National University offers several distinct routes into digital forensics, forensic science, crime-scene investigation, and forensic psychology. They do not lead to the same occupations.
The cybersecurity degrees focus on electronic evidence, incident response, computers, networks, mobile devices, and cloud systems. The Master of Forensic Sciences separates laboratory-oriented criminalistics from field and investigative work. A graduate certificate provides a shorter course sequence in crime-scene and evidence topics. National University also offers graduate psychology programs connected to courts, corrections, threat assessment, and forensic clinical practice, but those programs do not teach laboratory evidence analysis or crime-scene processing.
National University is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, commonly known as WSCUC. Its main campus is in San Diego, although delivery varies among online, hybrid, and location-based programs. Readers comparing California institutions can also browse the broader directory of California CSI and forensic science schools.
National University forensic program comparison
| Program | Format | Main academic focus | Better aligned career areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| BS in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics | Online or in person | Computer, operating-system, network, and mobile-device forensics | Digital forensic examination, cybersecurity, incident response |
| MS in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics and Incident Response | Online or hybrid | Threat hunting, digital investigations, cloud forensics, network forensics | Advanced incident response, cyber investigation, threat hunting |
| Master of Forensic Sciences, Criminalistics | Online, in person, or hybrid, with possible in-person laboratory participation | Trace evidence, toxicology, serology, DNA, instrumental methods | Crime-laboratory and evidence-analysis work, subject to employer science requirements |
| Master of Forensic Sciences, Investigation | Online, in person, or hybrid | Crime scenes, photography, fingerprints, major cases, death investigation | CSI, evidence documentation, field investigation |
| Graduate Certificate in Forensic and Crime Scene Investigations | Online or in person | Crime scenes, pathology, criminalistics, fingerprints, digital evidence | Focused professional development for evidence and investigative roles |
| MS in Forensic Psychology | Fully online | Criminal behavior, threat assessment, policy, offender evaluation | Nonclinical forensic psychology, victim services, corrections, threat management |
| PsyD in Clinical Psychology, Correctional and Forensic Psychology | In person in Pleasant Hill | Clinical assessment, correctional psychology, expert testimony, forensic practice | Clinical and correctional psychology after applicable licensure requirements |
| BS or minor in Criminal Justice Administration | Online or in person | Broad criminal justice curriculum with limited forensic coursework | Criminal justice and public-safety roles, not laboratory criminalistics |
The central academic choice is between digital evidence, physical evidence, field investigation, and behavioral science. A digital forensic examiner needs computing, operating-system, network, and evidence-preservation skills. A laboratory criminalist generally needs substantial chemistry or biology preparation. A field crime-scene investigator needs scene documentation, photography, evidence recovery, fingerprint processing, packaging, and chain-of-custody training. Forensic psychology addresses human behavior and legal or correctional systems rather than scientific examination of physical evidence.
Digital forensics and cybersecurity degrees
Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics
National University’s undergraduate digital-forensics route is a concentration or specialization within the 120-credit Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. It is not a standalone forensic science bachelor’s degree.
The cybersecurity core develops the technical background required before specialized forensic study. Subjects include networking, operating systems, programming, data security, virtualization and cloud computing, secure Windows and Linux administration, ethical hacking, network defense, automation, and cybersecurity policy. The four-course digital-forensics sequence consists of:
- Introduction to Digital Forensics
- Operating Systems Forensics
- Network Forensics
- Mobile Device Forensics
The concentration moves through several major sources of electronic evidence rather than treating digital forensics as one survey topic. Network Forensics includes analysis of network traffic captures, while the broader degree concludes with a three-course cybersecurity project sequence. That final sequence may involve practical or research work and ends with a presentation to academic and business professionals.
National University advertises online and in-person delivery, four-week courses, monthly starts, and year-round enrollment. The compressed course structure can support steady progression, but each technical class still follows its own prerequisites. Students must complete the cybersecurity core requirements that precede upper-level forensic work.
This is the institution’s primary undergraduate preparation for computer, network, mobile-device, and cybersecurity investigations. It does not provide the physical-science major or chemistry curriculum expected for many laboratory criminalist positions. Someone targeting malware analysis, cyber incident response, digital evidence, or computer examination would receive more relevant preparation here than in the crime-scene investigation certificate. Someone targeting toxicology, DNA, or trace evidence would need a different academic foundation.
Eligible National University cybersecurity students can pursue a transition pathway into the Master of Forensic Sciences. Published conditions include a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, placement within the last six undergraduate courses, and grades of B or higher in approved graduate courses. That route can connect cybersecurity study with broader graduate forensic coursework, but it does not replace the undergraduate science preparation required for laboratory criminalist classifications.
National University’s current tuition page lists a $640 base per-credit rate and an estimated total program cost of $69,000 for the BS in Cybersecurity. Transfer credit can reduce the remaining credits and resulting cost.
Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics and Incident Response
At the graduate level, National University’s catalog identifies the specialization as Digital Forensics and Incident Response. One public specialization page shortens the name to Digital Forensics, but the longer title better reflects the curriculum.
The four specialization courses cover:
- Threat Hunting and Incident Response
- Digital Investigations
- Cloud Forensics and Incident Response
- Network Forensics
Digital Investigations addresses the collection, preservation, and analysis of evidence from computers, mobile devices, and cloud sources. The focus on cloud environments and incident response separates this curriculum from a traditional computer-forensics sequence centered only on seized hard drives. National Institute of Standards and Technology guidance describes digital forensics as retrieving, storing, and analyzing electronic data useful to investigations while protecting evidence from alteration. National University’s combination of investigation and incident-response coursework follows that technical problem set.
The specialization sits within a 39-credit MS in Cybersecurity. Core and foundation work covers cybersecurity technology, defensive and offensive tools, threat modeling, wireless and mobile security, network monitoring, incident response, and cloud security. Virtual laboratory environments appear in the cybersecurity toolkit course. A three-part graduate project sequence gives students a sustained practical or research assignment beyond the four specialization classes.
The MS is available online or in a hybrid format, with an advertised average completion time of 24 months. Before enrolling in the first course, students complete an interview with the faculty advisor. Technical prerequisites then shape progression through the cybersecurity sequence.
This degree is aligned with advanced digital investigations, cloud and network incident response, threat hunting, and cyber defense. It is not a route into forensic chemistry, biology, toxicology, or DNA analysis. The word “forensics” refers here to electronic evidence and cybersecurity incidents.
National University lists an estimated total program cost of $26,852, based on 39 credits, a $644 base per-credit rate, and a $135 course-material fee. The BS and MS cybersecurity programs also hold a CAE-CD designation through 2028. CAE-CD is a cybersecurity education designation, not FEPAC forensic-science accreditation or institutional accreditation.
Master of Forensic Sciences
The Master of Forensic Sciences is a 36-credit graduate program with two specializations: Criminalistics and Investigation. National University lists online, in-person, and hybrid availability, but delivery varies by specialization. Some Criminalistics courses may require in-person laboratory participation.
Both specializations share a core that includes crime-scene investigation, forensic pathology, forensic anthropology, fingerprint analysis, digital evidence, law and criminal procedure, and a supervised research project. Their specialized courses then lead in different directions.
Criminalistics specialization
The Criminalistics specialization is the laboratory-oriented MFS option. Its specialized curriculum includes:
- Trace evidence
- Advanced forensic toxicology
- Forensic serology and DNA
- Advanced forensic DNA analysis
Program materials also reference instrumental methods such as microscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Those subjects are directly related to laboratory examination of trace materials, biological evidence, controlled substances, and toxicological evidence.
Admission to this specialization normally requires an undergraduate degree in a laboratory or physical science, such as chemistry or biology. The academic program director can approve an exception, but the published prerequisite reflects the scientific demands of the curriculum.
Criminalistics is the more relevant MFS specialization for people who already have a strong undergraduate science foundation and want advanced study in trace evidence, toxicology, serology, or DNA. It does not convert an unrelated bachelor’s degree into the equivalent of a full chemistry or biology major. That limitation is especially relevant in California, where public crime-laboratory classifications can specify detailed undergraduate science requirements.
The program’s format also requires careful interpretation. National University markets the MFS through online, hybrid, and in-person formats, yet states that some Criminalistics classes may require in-person laboratory participation. The current materials do not identify all laboratory locations or provide a single attendance pattern covering every student. Travel and scheduling could therefore differ according to course selection and delivery.
The supervised research project adds an independent graduate component. It is not described as a substitute for all bench laboratory training, and the program page does not establish that every instrument or procedure referenced in the curriculum is completed entirely online.
Investigation specialization
The Investigation specialization focuses on applying forensic knowledge to scenes, documentation, and major cases. Its specialized courses cover:
- Advanced criminalistics
- Forensic psychology
- Forensic photography
- Major case investigation
Unlike Criminalistics, Investigation does not specify a required undergraduate major. That broader entry point fits a curriculum directed toward field and investigative functions rather than advanced chemistry or biology.
Coursework addresses crime-scene documentation, death investigation, fingerprints, evidence handling, photography, and investigative applications. The forensic photography class requires appropriate photographic equipment, including interchangeable lenses, manual aperture and shutter controls, and external-flash capability. Equipment therefore adds a potential expense beyond the listed program estimate.
This route is better aligned with crime-scene investigators, evidence technicians, detectives, death investigators, and personnel who document or manage physical evidence. It is not the equivalent of a laboratory-science graduate program. Although the shared core introduces several forensic disciplines, the specialization does not provide the science depth represented by advanced toxicology, serology, and DNA courses in Criminalistics.
National University lists an average completion time of 24 months for the MFS. Its current tuition page gives an estimated total program cost of $25,830, based on 36 semester credits, a $683 base per-credit rate, and a $105 course-material fee.
Graduate Certificate in Forensic and Crime Scene Investigations
The Graduate Certificate in Forensic and Crime Scene Investigations offers a shorter alternative to the MFS. National University lists seven required courses:
- Forensic Pathology I
- Forensic Pathology II
- Crime Scene Investigation
- Advanced Criminalistics
- Digital Evidence
- Law and Criminal Procedure
- Fingerprint Analysis
The Crime Scene Investigation course addresses scene protection, documentation, evidence searches, collection and packaging, latent-print processing, and chain of custody. Those are practical subjects for field CSI and evidence work. The inclusion of pathology, criminalistics, digital evidence, and criminal procedure also gives the certificate a wider investigative scope than a single introductory CSI course.
National University offers the certificate online or in person and lists an average completion time of seven months. The current program materials do not list a required internship or supervised field placement. It is an academic graduate certificate, not a professional certification, police academy credential, or substitute for agency training.
Certificate credit can be applied toward the MFS when the student meets the applicable degree and GPA requirements. That provides a defined academic progression for someone who wants to begin with a shorter credential before committing to the full master’s program.
The university publishes an estimated total cost of $14,840. Its tuition table expresses the requirement as 20.67 semester-equivalent credits, reflecting National University’s conversion between quarter-unit catalog material and semester-credit public pages. The estimate uses a $683 base per-credit rate and a $105 course-material fee.
Forensic psychology programs
Forensic psychology uses psychological knowledge in legal, correctional, law-enforcement, and threat-management settings. It is separate from forensic science, despite the shared word “forensic.”
Master of Science in Forensic Psychology
The 30-credit MS in Forensic Psychology is fully online. It offers General Forensic Psychology and Threat Assessment and Management specializations, with subjects including:
- Theories of criminal behavior
- Forensic psychology and public policy
- Research design and statistics
- Risk and threat assessment
- Offender evaluation
- Ethics
- Psychology within justice and correctional settings
Students may select a nonclinical internship. The threat-assessment specialization also uses applied examples, but neither option supplies training in crime-scene processing, fingerprint examination, digital evidence acquisition, forensic chemistry, or DNA analysis.
National University states that this master’s degree is not a psychology or counseling licensure program. Its career relevance lies in nonclinical work involving courts, corrections, victim services, criminal behavior, policy, research, and threat assessment. It is not a route to psychologist licensure.
The university advertises eight-week courses, weekly starts, and an average completion time of 16 months. Published materials contain an inconsistency between headings that refer to 10 and 11 courses, so the verified 30-credit requirement is the clearer measure of program size. The listed estimated total cost is $28,690, based on a $898 base per-credit rate and a $130 course-material fee.
PsyD in Clinical Psychology, Correctional and Forensic Psychology Concentration
National University also offers a Correctional and Forensic Psychology concentration within its California Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program. This is not a standalone doctorate in forensic psychology.
The concentration consists of four courses covering correctional psychology and cultural awareness, multicultural forensic psychology, forensic and correctional assessment, and expert testimony with advanced report writing. National University also describes applied training through a forensic externship and correctional-setting assessment experience.
The broader PsyD in Clinical Psychology supplies the clinical foundation. Requirements include foundational placement, beginning and advanced practica, a doctoral internship, examinations, personal psychotherapy, research, and a dissertation. National University lists an average completion period of five to seven years.
Unlike the online forensic psychology master’s degree, the PsyD is an in-person program at National University’s Pleasant Hill campus. Students must reside in Northern California, and the program follows a traditional academic schedule.
National University describes the parent clinical psychology PsyD as APA-accredited and as meeting California’s educational degree-completion requirements for psychologist licensure. APA accreditation applies to the clinical psychology doctoral program, not independently to the forensic concentration. Graduates must still complete the other applicable licensure requirements before practicing as psychologists.
This pathway fits clinical work involving correctional populations, forensic psychological assessment, court reports, expert testimony, and related behavioral-health services. It does not prepare students to collect crime-scene evidence or perform laboratory criminalistics. National University’s general tuition table does not publish a clear current program total for this PsyD, and the university indicates that clinical psychology programs can use specialized pricing.
Adjacent criminal justice options
National University’s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration is a broad criminal justice degree rather than a forensic science program. It includes a Survey of Forensic Sciences course covering topics such as photography, firearms and toolmarks, questioned documents, hair and fibers, serology, instrumental analysis, pathology, odontology, and forensic psychology.
One survey course gives students useful exposure to forensic disciplines, but it does not equal a laboratory sequence or a CSI concentration. The BS has an estimated total cost of $69,000 and can connect to an MFS transition pathway under National University’s eligibility rules.
The Criminal Justice Administration minor allows students to select six upper-division criminal justice courses. The forensic survey is available but not required of every minor student. The minor therefore should not be classified as dedicated forensic preparation.
National University also offers a legal technology and e-discovery certificate, but its purpose is paralegal work, litigation support, electronically stored information review, and discovery management. E-discovery can involve electronic records, yet it is different from forensic acquisition and examination of computers, mobile devices, cloud accounts, and network evidence.
Graduate admission, cost, and accreditation
General graduate admission ordinarily requires a bachelor’s degree from an institutionally accredited college or university. National University publishes a standard GPA threshold of 2.5 overall or 2.75 across the final 60 semester credits. Lower-GPA applicants can have testing or probationary admission routes under stated conditions, while individual programs retain their own prerequisites.
Program-specific requirements affect academic fit more than the general admission threshold. The MFS Criminalistics specialization expects a prior laboratory- or physical-science degree. The cybersecurity master’s includes an advisor interview and sequenced technical prerequisites. Admission to the PsyD forensic concentration requires prior admission to the clinical psychology doctorate and permission from the concentration’s academic program director.
Published estimated total costs are:
| Program | National University estimated total |
|---|---|
| BS in Cybersecurity | $69,000 |
| MS in Cybersecurity | $26,852 |
| Master of Forensic Sciences | $25,830 |
| Graduate Certificate in Forensic and Crime Scene Investigations | $14,840 |
| MS in Forensic Psychology | $28,690 |
These are estimated program totals, not guaranteed tuition-only prices. Transfer credit, additional coursework, equipment, laboratory travel, and later rate changes can affect the final amount.
National University is institutionally accredited by WSCUC. No authoritative current evidence reviewed supports describing its MFS, forensic certificate, or digital-forensics programs as accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission. FEPAC accredits qualifying forensic science programs at the program level, so institutional accreditation does not extend FEPAC status to every degree.
California career alignment
California’s Criminalist classification illustrates why degree titles alone are not enough for laboratory careers. The state’s Criminalist examination bulletin requires a physical- or biological-science major. It also specifies eight semester hours of general chemistry and three semester hours of quantitative analysis.
The MFS Criminalistics specialization is National University’s closest match for advanced physical and biological evidence study, but a graduate forensic degree does not erase missing undergraduate science requirements. A person with a criminal justice or cybersecurity bachelor’s degree could complete the MFS and still lack the undergraduate major or chemistry coursework required by that classification.
Career alignment can be reduced to four practical routes:
- Choose the cybersecurity digital-forensics programs for computers, mobile devices, networks, cloud systems, incident response, and electronic evidence.
- Choose MFS Criminalistics after a strong science bachelor’s degree for advanced study in trace evidence, toxicology, serology, and DNA.
- Choose MFS Investigation or the graduate certificate for crime scenes, evidence documentation, photography, fingerprints, and field investigation.
- Choose forensic psychology for behavioral assessment, corrections, courts, victim services, threat management, or clinical practice rather than evidence analysis.
California agencies use CSI and evidence titles differently. Some positions are civilian, while others are assignments held by sworn personnel. The Investigation specialization and graduate certificate can strengthen subject knowledge, but hiring can still depend on agency-specific experience, academy, background, or civil-service requirements.
National University’s selection is broad enough to support several forensic career directions, provided the degree is matched to the evidence type and work environment. Computing preparation leads toward digital evidence. Chemistry and biology preparation remain central to laboratory criminalistics. Scene documentation and photography support field CSI. Psychology programs lead toward behavioral and clinical work within legal and correctional systems. Choosing among them by job function, rather than by the word “forensic” in the title, produces a much clearer education plan.