Admission to the program is granted to undergraduates who have a bachelors in either forensics or behavioral science. Of course, you can enroll with a masters in either of these two as well, and provided you pass the qualifying exam, you can knock most of the first year of courses out of the way. This will allow you time to focus on your research, your exams and oral defense of your dissertation.
Unlike some other doctoral programs, this one leads only to a doctorate. It cannot and does not lead to a masters degree for those who complete the coursework but elect not to complete their research, or have research that does not pan out. This is certainly something to keep in mind, as there can be no payout whatsoever at the end of your four years if things go bad.
California State University, Fullerton
Certificate in Basic Understanding of Forensic Science - Cal State Fullerton
Cal State Fullerton offers an online forensic science certificate that shows a basic understanding in the underlying science and theories of forensic science. The online program is made up of six required courses totaling 57 hours of online lecture and discussion. In addition to the credit, you get 5.7 continuing education units out of it.
The course is primarily designed for police officers, private investigators, insurance employees, attorneys and fraud investigators. The program coordinator can give you more details, at 714-278-3123.
University of California Riverside
Forensic Investigation and Crime Analysis - UC Riverside
UC Riverside offers a one-year certificate program in crime scene investigation, focusing on criminal intelligence gathering and techniques for crime analysis. The course is open to anyone with a minimum age of 15, but don't let that throw you off. The courses offered are serious material, and will offer sound preparation for a career in forensic science.
The course runs the course of the quarters, starting in September and finishing up in June. In the first quarter, you learn the basics of crime scene management, how a criminal investigator analyzes facts at hand, and the variety of tools that exist for analyzing a crime scene on a computer. During this first term, you choose two electives in blood stain pattern analysis, geographic information systems (GIS, or computer mapping software), forensic document and handwriting analysis, and organizational behavior.