San Francisco State University does not offer a standalone degree, concentration, or certificate titled forensic science, criminalistics, or crime scene investigation in its 2026-2027 catalog. Instead, SF State provides several routes into related work:
- The Criminal Justice Studies B.A. includes electives in crime scene investigation and forensic science.
- The Chemistry B.A. and B.S. provide laboratory science relevant to criminalistics and forensic chemistry.
- Biochemistry and cell and molecular biology programs can support preparation for DNA and biological-evidence work.
- A Criminal Justice Studies minor can add scene-processing coursework to another major.
- The Cybersecurity Management certificate is related to information security, but it is not a digital forensics certificate.
These pathways prepare students for different roles. Crime scene processing emphasizes photography, documentation, evidence recovery, preservation, chain of custody, and reporting. Laboratory criminalistics relies more heavily on chemistry, biology, quantitative analysis, instrumentation, and laboratory methods. SF State offers coursework on both sides of that divide, but no single program combines them into a dedicated forensic science curriculum.
SF State forensic and CSI options compared
| Program | Forensic or CSI content | Science depth | Most relevant direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.A. in Criminal Justice Studies | Crime Scene Investigation and Introduction to Forensic Science electives | Limited natural science within the major | Field CSI, evidence work, investigative support, criminal justice |
| B.A. in Chemistry | SF State identifies forensic science as a possible interdisciplinary career area | Substantial chemistry and laboratory work | Laboratory preparation combined with criminal justice or another field |
| B.S. in Chemistry | No forensic concentration, but extensive analytical and instrumental chemistry | Highest required chemistry depth among these options | Criminalistics, chemical analysis, forensic laboratory preparation |
| B.S. in Biochemistry | Forensic Genetics is an approved elective | Strong chemistry, biology, and laboratory foundation | Forensic biology, DNA-related study, laboratory work |
| B.S. in Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology | Forensic Genetics is an approved elective | Strong molecular biology and genetics foundation | Biological evidence, DNA, molecular laboratory work |
| B.A. in General Biology | Forensic Genetics is an approved elective | Broader biology with less prescribed chemistry | Biological-evidence interests with careful elective planning |
| Minor in Criminal Justice Studies | CSI and forensic science courses are available as options | Depends on the student’s primary major | Adding investigative context to chemistry, biology, photography, or another major |
| Certificate in Cybersecurity Management | No required digital forensics course | Enterprise systems and security management | Cybersecurity administration rather than forensic examination |
The most direct field-CSI option is Criminal Justice Studies. The Chemistry B.S. provides the most extensive preparation for chemistry-heavy laboratory work. Biochemistry and cell and molecular biology are better aligned with DNA and biological evidence. The Chemistry B.A. occupies a useful middle position because it retains substantial laboratory science while leaving more room to combine chemistry with another academic field.
B.A. in Criminal Justice Studies: SF State’s main CSI-oriented pathway
The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Studies is the university’s clearest route for students interested in crime scenes, evidence handling, investigations, or the operation of the justice system. The major requires at least 36 units, divided between an 18-unit core and 18 to 22 elective units.
The broader curriculum addresses crime, law, justice institutions, social inequality, research methods, data, administration, and a capstone. Its two most relevant electives are C J 410 Crime Scene Investigation and C J 420 Introduction to Forensic Science.
C J 410 concentrates on field procedures. Topics include:
- Crime-scene documentation
- Photography and diagrams
- Evidence recognition and collection
- Evidence preservation
- Chain of custody
- Scene safety
- Legal issues
- Report writing
This content is directly relevant to entry-level evidence and scene-processing work. It does not provide the chemistry or biology depth expected in scientific crime-laboratory positions.
C J 420 takes a broader look at forensic science. The three-unit course includes two lecture units and one activity unit. It covers crime-laboratory operations, scientific evidence, forensic subdisciplines, analytical methods, admissibility, expert testimony, and sources of forensic error.
Together, the courses introduce both sides of forensic practice. C J 410 is concerned primarily with the scene and the handling of physical evidence. C J 420 explains what happens to evidence within forensic disciplines and how scientific findings enter court proceedings.
An internship is available as a Criminal Justice Studies elective. The current program materials do not list a universally required forensic internship, so practical experience depends on the electives and placement a student completes.
Campus and online formats
The campus B.A. follows the standard SF State undergraduate structure. SF State also offers a 100 percent online Criminal Justice Studies degree-completion program for transfer students entering with at least 60 college credits.
The published online sample sequence contains 53 units, normally delivered as two courses every eight weeks over two years. Its sample plan includes C J 420 Introduction to Forensic Science, along with a field course or capstone requirement. The published sequence does not show routine inclusion of C J 410 Crime Scene Investigation.
The online program therefore offers exposure to forensic science, but its documented curriculum is less clearly centered on hands-on scene processing than the campus route with C J 410. It is best viewed as an online criminal justice completion degree with a forensic science survey course, not as an online CSI degree.
Admission to the completion program requires at least 60 transferable semester units, a minimum 2.0 transferable GPA, good academic standing, and specified lower-division general education. SF State’s online program page publishes a $24,900 program price and a rate of $415 per unit. A separate sample-sequence page lists 53 units, while the 2026-2027 CPaGE roadmap describes a standard 60-unit completion framework and a possible 60-to-64-unit completion range. SF State does not expressly reconcile these figures, so the $24,900 amount is best understood as the university’s quoted program price rather than a total calculated from the 53-unit sample sequence.
Career alignment
The Criminal Justice Studies B.A. fits field-oriented and justice-system roles better than scientific laboratory positions. Possible directions include crime scene support, evidence or property work, investigations, law enforcement, and other criminal justice employment. Job titles vary across California agencies. A crime scene investigator can be a civilian position at one department and a sworn assignment at another.
The degree is not designed to satisfy California’s science-based Criminalist education pattern. California’s state Criminalist classification requires the equivalent of a degree major in a physical or biological science, including specified coursework in general chemistry and quantitative analysis. A Criminal Justice Studies major does not provide that scientific foundation by itself.
Chemistry pathways for laboratory criminalistics
Laboratory criminalistics requires a different academic plan from field CSI. Chemistry coursework is especially relevant to controlled-substance analysis, trace evidence, toxicology preparation, materials analysis, and other laboratory functions. SF State offers both a Chemistry B.A. and a Chemistry B.S., each with required quantitative analysis and laboratory work.
B.A. in Chemistry
The Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry requires at least 54 major units. SF State specifically identifies forensic science as one interdisciplinary career area the degree can support when combined with another degree or minor.
Required study includes:
- Two semesters of general chemistry
- Two semesters of organic chemistry
- Organic chemistry laboratories
- Quantitative chemical analysis
- Quantitative chemical analysis laboratory
- Inorganic chemistry
- Physical chemistry
- Calculus and physics
- A biochemistry option
Available advanced electives include Instrumental Analysis, Environmental Analysis, Biochemistry Laboratory, Experimental Physical Chemistry with Laboratory, and Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory. These electives can add relevant experience in instrumentation, analytical procedures, and laboratory documentation, although they are not completed by every student.
The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department reports access to nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and computational chemistry facilities. Program outcomes also address synthesis, separation, isolation, chemical analysis, molecular characterization, scientific reporting, and problem-solving in laboratory settings.
The B.A. leaves more room than the B.S. for study in another subject. Pairing it with Criminal Justice Studies coursework could produce a blend of analytical chemistry, evidence context, and scene knowledge. Even so, the resulting credential remains a chemistry degree rather than a named forensic chemistry program.
B.S. in Chemistry
The Bachelor of Science in Chemistry requires at least 71 major units and provides more prescribed science depth. The required curriculum includes general and organic chemistry, organic laboratories, calculus, physics, quantitative chemical analysis and laboratory, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, physical chemistry, instrumental methods, and advanced electives.
Compared with the Chemistry B.A., the B.S. places greater required emphasis on chemistry, mathematics, physics, and instrumental laboratory training. It is the more direct SF State route for students pursuing chemistry-intensive crime-laboratory work or graduate scientific study.
The department describes the Chemistry B.S. as approved by the American Chemical Society. SF State itself is institutionally accredited, but the Chemistry B.S. is not listed as a FEPAC-accredited forensic science program.
For California Criminalist recruitment, the B.S. aligns much more closely with the state’s educational pattern than the Criminal Justice Studies B.A. It includes general chemistry and quantitative chemical analysis, as well as extensive additional laboratory science. Hiring eligibility rests on the courses shown on the completed transcript and the requirements in the applicable recruitment bulletin.
Grades of C or better are required in chemistry prerequisite courses, and students must maintain at least a 2.0 major GPA. The department recommends high school preparation in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, chemistry, and physics, with calculus strongly recommended.
Biochemistry and biology for DNA and biological evidence
Crime laboratories also employ scientists working with DNA, body fluids, biological materials, and molecular methods. SF State’s biochemistry and biology degrees can support that direction, although none is titled forensic biology.
B.S. in Biochemistry
The B.S. in Biochemistry combines chemistry with biological science, genetics, molecular biology, and laboratory study. It is better aligned with biological evidence and DNA-oriented preparation than the Chemistry B.S., while retaining more chemistry than a broad biology degree.
BIOL 358 Forensic Genetics: Math Matters is available as an upper-division elective and can satisfy the program’s laboratory-elective requirement. Other potentially relevant choices include molecular genetics, microbiology laboratory, immunology laboratory, and bioinformatics.
BIOL 358 is a four-unit course with three lecture units and one laboratory unit. It covers statistical forensic genetics, R programming, original research, media analysis, and development of a forensic-genetics policy proposal. This is more focused than a general forensic science survey, but one course does not turn the biochemistry curriculum into a forensic science concentration.
The Biochemistry B.S. is a sound academic foundation for DNA-related graduate education, biotechnology, and biological laboratory work. California Criminalist applicants need a course plan that includes the classification’s required general chemistry and quantitative-analysis content.
B.S. in Biology with a Cell and Molecular Biology concentration
The Cell and Molecular Biology B.S. concentration requires at least 58 major units. Its curriculum covers biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, and laboratory methods.
BIOL 358 is an approved upper-division elective. Enrollment normally requires sophomore standing or above in an eligible science or computing major, along with BIOL 230 and MATH 199, unless instructor permission is granted.
This concentration provides stronger preparation in genetics and molecular biology than the General Biology B.A. It is suited to biological-evidence interests, but it is not a forensic biology concentration. The prescribed curriculum also does not place the same emphasis on analytical chemistry as the Chemistry B.S.
B.A. in General Biology
The B.A. in General Biology offers broader flexibility. It requires introductory biology, general chemistry, physics, and either organic chemistry or an alternative chemistry course, followed by upper-division biology.
Students can choose BIOL 358 and other laboratory-heavy electives in subjects such as microbiology, immunology, and cell and molecular biology. The tradeoff is reduced prescribed chemistry depth. This degree can support biological-evidence interests, but it requires more deliberate course selection for crime-laboratory employment than the Chemistry B.S. or Biochemistry B.S.
Adding Criminal Justice Studies to a science major
The Minor in Criminal Justice Studies permits C J 410 and C J 420 among its course options. C J 410 is restricted to Criminal Justice Studies majors and minors, so the minor can provide access to the crime-scene course while adding justice-system context to a chemistry or biology degree.
A chemistry major with this minor could study analytical laboratory methods while also learning scene photography, documentation, evidence collection, preservation, chain of custody, and report writing. A biology or biochemistry major could combine genetics and molecular science with similar investigative coursework.
The minor is not a substitute for a forensic science major, nor does it add enough chemistry to turn a nonscience degree into laboratory criminalistics preparation. Its value lies in connecting an existing major to the investigative and legal setting in which evidence is collected and used.
Cybersecurity Management is not digital forensics
SF State’s undergraduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Management is a 12-unit credential covering Information Systems Analysis and Design, Managing Enterprise Data, Managing Enterprise Networks, and Information Security Management.
The catalog lists forensic computer analyst among possible occupations, but none of the four required courses is specifically devoted to digital evidence, computer forensics, forensic imaging, device examination, or evidence acquisition. The current curriculum also does not identify a dedicated digital-forensics laboratory or practicum.
The certificate is therefore an adjacent cybersecurity option. Its focus is enterprise systems, networks, information governance, and security management. Technical digital-evidence positions generally require specialized study in forensic acquisition, examination tools, operating systems, file systems, evidence integrity, and forensic reporting that this certificate does not document.
Admission generally requires 56 completed units, a minimum 2.0 GPA, and grades of C-minus or better in ISYS 363 and ISYS 350. Certain nonmatriculated applicants can pursue the certificate through the College of Professional & Global Education, subject to its separate eligibility requirements.
Tuition and estimated cost
For 2026-2027, SF State lists full-time undergraduate systemwide tuition of $6,838 for two semesters. Estimated mandatory campus fees add $1,986 per academic year.
Those figures total $8,824 in published tuition and mandatory fees before laboratory charges, books, supplies, housing, food, transportation, and personal expenses. Nonresident and international students pay an additional $471 per unit.
SF State’s published undergraduate cost-of-attendance estimates are:
- $38,238 for a student living on campus
- $39,944 for a student living off campus
- $27,740 for a student living at home
Cost of attendance is a planning estimate, not a tuition bill. It includes indirect living and educational expenses in addition to tuition and mandatory fees.
The online Criminal Justice Studies completion program uses a separate pricing structure. The official program page publishes a $24,900 program price and a $415-per-unit rate. That total corresponds arithmetically to 60 units, consistent with the standard 60-unit framework in the CPaGE roadmap, but a separate sample-sequence page lists 53 units. SF State does not explicitly explain the difference. The published $24,900 program price should therefore not be presented as a calculation from the 53-unit sample sequence or compared directly with one year of campus tuition.
Accreditation and the absence of a FEPAC program
San Francisco State University is institutionally accredited by WSCUC. Institutional accreditation applies to the university as a whole.
The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, or FEPAC, accredits qualifying bachelor’s and master’s forensic science programs, along with certain natural or computer science degrees that contain forensic concentrations. SF State does not appear in the current FEPAC directory as of September 26, 2026.
That absence is most relevant to students seeking a dedicated forensic science curriculum. It does not negate the scientific value of SF State’s chemistry, biochemistry, or biology degrees. These programs are conventional science degrees that can support forensic career preparation, rather than FEPAC-accredited forensic programs.
Choosing an SF State route by career goal
A field CSI or evidence-processing goal points toward the Criminal Justice Studies B.A., particularly when C J 410 and C J 420 are included. The curriculum addresses documentation, photography, evidence collection, preservation, chain of custody, reporting, laboratory context, and courtroom issues. It is less suitable for positions requiring a physical or biological science major.
Laboratory criminalistics calls for the Chemistry B.S. or, where greater interdisciplinary flexibility is useful, the Chemistry B.A. The B.S. supplies more required chemistry, mathematics, physics, quantitative analysis, and instrumental training. The B.A. preserves meaningful analytical and laboratory preparation while allowing more room for Criminal Justice Studies or another complementary subject.
DNA and biological-evidence interests align more closely with the Biochemistry B.S. or the Cell and Molecular Biology B.S. concentration. BIOL 358 adds direct exposure to forensic genetics, statistics, R programming, research, and policy, while the underlying degrees provide broader scientific preparation.
The General Biology B.A. offers flexibility but less prescribed chemistry. It works better as a broad biological route than as a default plan for chemistry-heavy criminalist classifications.
Readers comparing SF State with other institutions can review additional California school profiles. Within SF State, the practical decision is not simply whether a program contains a forensic elective. It is whether the full curriculum matches the intended work: scene processing, analytical chemistry, DNA and molecular biology, or cybersecurity management. Building the degree around that occupational distinction produces a much clearer academic plan than choosing solely by the presence of the word “forensic” in a course title.