We get results
Data don’t lie—our students are successful. We’ve summed up student assessment data and other facts and figures on this page so you can see just what you can expect from our program.
B.S. program information as of 2024
3.2average GPA at graduation, for 2023-24 academic year
41%of graduates earned a dual degree
93%of students are full-time
28%of students are from out of state
81%of students are female
17%of FIS students are in the Honors College
15%of students have an average grade of A– or better
88%retention rate for fall
262full-time students currently in the FIS program
M.S. Thesis program information as of 2024
3.9average GPA at graduation, Fall 2019–Summer 2024
8average class size, Fall 2019–Summer 2024
100%of graduates employed in a forensic lab or attending graduate or professional school 2019–24
4full-time students in the MS Thesis FIS program
11full-time students in the MS Nonthesis FIS program
B.S. student internships and employment
Internships
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
- Defense Forensic Science Center (DFRC)
- Indiana State Police (ISP)
- Indiana State Police Laboratory Division
- Indianapolis–Marion County Forensic Services Agency (IMCFSA)
- Marion County Prosecutor’s Office
- Marion County Coroner’s Office
- Evansville Police Department
- Evansville Police Crime Scene Unit
- Dubois County Sheriff’s Office
- Lake County Sheriff’s Department
- Maryland State Police Crime Laboratory
- Washington State Patrol
- Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (“The Body Farm”)
- Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.)
- Santa Clara County Department of Criminalistics
- Kentucky State Police Crime Laboratory
- Johnson County Corrections (Indiana)
- IU Police Department
- The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE)
- Mishawaka Police Department (Indiana)
Employment
This is a sampling of some of the places our undergraduates are employed:
- Advanced Testing Labs (Indiana)
- Axis Forensic Toxicology (Indiana)
- Bode Cellmark Forensics (Virginia)
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA, Maryland)
- Dupage County Forensic Science Center (Illinois)
- Eli Lilly and Company (Indiana)
- FBI (Washington, D.C.)
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement (Florida)
- Fort Wayne Police Department (Indiana)
- Miami Vally Regional Crime Laboratory (Ohio)
- PepsiCo
- Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office (California)
- Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas)
- United States Drug Testing Laboratory (Illinois)
B.S. student capstone projects
Capstone Project
- A review of the use of nanoparticles for fingerprinting
- Analytical methods for detecting fentanyl adulteration in drugs
- Ocean acidification’s affect on cetaceans: understanding its impact on whale populations
- The use of virtual autopsies in medicolegal death investigations
- How does the examination of questioned documents differ from public perceptions?
- Dopamine receptors and psychopathy
- The analysis of pen ink evidence using Raman spectroscopy
- Applications and advancements in DNA profiling
- Beneath our feet: utilizing soil in criminal investigation
- Analysis of surface roughness using laser confocal microscopy
- Blood analysis and headspace GCMS
- How advancing forensic technology can aide in solving cold cases
- Correlations between growth hormone receptor gene and mandibular morphology
- Education models in science: enhancing forensic education
- Applications of familial DNA in homicide cases
- The CSI effect: common misconceptions and possible solutions
- Blood spatter analysis: reproducibility and consistency of currently used methods
- The use of artificial intelligence for facial approximations
- Ink and evidence: advancements in forensic tattoo analysis
- Follicle of doubt: questioning the true utility of hair analysis in criminal investigations
- Forensic hair analysis developments
- Analysis and detection of 3d printed firearms: an overall case study
- Is fingerprint analysis reliable?
- Conservation biology; habitat restoration ecology
- Automated web scraping tool for comprehensive GWAS results interpretation
- Integration of open-source DNA mixture deconvolution software for forensic genetics curriculum
- Undergraduate forensic microscopy and microcrystal testing of ions lab
- Masters thesis documentation
- Forensic microscopy reference kits
- Learning technology used to improve social belonging and connectedness
- Detection of urobilinoids in fly guts
- Matrix effects during the analysis of per/polyfluoroalkylsubstances (pfas) in blood
- Solid phase extraction coupled to paper spray MS
- Raman analysis of automobile paint
- Population genomics of insects
- Femoral and lumbovertebral strength and microarchitecture in the dp1yey and tcmac21 down syndrome mouse models
- Forensic pathology
- Appearance genetics
M.S. student employment
- Indiana State Police Laboratory (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Indiana State Department of Toxicology (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Texas Department of Public Safety (Austin, Texas)
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation (Denver, Colorado)
- Colorado Toxicology Lab (Denver, Colorado)
- Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Washington State Patrol Forensic Science Laboratory (Seattle, Washington)
- Sun King Brewery (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Defense Forensic Science Center (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Marion County Forensic Services Agency (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Bexar County Criminal Investigation Laboratory (San Antonio, Texas)
- AXIS Forensic Toxicology (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Rhode Island Department of Health (Providence, Rhode Island)
M.S. student thesis titles
The Detection and Identification of Explosives by Canines and Chemical Instrumentation
Utilization of blow flies (Phormia regina) as vertebrate resource diversity indicators
Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive and Paper Spray-Mass Spectrometry for the Recovery and Detection of Drugs of Abuse
Electrochemical characterization of common cutting agents found in illicit drugs
Screening and quantitation of volatiles from explosive initiators and plastic bonded explosives (PBX)
Using Phormia regina as a Sensor for the Transportation and Fate of Insensitive Munitions in the Environment
Characterization of SSR's in Phormia regina
Student assessment data
| Status | Undergraduates 2022-23 (N=31) | Undergraduates 2023-24 (N=28) | Graduates 2022-23 (N=2) | Graduates 2023-24 (N=3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working in forensics | 35.5% (11) | 7.1% (2) | 100% (2) | 66.6% (2) |
| Working in a nonforensics field | 29.0% (9) | 7.1% (2) | 0 | 0 |
| Graduate/professional school | 16.1% (5) | 17.9% (5) | 0 | 33.3% (1) |
| Seeking employment | 6.5% (2) | 17.9% (5) | 0 | 0 |
| Nonrespondent data | 12.9% (4) | 50% (14) | 0 | 0 |
Student retention rates
| Fall to Fall Student Retention | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| BS in FIS Program | 80% | 76.5% | 76.8% | 85.1% | 88.3% |
Number of Student Graduates
| Programs | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
| FEPAC Programs | |||
| BS in Forensic and Investigative Sciences Graduates | 38 | 30 | 28 |
| MS in Forensic and Investigative Sciences Graduates | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Other Programs | |||
| MS in Forensic and Investigative Sciences (nonthesis) Graduates | 9 | 7 | 10 |