M.Sc in Forensic Science Course, Admission, Syllabus, Jobs and Salary, 2024

M.Sc. in Forensic Sciences

M.Sc. in Forensic Sciences is a two-year full-time post-graduate course that is divided into 4 semesters. Forensics is a method used to determine what happened before, during, and after a crime. Students can choose to focus on one area of forensics, such as Biology or Cyber Security, relevant to the sort of criminal activity to the detect. The course may also involve an advanced study of Psychology for the understanding a criminal’s mind.

Risk analysis is a major skill taught in the forensics program, which students can apply both in life & job. Some other skills needed in the eligible candidates for the degree would be attention-to-detail & critical thinking, analytical observation, and an eye for detail, which are useful in the every facet of life. These skills help students solve problems, critically analyzing and the many consequences of a single act.

The degree prepares students to detect dicey situations where a crime may be occur, such as cyber security, towards preventing digital attacks before they can happen. Even handwriting-analysis can be used in marital counseling &  to help someone choose a career path.

Also, the course aims at the developing:

Candidates’ knowledge and understanding of the advanced laboratory analytical methods applied to the forensic investigation.

Ability to choose the most appropriate analytical techniques for the  forensic investigation

Ability to use a wide range of advanced analytic apparatus to the evidential standards.

The average annual course fee in India ranges between INR 26,000 and 2 lacs, depending upon the institute offering the degree. The average annual salary offered in India to successful postgraduates of the course ranges between INR 2 and 8 lacs, depending upon the candidate’s expertise in the field.

Some popular television shows also hire forensics experts to the craft believable scenes & situations. There are multiple universities & colleges offering Forensic Science degrees. The course prepares candidates for professional roles in Forensic Science, such as police or forensic practice, the criminal or civil judicial system or research. They can develop command, control, & management skills that will enable them to present expert evidential incident reports to the court of law.

Course Level      Post Graduate

Duration              two years

Exam Type          Semester system

Eligibility               Bachelor’s degree in science or equivalent qualification

Admission Process          Counselling after qualification of entrance exam

Course Fee         INR 25,000 to 2 lacs

Average Starting Salary INR 4 to 10 lacs

 

M.Sc. in Forensic Sciences: What is it About?

M.Sc. in Forensic Science is designed for both graduate students and forensic practitioners. The course aims to build in students both and theoretical knowledge and practical application of the key aspects of forensic science. Enrolled students are the initially taught the fundamentals of Forensic Biology & Forensic Chemistry that underpin much of the laboratory analysis associated with a forensic investigations. 

Subsequently, the recovery & processing of a variety of evidence types found at crime scenes are studied in detail, as is the evaluation & presentation of that evidence in legal contexts. The degree affords students access to extensive modern facilities with state-of-the-art facilities ,& laboratories. Upon completion of the course, students are needed to undertake a research project towards developing research skills in a diverse range of projects, both within the university, & through external placements.

Eligibility for M.Sc. in the Forensic Sciences

Minimum eligibility criteria for M.Sc. in the  Forensic Science course may vary across institutes. Primarily, the criteria include: 

Bachelor’s degree in science/ engineering / pharmacy/ medicine, obtained from a recognized university.

A minimum aggregate score of 65% at the level of graduation.

M.Sc. in the Forensic Sciences: Admission Process

The merit list for admission to the course is usually prepared on the basis of the applicant's performance in a relevant qualifying examination and entrance examination. General weightage is given to both the score obtained in the entrance examination, and to the score obtained in the last qualifying examination.

Top Institutes Offering M.Sc. in the  Forensic Sciences

 Some of the top institutes offering the course in the country with the corresponding locations &  fees charged by the respective colleges are listed below.

The round of written test is often followed by subsequent rounds of Group Discussion and Personal Interview

  • Lovely Professional University
  • Lovely Professional University
  • SGT University
  • Amity University
  • Chandigarh University
  • Galgotias University
  • Gujarat University
  • GD Goenka University
  • Banaras Hindu University
  • Maharshi Dayanand University
  • Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University
  • Maharaja Agrasen University
  • Kurukshetra University 

Syllabus & Subjects for M.Sc in Forensic Science

M.Sc in Forensic Science duration is two years with in four semesters. The colleges for M.Sc Forensic Science in the India have syllabus and subjects are designed with the objective of investigation of artificial crime scenes by collecting, handling and analysis of  evidence for the purpose of criminal investigations. In the colleges for M.Sc Forensic Science students are equipped with the knowledge of the analyzing, identifying suspects through items found on crime locations & gives them an in-depth understanding of forensic science principles, its policing, and criminal and investigation through teaching & research. Some of the main subjects are given below for you to examine:

  • Forensic physics, chemistry, ballistics
  • Forensic photography, document exam and fingerprint analysis
  • Forensic biology, serology & DNA profiling
  • Forensic toxicology & pharmacology 

M.Sc. in Forensic Sciences: Career Prospects

Forensic Toxicology, Forensic Biology, & Crime Scene Investigation have always had a career scope. Forensic Speech Science deal with analyzing voice samples using spectrogram, recording, & machines to help identify and the speaker. Some voice recordings are permissible as evidence in the court of law in anti-corruption & other criminal offences. The ability to  thework with experts from other allied fields like Social Science, Psychology, and Statistics is a must, since job profiles largely depend on one’s area of specialisation. Such postgraduates work in both government & private agencies, hospitals and laboratories.

Many corporates hire such postgraduates as document experts, & in areas such as:

Anti-terrorist operations

Protection of human rights and the environment

Mass disaster management

Cyber-crime & investigation

Consumer & intellectual property rights.

Fee Structure for M.Sc in Forensic Science

The M.Sc in Forensic Science fees for various colleges offering M.Sc in Forensic Science in India is around INR 20,000 – 4 LPA while it would be lower for government colleges offering M.Sc Forensic Science. The program fees may vary based on the type of institute, location, infrastructure, faculties, & facilities available. 

M.Sc Forensic Science Fee Structure

  • Amity University, Noida
  • SGT University, Gurgaon
  • Chandigarh University, Chandigarh
  • Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar 

Why Choose M.Sc in Forensic Science?

Students often wonder about M.Sc in Forensic Science details before choosing the program. Before deciding on a career, student’s come across queries like, “What is M.Sc in Forensic Science?” & “Why choose M.Sc Forensic Science?”. To clearly understand answers to these questions, we are  framed the following three pointers: 

What is M.Sc in Forensic Science?

M.Sc in Forensic Science is a two-year-long full-time postgraduate course that deals with the investigation of the artificial crime scenes by collecting, handling and analysis of the evidence for the purpose of the criminal investigations. Students are equipped with the knowledge of the analyzing, identifying suspects through items found on crime locations and gives them an in-depth understanding of the forensic science principles, its policing, and criminal investigation through teaching and research.M.Sc Forensic Science course details mention that students are equipped with the knowledge of the

analyzing, identifying suspects through items found on crime locations and gives them an in-depth understanding of the forensic science principles, its policing, and criminal investigation through teaching and research.  The main objective of the M.Sc Forensic Science colleges in India are to make the students into dependable & reliable forces in the field of crime detection. The course provides students with the ability to the apply cutting edge knowledge, methods, skills, and technologies in the crime scenes. The course is further divided into many specializations that students can be choose from, depending on their subjects & areas of interest.

Salary of a M.Sc in the  Forensic Science

The average salary for an M.Sc in Forensic Science graduate is the around INR 3-5LPA (Source: PayScale) which would increase with the experience and skills. M.Sc in Forensic Science graduates can work as Secret Services Officers, Police Officers, Forensic Laboratories Assistants, Armed Forces, and Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation Officers, Government College or University Teacher, Income Tax and Department in different private and public sector industries in addition to researcher and academicians, private colleges or the universities etc. Therefore, this course offers ample opportunities to the students both in terms of job and higher education.

Benefits of an M.Sc in Forensic Science are:-

The M.Sc in Forensic Science program will add to the qualifications of the BSc graduates, thus improving their chances of getting hired. Such postgraduates are lucratively hired in secret services, police departments, private hospitals, forensic laboratories,and investigation departments etc, law experts, etc. Some of the vacancies offered to graduates are:

  • Investigation Departments
  • Law Experts
  • Private & Public Hospitals
  • Forensic Laboratories
  • Police Departments
  • Central Bureau of Investigation
  • Secret Services