certificate is therefore a field-investigation-oriented credential. It can provide relevant vocabulary and introductory methods for scene and evidence work. It is not sufficient preparation by itself for positions requiring the scientific qualifications of a criminalist, forensic chemist, forensic biologist, or crime-laboratory analyst.
Delivery format
Feather River College offers online coursework, and some related anthropology or science classes have appeared in online or hybrid formats. The college does not currently identify the entire CSI certificate as fully online.
Course format and availability vary by term, so the program is best described as a Quincy-based certificate with some potentially flexible coursework rather than a fully online CSI program. Laboratory-science requirements can further limit remote completion because a lab component must be incorporated into the selected course sequence.
Administration of Justice Associate in Science for Transfer
The Administration of Justice AS-T provides a broader transfer pathway. It requires 18 units in the major as part of a minimum 60-unit transferable associate degree that also includes general education and electives.
Introduction to Administration of Justice and Criminal Law and Procedure form part of the required major. Students then select additional courses from a list that includes:
- Introduction to Evidence
- Introduction to Investigation
- Crime Scene Investigation
Crime Scene Investigation is an elective, not a universal degree requirement. A student can finish the AS-T without completing ADMJ 126. Someone intentionally building a CSI-oriented transfer plan would need to select the evidence, investigation, and crime-scene options when they fit the degree structure.
This degree works better than the short certificate for students planning to continue into a bachelor’s program in criminal justice or a related field. General education and transferable electives provide a wider academic base, and the 60-unit degree structure is designed around transfer rather than short-term occupational training.
The tradeoff is forensic depth. The AS-T does not require the chemistry, biology, quantitative analysis, instrumentation, or advanced laboratory methods associated with a forensic science bachelor’s degree. It also does not list an internship or crime-scene practicum as a degree requirement. The forensic content depends heavily on elective selection.
A student interested in investigations, law enforcement, court systems, or criminal justice administration can use the AS-T as lower-division preparation. A student seeking laboratory criminalistics should pursue a transfer plan centered on chemistry or biology rather than relying on Administration of Justice as the primary major.
Anthropology Associate in Arts for Transfer
Feather River College’s Anthropology AA-T is relevant to this discussion because the department teaches forensic anthropology and connects anthropology with forensic work. The degree itself remains a general anthropology transfer program.
Its curriculum requires study in cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, and archaeology. The elective structure permits supporting work in areas such as:
- Physical anthropology laboratory
- Statistics
- Human anatomy
- Physical geology with laboratory work
These courses can provide a useful lower-division base for later study in biological anthropology. Physical anthropology introduces human biological variation and evolution, while anatomy and laboratory courses strengthen knowledge of skeletal and bodily structures.
Feather River also offers ANTH 200 Introduction to Forensic Anthropology, a CSU- and UC-transferable course. However, ANTH 200 is not listed among the current AA-T major requirements. A student could potentially take it outside the published major requirements as part of the additional coursework needed to reach 60 units, provided it is offered and fits the student’s education plan.
The AA-T requires at least 60 CSU-transferable units, at least 18 units in the major, a minimum 2.0 GPA in CSU-transferable coursework, grades of C or better in major courses, and completion of the applicable CSU general-education pattern.
This route fits a student planning to transfer into anthropology, biological anthropology, or a related bachelor’s program. Professional forensic anthropology generally requires extensive university and graduate-level education. The AA-T supplies lower-division preparation, not professional qualification for forensic anthropology casework.
The college reports that many anthropology courses are offered online, but it does not state that the entire AA-T can be completed online. No forensic field placement, crime-scene practicum, or professional residency appears in the published degree requirements.
Admissions and estimated cost
Feather River College uses its general community-college admissions process for these programs. The current admissions materials do not identify a separate selective application for the CSI certificate, Administration of Justice AS-T, or Anthropology AA-T.
Individual courses can still have prerequisites, placement requirements, or scheduling limitations. Chemistry can require more preparation than some of the other certificate science options, and laboratory courses may have enrollment or scheduling constraints.
For 2026-27, Feather River College publishes a California resident enrollment fee of $46 per unit. At that rate:
- A 19-unit certificate produces about $874 in base enrollment charges.
- A 20-unit sequence using the five-unit chemistry option produces about $920 in base enrollment charges.
- A 60-unit associate degree produces about $2,760 in base enrollment charges before accounting for transferred credits or other variables.
These calculations cover enrollment charges only. Feather River also publishes separate health, transit, and student-representation fees. Books, course materials, transportation, housing, food, and other living expenses are outside the base calculations. The student-representation fee is $2 per semester unless the student opts out, while the published transit fee is assessed per unit. Nonresident students pay additional tuition, with the current published nonresident rate listed as $309 per unit for students taking four or more units.
The college’s cost-of-attendance estimate is broader than tuition because it includes both educational and living expenses. Financial aid and the Feather River College Promise Scholarship can change a student’s net cost, although the Promise Scholarship does not cover every additional college fee.
Accreditation and forensic program accreditation
Feather River College is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. Its accreditation was reaffirmed after the 2025 comprehensive evaluation, and the ACCJC institution record lists the next comprehensive review for 2033.
Institutional accreditation applies to the college as a whole. It is different from specialized forensic science accreditation.
The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, or FEPAC, accredits qualifying collegiate forensic science programs at the bachelor’s and graduate levels. Feather River’s community-college CSI certificate is not identified as FEPAC-accredited, and the Administration of Justice and Anthropology transfer degrees are not specialized forensic science degrees.
FEPAC is most relevant to students comparing bachelor’s or graduate programs designed for forensic laboratory science. It is less applicable to a short certificate focused on introductory scene investigation or to a general anthropology transfer degree.
Choosing among Feather River College’s options
The right route depends on the kind of forensic work being pursued.
Choose the Forensic Crime Scene Investigation Certificate of Achievement for a short curriculum focused on investigations, crime scenes, criminal procedure, forensic anthropology, visual documentation, and introductory laboratory science. It provides the college’s most direct exposure to scene and evidence topics.
Choose the Administration of Justice AS-T when transfer in criminal justice is the main objective. Select evidence, investigation, and crime-scene electives deliberately, since the degree can be completed without the CSI course.
Choose the Anthropology AA-T for transfer toward anthropology, biological anthropology, or possible later forensic anthropology study. Physical anthropology, anatomy, statistics, and laboratory science provide a relevant base, while ANTH 200 can add introductory forensic content outside the published major requirements.
Laboratory criminalistics calls for a different academic plan. Students aiming for criminalist, forensic chemist, forensic biologist, DNA analyst, toxicology, or crime-laboratory positions generally need a science bachelor’s degree with substantial chemistry, biology, quantitative analysis, and laboratory work. Feather River’s CSI certificate can complement that preparation, but it does not replace it.
For scene processing and evidence documentation, the certificate is the direct Feather River option. For criminal justice transfer, the AS-T provides the broader route. For skeletal biology and later forensic anthropology education, the Anthropology AA-T offers the more relevant scientific foundation.