San José State University offers one Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science with four concentrations: Biology, Chemistry, Digital Evidence, and Crime Scene Investigation. It also offers a 15-unit Forensic Studies minor centered primarily on crime-scene work.
These are materially different academic routes. Biology and Chemistry provide the strongest preparation for laboratory analysis. Digital Evidence combines forensic procedures with computer science. Crime Scene Investigation emphasizes evidence recognition, scene processing, fingerprints, and photography. The minor adds forensic coursework to another major but does not provide the science depth of the BS.
SJSU houses these programs in the Department of Justice Studies at its downtown San José campus. Its Bay Area location supports relationships with local crime laboratories, the coroner’s office, and law-enforcement agencies, although placement in a particular internship or agency is not guaranteed. Readers comparing SJSU with other institutions can also review the broader guide to California CSI and forensic science schools.
SJSU forensic science programs at a glance
| Program | Primary focus | Advanced science or technical depth | Practical requirement | Current admission status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BS in Forensic Science, Biology | DNA, serology, biological evidence, laboratory analysis | Extensive biology plus general and organic chemistry, physics, genetics or cell biology, and genotyping | Three units of internship, research, publication, or approved directed study | Current and accepting some new students |
| BS in Forensic Science, Chemistry | Chemical evidence, instrumentation, fire debris, trace evidence, laboratory criminalistics | Advanced organic chemistry, quantitative or biophysical chemistry, physical chemistry, and instrumental analysis | Three units of internship, research, publication, or approved directed study | Current and accepting some new students |
| BS in Forensic Science, Digital Evidence | Computer forensics, digital evidence, and cybercrime investigation | Programming, data structures, computer architecture, algorithms, discrete mathematics, and digital evidence courses | Three units of internship, research, publication, or approved directed study; roadmap also references the Digital Forensics Laboratory | Current and accepting some new students |
| BS in Forensic Science, Crime Scene Investigation | Scene processing, evidence documentation, fingerprints, photography, and testimony | Foundational biology, chemistry, physics, calculus, and statistics, but less advanced laboratory science than Biology or Chemistry | Three units of internship, research, publication, or approved directed study | Active but severely capacity constrained |
| Forensic Studies minor | Introductory forensic science and CSI coursework added to another major | Limited advanced laboratory science; electives can cover anthropology, photography, psychology, accounting, or other subjects | Applied courses are included, but the minor does not carry the BS program’s separate three-unit practical requirement | Current |
The department describes all four BS concentrations as providing hands-on crime-laboratory and crime-scene training. Their shared forensic foundation should not obscure their different career purposes. SJSU specifically directs students seeking crime-laboratory careers toward Biology, Chemistry, or Digital Evidence rather than the CSI concentration.
Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science
The SJSU Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science is a 120-unit degree. Every concentration includes forensic science foundations, quantitative coursework, a senior seminar, and a three-unit practical experience. Depending on the approved plan, that practical component can be completed through an internship, research, publication, individual study, or directed study. An external agency internship is therefore one route, not a universal requirement for every student.
The program is structured around laboratory, computing, photography, and applied evidence courses. SJSU does not advertise a fully online version. Students seeking an online degree should not expect these concentrations to function as remote programs, especially given the science laboratories and applied work embedded in the curricula.
Biology concentration
The Biology concentration is SJSU’s primary route into forensic biology, DNA analysis, serology, and other work involving biological evidence. Its curriculum goes well beyond introductory forensic survey courses. Published requirements include general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, calculus, statistics, biological criminalistics, genetics or cell biology, forensic biology, and forensic genotyping technologies.
Upper-division work includes crime scene investigation, forensic science applications, scientific writing, and a senior seminar alongside the advanced science requirements. The published curriculum also incorporates nearly all requirements for a Chemistry minor, with one additional chemistry course identified on the curriculum form. That combination gives the degree a broader laboratory foundation than a biology program with only one or two forensic electives.
This concentration is the better SJSU route for careers involving DNA profiles, body-fluid evidence, serological testing, or other biological materials. It can also preserve options in biotechnology and biomedical laboratories because students complete substantial conventional biology and chemistry coursework.
The main tradeoff is the sequencing burden. Organic chemistry, physics, calculus, genetics, and upper-division forensic biology depend on earlier prerequisites. A student who begins these sequences late can need additional semesters even after completing general education requirements.
For California crime-laboratory employment, the completed transcript matters more than the wording of the degree title. Agencies hiring criminalists or specialized laboratory analysts evaluate the actual biology, chemistry, laboratory, and quantitative courses. SJSU’s Biology concentration supplies significant preparation in these areas, but requirements still differ by classification and employer.
Chemistry concentration
The Chemistry concentration is the most chemistry-intensive forensic option at SJSU. Its published curriculum includes general chemistry, organic chemistry with laboratory work, advanced organic chemistry, quantitative analysis or biophysical chemistry, physical chemistry, instrumental analysis, biology, physics, calculus, and statistics.
Forensic coursework covers forensic chemistry, crime scene investigation, forensic science applications, scientific writing, fire and explosion investigation, and the senior seminar. Instrumental analysis is especially relevant to laboratory roles because modern forensic chemistry relies on analytical methods rather than visual evidence inspection alone.
This route aligns most directly with controlled-substance analysis, chemical trace evidence, materials analysis, fire-debris examination, and broader laboratory criminalistics. It also provides a stronger basis for later toxicology study than the CSI concentration, although SJSU does not identify this as a dedicated forensic toxicology degree.
Students targeting criminalist classifications should pay close attention to the distribution of chemistry and biology credits on their final transcript. The concentration’s advanced chemistry sequence is useful preparation, but California employers can set specific semester-unit and laboratory requirements. A degree called forensic science is not a substitute for those course-by-course requirements.
Like Biology, Chemistry requires careful prerequisite planning. General chemistry leads into organic and analytical coursework, while mathematics and physics support physical chemistry and instrumentation. Completing foundational science courses before transfer can reduce schedule conflicts and delayed graduation.
Digital Evidence concentration
The Digital Evidence concentration is a technical computing pathway, not a criminal justice degree with a single cybercrime class. Lower-division preparation combines forensic science with Java programming, data structures, computer architecture, discrete mathematics, calculus, physics, biology, and statistics.
Upper-division requirements include digital evidence courses, crime scene investigation, forensic science applications, algorithms, computer architecture, and a senior seminar. Recommended electives can extend into cybersecurity, databases, networking, technology, and additional forensic science topics. The curriculum also provides university elective space that can be used to build greater depth in one of these areas.
Its practical requirement follows the same three-unit structure as the other concentrations. The published roadmap also refers to applying to the Digital Forensics Laboratory during the senior year.
This concentration is aligned with digital evidence specialist, computer forensic examiner, cybercrime investigator, and related technical work. It is less appropriate for someone seeking wet-laboratory DNA or chemical analysis. Conversely, Biology and Chemistry do not provide the same foundation in programming, algorithms, and computer architecture.
Digital evidence work also differs from general cybersecurity. Cybersecurity programs often concentrate on protecting networks and information systems, while forensic examination focuses on identifying, preserving, recovering, analyzing, and explaining digital evidence. SJSU’s program connects computer science requirements with forensic evidence procedures, which is the relevant combination for examination-oriented roles.
SJSU lists other cybersecurity certificates and specializations, but its current materials do not identify those credentials as digital-forensics programs. The Digital Evidence concentration is the university’s named undergraduate forensic pathway in this field.
Crime Scene Investigation concentration
The Crime Scene Investigation concentration is the field-oriented option. Its Fall 2025 curriculum form includes crime scene investigation, forensic science applications, fingerprint science, crime-scene and evidence photography, expert-witness testimony, and additional evidence-focused courses. Students also complete nine units of CSI specialty electives.
Possible specialty areas include digital evidence, forensic chemistry, forensic criminology, firearm and toolmark analysis, and fire and explosion investigation. Foundational requirements still include biology, introductory chemistry, physics, calculus, statistics, and photography. The concentration is therefore more scientifically grounded than a general criminal justice program, but it does not reach the advanced chemistry or molecular biology depth of SJSU’s laboratory concentrations.
The curriculum fits field and evidence-support positions such as crime scene investigator, crime scene technician, evidence technician, latent-print worker, and forensic photographer. Job titles are not standardized across California. One agency may employ civilian crime scene specialists, while another may assign comparable duties to sworn personnel. Some evidence positions emphasize property-room procedures, while others involve extensive scene response and technical documentation.
SJSU itself distinguishes this field pathway from crime-laboratory preparation. Biology and Chemistry are the stronger choices for DNA, chemical analysis, toxicology preparation, or general criminalist work. Digital Evidence is the technical route for computer and device examination.
Admission capacity is a major limitation. The CSI concentration is active, but the department reports that it is impacted and accepts very limited numbers of new students. Meeting the prerequisite and GPA thresholds does not secure a place because eligible applicants are ranked against available capacity.
Applicants interested in both field investigation and laboratory work may gain more career range from Biology or Chemistry. Those concentrations include CSI coursework while preserving advanced science preparation. The CSI concentration is more specialized around scene documentation, evidence recovery, fingerprints, photography, and courtroom presentation.
Forensic Studies minor
The Forensic Studies minor is a 15-unit undergraduate credential. It requires FS 11, Crime Scene Investigation, and Forensic Science Applications, followed by six units of approved electives.
Elective options can include upper-division forensic science, forensic osteology, forensic anthropology, forensic accounting, photography, ethics or philosophy of science, psychopathology, neuroscience, and psychology in the courtroom. This interdisciplinary range lets students connect forensic methods with their primary major.
The minor is primarily CSI-oriented and does not contain the heavy chemistry and biology sequences found in the Forensic Science BS. It can supplement Justice Studies, biology, chemistry, anthropology, photography, nursing, engineering, computer science, or another field, but it is not laboratory criminalistics preparation by itself.
A Justice Studies major paired with this minor can support applications for some crime-scene or evidence positions. The resulting curriculum remains different from the Forensic Science BS, especially for employers that require extensive natural science coursework.
FS 11 is the prerequisite for upper-division forensic science courses. Students must formally declare the minor to enroll in certain advanced classes, and at least 12 of the 15 minor units must be unique from the major. The department permits up to three units to overlap.
SJSU also offers isolated forensic electives outside this minor and BS. Anthropology students, for example, can study human osteology, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology. The Anthropology BA is still a general anthropology degree without a named forensic concentration. The Applied Anthropology MA can support work involving bioarchaeology or forensic anthropology, but SJSU presents those as areas of application rather than a formal graduate concentration.
Admission and change-of-major requirements
Justice Studies programs at SJSU are impacted. Current SJSU students can apply to change majors during the department’s stated application periods, currently March 1 through March 15 and October 15 through October 31.
Applicants to the Biology, Chemistry, or Digital Evidence concentrations generally need:
- At least a 3.0 overall GPA
- FS 11 with a grade of C or better
- Statistics with a grade of C or better
- CHEM 1A or BIOL 30 for Biology and Chemistry applicants
- FS 12 for Digital Evidence applicants
The CSI concentration also uses FS 12 as its concentration-specific support course, but its limited capacity makes admission significantly more restrictive. Applications are ranked by GPA and available space.
All required major courses, including approved major electives, must be completed with C or better. Chemistry prerequisites require a C or better rather than a C-minus.
These rules describe current internal change-of-major criteria. First-year and transfer admission are also subject to university and impacted-major processes.
Transfer planning
SJSU advises community college students to complete as many lower-division major requirements as possible before transfer. This guidance has practical consequences for every concentration.
Biology and Chemistry students should prioritize articulated sequences in:
- General biology
- General chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Physics
- Calculus
- Statistics
Digital Evidence students need early progress in:
- Programming
- Data structures
- Computer architecture
- Discrete mathematics
- Calculus
- Physics
- Biology
- Statistics
CSI students can benefit from completing introductory chemistry, biology, physics, calculus, statistics, and transferable photography coursework where articulated.
Science and computer science sequences are cumulative. Arriving with only general education completed can leave several prerequisite layers between a transfer student and upper-division forensic coursework. The official SJSU transfer planning guide organizes preparation by concentration and is more useful than treating the four concentrations as one generic major.
Transfer students should plan around their intended concentration from the beginning. Switching from CSI to Chemistry late in the degree can add organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, physics, and mathematics requirements that were not part of the earlier schedule. A late move into Digital Evidence can create a similar problem with programming and computer science prerequisites.
Practical training and laboratory experience
Each BS concentration requires three units of approved practical experience. Available routes include an internship, research, publication-related work, individual study, or directed study. This structure gives students more than one way to complete the requirement, but it also means graduates will not all have identical external internship histories.
The Department of Justice Studies reports relationships with local crime laboratories, the Santa Clara County District Attorney Crime Lab, the coroner’s office, and law-enforcement agencies. Faculty laboratory research can provide another form of applied experience.
The type of experience matters for career preparation. A Biology student targeting DNA analysis benefits from laboratory work involving molecular methods, biological samples, quality procedures, and scientific documentation. Chemistry students benefit from instrumentation and analytical methods. Digital Evidence students need experience with evidence preservation, forensic software, storage media, and defensible examination procedures. CSI students gain more from scene documentation, photography, fingerprints, evidence packaging, and report writing.
Accreditation
San José State University is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Its latest reaffirmation occurred in 2022.
SJSU states that each Forensic Science BS concentration meets educational standards established by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission. However, SJSU does not appear in the current AAFS directory of FEPAC-accredited programs.
The accurate description is that SJSU says its curricula meet FEPAC educational standards. The programs are not currently listed as FEPAC-accredited.
FEPAC is programmatic accreditation for eligible bachelor’s and master’s programs in forensic science or related natural and computer sciences with forensic concentrations. It is separate from SJSU’s university-wide WSCUC accreditation. FEPAC also does not accredit an undergraduate minor such as Forensic Studies.
Tuition and estimated attendance costs
For the 2026-2027 academic year, SJSU lists $9,553 in undergraduate tuition and mandatory institutional fees. This figure is not the total price of attendance and is not a four-year program estimate.
The university’s annual undergraduate cost-of-attendance budgets are:
- Living with parents: $27,483
- Campus housing: $37,735
- Off-campus housing: $38,137
These estimates include indirect expenses in addition to tuition and required fees. Books and supplies are budgeted at $1,004 for the academic year. Nonresident undergraduates pay an additional $471 per unit.
Laboratory supplies, photography equipment, software, or other course materials can create additional expenses depending on concentration and course selection. SJSU does not publish a separate total price for each forensic concentration.
Choosing among the SJSU options
Career direction should drive the concentration decision.
Choose Biology for forensic DNA, serology, biological evidence, and laboratory positions requiring substantial biology and chemistry. Its molecular and genotyping content provides the closest alignment with forensic biology work.
Choose Chemistry for controlled substances, chemical trace evidence, instrumentation, fire debris, materials analysis, and broader laboratory criminalistics. It has SJSU’s deepest chemistry curriculum.
Choose Digital Evidence for computer forensic examination, digital evidence recovery, cybercrime investigation, and technical evidence roles. Its programming, algorithms, computer architecture, and discrete mathematics requirements separate it from general cybercrime coursework.
Choose Crime Scene Investigation for scene processing, evidence documentation, fingerprints, forensic photography, and field investigation. Admission is highly constrained, and the curriculum is not the preferred SJSU route into crime-laboratory analysis.
Use the Forensic Studies minor to add CSI and evidence coursework to another major. It can strengthen a related degree, especially when the primary major already supplies useful science, computing, anthropology, photography, or justice preparation. It does not replace the advanced science required for many criminalist and laboratory analyst positions.
Applicants who want both field flexibility and laboratory eligibility should give close attention to Biology and Chemistry. Those concentrations retain crime-scene coursework while providing more advanced natural science than the CSI concentration. Students committed to field documentation and evidence recovery can pursue the CSI curriculum, but its restricted capacity should be built into the academic plan from the outset.