Los Angeles Pierce College does not use “Forensic Technology” as the verified title of a current academic program. The closest direct option is a proposed 17-unit Certificate of Achievement in Forensics, Evidence and Investigation, which received a regional recommendation and had a projected August 31, 2026 launch date. LAPC’s accessible current program materials do not confirm that the certificate opened for enrollment, so it remains a planned credential rather than a verified current offering.
LAPC also has established options related to investigative work, including a Crime and Intelligence Analysis certificate, forensic anthropology courses, criminal justice associate degrees, and a noncredit digital-forensics training course. These routes serve different career goals. Crime-scene processing, crime analysis, laboratory criminalistics, forensic anthropology, and computer forensics require different technical preparation and should not be grouped together simply because each uses forensic or investigative methods.
Los Angeles Pierce College is a public two-year institution in Woodland Hills and part of the Los Angeles Community College District. Readers comparing it with other institutions can also review the broader directory of California schools with CSI and forensic programs.
LAPC forensic and investigative options compared
| Offering | Credential | Primary focus | Career alignment | Current evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forensics, Evidence and Investigation | Proposed 17-unit Certificate of Achievement | Crime-scene evidence, investigation, forensic anthropology, evidence law | Foundational preparation for civilian evidence or crime-scene work | Regionally recommended with a projected fall 2026 start; current enrollment availability not confirmed |
| Crime and Intelligence Analysis | 18-unit Certificate of Achievement | Crime patterns, intelligence, profiling, statistics, analytical methods | Crime analyst and criminal intelligence support roles | Verified in the 2025-2026 LAPC catalog; current 2026-2027 listing not established |
| Forensic Anthropology sequence | Five units of coursework, not a credential | Human remains, skeletal and dental analysis | Transfer preparation and introductory medicolegal or anthropology study | ANTHRO 118 and 119 were offered in spring 2026 |
| Administration of Justice AS-T | 60-unit transfer associate degree, with an 18-20-unit major in the latest searchable curriculum | Justice systems, law, investigation, evidence, and optional analytical subjects | CSU transfer in administration of justice | Listed on LAPC’s current Social and Behavioral Sciences pathway |
| Criminal Justice AA | Associate degree | Broad criminal justice education | General justice-system preparation and possible transfer | Verified in the 2025-2026 catalog |
| Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator preparation | Noncredit continuing-education course | Digital evidence and computer forensics | Cybersecurity and digital-forensics certification preparation | Actively listed through LAPC’s continuing-education platform at the research date |
The proposed Forensics, Evidence and Investigation certificate is the only option in this group built specifically around physical evidence and crime-scene subjects. The crime-analysis certificate is analytical rather than scene based. The two associate degrees provide broader justice education, while the anthropology sequence and computer-forensics course are specialized but do not result in LAPC forensic science degrees.
Proposed Certificate of Achievement in Forensics, Evidence and Investigation
The planned Certificate of Achievement in Forensics, Evidence and Investigation is the closest match for someone searching for Los Angeles Pierce College forensic technology training. The California Regional Consortia record identifies it as a 17-unit certificate proposed by LAPC. It was regionally recommended and assigned a projected start date of August 31, 2026.
That approval record shows that LAPC developed the program, obtained advisory support, and moved it through regional review. It does not establish that the certificate completed every local and state step or became available for enrollment on the projected date. LAPC’s current public program materials do not contain an accessible catalog entry or dedicated program page confirming the launch. The certificate should not be counted as an active LAPC credential until the college publishes that confirmation.
Planned curriculum
The proposed certificate contains six courses:
- ADM JUS 1: Introduction to Administration of Justice
- ADM JUS 3: Legal Aspects of Evidence
- ADM JUS 5: Criminal Investigation
- ADM JUS 104: Introduction to Forensic Science
- ANTHRO 118: Fundamentals of Forensic Anthropology
- ANTHRO 119: Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
This curriculum combines three kinds of preparation. The administration of justice courses establish how the justice system operates, how investigators conduct inquiries, and how evidence is governed by legal standards. Introduction to Forensic Science addresses physical-evidence subjects. The anthropology sequence covers the recovery and examination of human remains.
According to LAPC’s spring 2026 schedule, ADM JUS 104 examines fingerprints, impression evidence, firearms, and bloodstain-pattern analysis. The broader certificate proposal also identifies crime-scene processing, evidence preservation, DNA, photography, documentation, report writing, and legal issues involving physical evidence as intended areas of study.
The anthropology component gives the certificate an unusual emphasis for an entry-level CSI curriculum. ANTHRO 118 introduces the recovery and analysis of human remains, including clandestine graves and information obtained from bones and teeth. ANTHRO 119 continues into hands-on skeletal and dental examination. ANTHRO 119 requires either concurrent enrollment in ANTHRO 118 or previous completion of ANTHRO 118 with a grade of C or better.
What the certificate prepares students to do
The proposed curriculum is aligned most closely with foundational crime-scene and evidence-handling education. Courses in investigation, evidentiary law, fingerprints, impressions, photography, bloodstain patterns, documentation, and skeletal evidence are relevant to positions such as:
- Civilian crime-scene technician
- Evidence or property technician
- Forensic services aide
- Entry-level investigative support employee
- Law-enforcement employee seeking additional evidence training
Actual job titles and minimum requirements vary among California agencies. One department may employ civilian crime-scene personnel, while another may assign scene processing to sworn officers. Some agencies use titles such as forensic specialist, identification technician, evidence technician, or crime-scene investigator for overlapping duties.
The planned certificate is not a laboratory criminalistics program. It lacks the sustained chemistry, biology, quantitative analysis, instrumentation, and advanced laboratory-methods sequence expected for crime-laboratory science. It also does not provide the bachelor’s degree required for California Department of Justice Criminalist positions.
The California DOJ Criminalist examination bulletin requires education equivalent to a bachelor’s degree with a major in a physical or biological science. The state classification also specifies eight semester hours of general chemistry and three semester hours of quantitative analysis. A student planning to become a criminalist should use community-college coursework to build toward a qualifying bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or another relevant physical or biological science.
Delivery and practical work
Some certificate components have been available online. Spring 2026 included fully online sections of ADM JUS 104 and ANTHRO 118. That scheduling history does not establish that all 17 units can be completed online.
ANTHRO 119 includes hands-on work with skeletal and dental evidence. The current materials do not specify how future sections will be delivered or whether attendance on campus will be required. The regional program record does not list a required internship, external practicum, or clinical placement. It also does not address optional work-experience opportunities.
The field-oriented subject matter is useful, but delivery affects what a student can practice. Online instruction can cover evidence law, documentation principles, theory, and analytical interpretation. Physical scene work also benefits from repeated practice with photography, evidence packaging, measurement, search patterns, fingerprint development, and scene documentation. The proposal names several of these subjects but does not specify the number of supervised laboratory hours in the completed certificate.
Estimated resident enrollment charges
LAPC publishes a California-resident enrollment fee of $46 per unit. At that rate, 17 units would produce approximately $782 in base enrollment fees.
This calculation is not an official total program price. Health and student representation fees, books, supplies, transportation, and other applicable expenses would add to the amount. Nonresident charges are not estimated here because two official LAPC pages displayed conflicting per-unit figures during the research period.
Crime and Intelligence Analysis Certificate of Achievement
The 18-unit Crime and Intelligence Analysis Certificate of Achievement was listed in LAPC’s official 2025-2026 catalog. Its six required courses were:
- ADM JUS 1: Introduction to Administration of Justice
- ADM JUS 5: Criminal Investigation
- ADM JUS 174: Offender Profiling in Criminal Investigations
- ADM JUS 305: Criminal Intelligence and Data Analysis
- ADM JUS 319: Research Methods and Statistics in Criminal Justice
- ADM JUS 383: Applications in Crime Analysis
This certificate addresses the analytical side of public safety. Students examine criminal investigations, offender behavior, intelligence gathering, research methods, statistics, crime patterns, and applications of crime analysis. That content is relevant to civilian crime-analysis and intelligence-support positions in law-enforcement or public-safety settings.
It is not a CSI certificate. Crime analysts generally work with incident reports, databases, geographic or temporal patterns, intelligence records, and statistical findings. Crime-scene personnel document physical locations, recognize and recover evidence, maintain chain of custody, and may perform photography or fingerprint work. Although an investigation course can support both paths, their technical cores are different.
The published certificate curriculum does not contain a crime-scene laboratory sequence or list a required internship. At $46 per unit, 18 units correspond to about $828 in base California-resident enrollment fees, before semester charges, books, supplies, and other expenses. The certificate was verified in the 2025-2026 catalog, but LAPC’s accessible 2026-2027 program materials do not establish that it remains available under the same title and requirements.
A student primarily interested in pattern analysis, intelligence reports, profiling, and statistical interpretation will find closer curricular alignment here than in the proposed evidence certificate. Physical scene processing, fingerprints, evidence preservation, and forensic anthropology align more directly with the planned Forensics, Evidence and Investigation curriculum.
Forensic anthropology coursework
LAPC offers two connected forensic anthropology courses through its biological anthropology curriculum:
- ANTHRO 118: Fundamentals of Forensic Anthropology
- ANTHRO 119: Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
Together, the courses account for five units. They are transferable coursework, not a separate degree, certificate, minor, or professional qualification in forensic anthropology.
The sequence introduces the recovery and analysis of human remains. It includes topics involving clandestine graves and the interpretation of skeletal and dental evidence. ANTHRO 119 adds hands-on examination and requires concurrent enrollment in ANTHRO 118 or prior completion of ANTHRO 118 with a C or better.
These classes can support several education plans. Anthropology majors can use them to test an interest in biological or forensic anthropology before transfer. Criminal justice students can gain a more accurate understanding of skeletal evidence and medicolegal investigations. Students interested in coroner or medical examiner environments can also develop useful background in the terminology and methods used to examine human remains.
Two introductory courses do not qualify a person to practice independently as a forensic anthropologist. Professional forensic anthropology generally requires substantial university study in anthropology or a related biological field, followed by graduate-level specialization and discipline-specific practical training or case experience. The American Board of Forensic Anthropology identifies doctoral education and documented practical case experience as the current standard for its board certification process. The AAFS Academy Standards Board qualification standard also calls for graduate education plus discipline-specific training and experience. At LAPC, the five-unit sequence functions as an introduction and transfer-building opportunity.
At the published California-resident rate, five units equal approximately $230 in base enrollment fees, excluding semester fees and course materials.
Administration of Justice Associate in Science for Transfer
LAPC’s current Social and Behavioral Sciences pathway lists an Administration of Justice Associate in Science for Transfer. The latest fully searchable official curriculum described it as a 60-transferable-unit degree with an 18-20-unit major.
The AS-T is designed primarily as a California State University transfer route in administration of justice. Its core includes Introduction to Administration of Justice and Concepts of Criminal Law. Depending on the approved course selections, students may be able to study subjects such as:
- Legal Aspects of Evidence
- Criminal Investigation
- Offender Profiling in Criminal Investigations
- Criminal Intelligence and Data Analysis
- Applications in Crime Analysis
- Research methods and statistics
- Other justice-system topics
The degree can therefore contain investigative or analytical coursework, but its forensic relevance depends on the courses selected. The latest searchable curriculum did not list ADM JUS 104, Introduction to Forensic Science, as a degree requirement or elective.
The AS-T does not include a verified forensic laboratory sequence, required crime-scene practicum, or field-training requirement. It is better aligned with transfer in administration of justice than with immediate technical preparation for a laboratory or crime-scene position.
A student using the AS-T for transfer should distinguish between criminal justice and forensic science majors at the university level. A criminal justice bachelor’s degree commonly emphasizes law, policing, courts, corrections, policy, and social science. A laboratory forensic science program should include substantial chemistry or biology, laboratory methods, statistics, and instrumental analysis. The AS-T provides an efficient justice-system pathway, but it is not a substitute for lower-division science preparation.
Criminal Justice Associate in Arts
LAPC also listed a Criminal Justice Associate in Arts in its 2025-2026 catalog. Unlike the AS-T, which is structured around California’s transfer framework, the AA is a local associate degree with broader criminal justice preparation.
Its subject area includes the justice system, criminal law, evidence, investigations, courts, corrections, and related electives. The catalog’s references to forensic science services as a possible career area do not turn the AA into a forensic science degree.
This route can support general criminal justice education and may contribute to transfer planning. It does not contain a verified chemistry or biology sequence designed for criminalist employment, nor was a mandatory CSI practicum identified in the published curriculum.
The AA and AS-T therefore serve adjacent rather than direct forensic goals. Between them, the AS-T has the clearer CSU transfer purpose. The AA may fit a student pursuing a local associate credential or a broader course plan under the requirements of the applicable catalog.
Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator training
LAPC’s continuing-education platform lists an online Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator certification-preparation course. This is a noncredit professional training course rather than an LAPC academic degree or credit certificate.
The curriculum covers computer-forensics processes, file systems, data acquisition, anti-forensics, operating systems, networks, malware, web attacks, the dark web, cloud systems, email, social media, mobile devices, and Internet of Things evidence. Cloud-based virtual labs and simulated exercises provide the practical component.
The course prepares participants for the EC-Council Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator certification examination. Its listed price was $3,095 at the research date and included an exam voucher, subject to provider terms and future price changes. The provider recommends prior working knowledge of information technology, cybersecurity, computer forensics, and incident response.
This option belongs to a different career category from physical CSI. Digital-evidence specialists recover and analyze information from computers, networks, mobile devices, cloud services, and related systems. Their work requires information technology and cybersecurity knowledge rather than skeletal analysis, bloodstain interpretation, or physical scene processing.
Accreditation and the role of FEPAC
Los Angeles Pierce College is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. Institutional accreditation applies to the college as a whole and supports functions such as recognized academic credit and transfer.
None of the options reviewed here should be described as FEPAC-accredited. The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission accredits qualifying bachelor’s and master’s programs in forensic science, as well as certain natural science or computer science degrees with forensic concentrations. A standalone community-college certificate falls outside its stated scope.
FEPAC status is most relevant when comparing bachelor’s or graduate programs designed for forensic laboratory careers. It is less useful as a measure for a community-college crime-analysis certificate, introductory anthropology courses, a general criminal justice degree, or vendor certification preparation.
Admission and catalog planning
LAPC uses open community-college admission. New students apply through CCCApply and then complete the Los Angeles Community College District enrollment steps, including applicable identity-verification requirements. Individual courses can still carry prerequisites or advisories, as ANTHRO 119 does.
Catalog timing affects the proposed forensic certificate. LAPC identifies the 2026-2027 General Catalog as the catalog for students beginning in fall 2026, while the regional record projected an August 31, 2026 start. The current public record supports planning around the six proposed courses, but it does not establish that students can enroll in the completed certificate as an active credential.
The available current evidence also does not establish an LAPC Forensic Accounting certificate. Regional planning references alone are not enough to present it as an active offering.
Choosing the right LAPC route
The decision should begin with the kind of evidence or information the career handles.
A crime-scene and physical-evidence route fits work involving scene documentation, evidence recognition, fingerprints, photography, chain of custody, or evidence preservation. The proposed Forensics, Evidence and Investigation certificate has the clearest curriculum match if LAPC publishes it as an active credential. Its combination of investigation, evidentiary law, introductory forensic science, and anthropology creates a field-oriented foundation.
Crime and Intelligence Analysis is the closer match for work centered on crime patterns, intelligence reports, profiling, research, and statistical analysis. It is a distinct professional direction from evidence collection.
The anthropology sequence provides an introduction to human-remains analysis and a starting point for transfer study in biological or forensic anthropology. It does not replace the graduate specialization and practical case experience associated with professional forensic anthropology.
The Administration of Justice AS-T is the clearest LAPC route when CSU transfer in criminal justice or administration of justice is the main objective. Investigation and analysis electives can add relevant context, but the degree does not supply a required forensic science sequence. The Criminal Justice AA provides broader local associate-level preparation without the same defined transfer structure.
For digital evidence, the CHFI preparation course addresses computers, networks, mobile devices, and cloud systems. Its noncredit status, vendor-certification focus, and $3,095 listed price place it outside LAPC’s academic forensic pathway.
Laboratory criminalistics requires a different plan. Students aiming for California criminalist or crime-laboratory scientist positions should prioritize transferable general chemistry, quantitative analysis, organic chemistry where required, biology, molecular biology, statistics, and laboratory courses leading to a qualifying science bachelor’s degree. A short CSI certificate can add investigative context, but it cannot replace that scientific foundation.