CSTs are valuable members of a crime investigation team.
Traditionally, crime scene technicians (CSTs) have been sworn police officers -- and most still are. However, an increasing number of police departments are hiring qualified civilian CSTs, although they are generally not paid at as well or have the same career advancement opportunities. Some police departments require, or strongly prefer, CST applicants with a traditional four-year college degree in criminal justice or forensic science. It is wise to contact different police departments for their hiring requirements before choosing and investing in a CST certificate program.
Online Programs
Online programs are convienient but can be costly.
Online schools generally do not require students to have a college degree. Online schools offer CST certificate programs that include classes in crime scene investigation, legal foundations of criminal evidence, crime scene photography, fingerprint analysis, forensic chemistry and forensic biology. Programs average 44 credit hours, can take from 2 to 4 years to complete and can cost an average of $17,000.
Campus Programs
Campus programs have more hands-on training opportunities.
There are traditional campus programs, such as the Crime Scene Technology program at St. Petersburg College in Florida, that offer one-year certificate programs. These types of programs are open to those with or without a college degree. Courses in the St. Petersburg CST program are also applicable toward their Associate of Science degree in Crime Scene Technology. In addition to the standard CST courses, St. Petersburg offers courses in courtroom presentation of scientific evidence. Applicants are generally required to take a placement test and demonstrate college-level reading and writing skills. Online components can be available.
Postsecondary Education
Some certificate programs allow credits to be transferred toward a degree.
Postsecondary education programs, such as Texas State University's Lamar Institute of Technology, offers a certificate program called the Homeland Security with Crime Scene Technician Specialization that results in an Associate of Applied Science degree in crime scene technology. This type of program is generally for students who already have an undergraduate degree. This program requires a number of general education course requirements including math, sociology and microcomputer applications.
Officer Programs
Some certification programs are for existing police officers.
Some CST certificate programs are designed for police officers or other professional law enforcement professionals who want to be a certified specialist in crime scene investigation. For example, the University of Arkansas has a 6-month CST certificate program that consists of 6 fundamental courses, after which the student can apply for certification as a crime scene investigator through the International Association for Identification, the world's oldest and largest forensic professional association. The six courses are: crime scene photography, latent print processing, impression evidence, biological and trace evidence, crime scene sketching, note taking and report writing, and crime scene investigation.
Tags: crime scene, certificate program, certificate programs, college degree, crime scene investigation
