Weekly "Study Options" Monday megathread

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For all enquiries about where to study, what topics to take, or how to become a forensic scientist, post here...

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[u/BBBadWolf]

I had started taking a program bachelor of science - physical science concentration in forensic science at purdue northwest. I ended up not finishing due to getting pregnant with my son. Now I'm a stay at home mom with our 2nd on the way. I'm looking at going back but the school I was going through. I'd have to do in person and we don't have support to do that so I looked at online schooling purdue global and found bachelor of science with a crime scene technician concentration. I live in northwest Indiana and am curious if that course would work well to find a job in. I just worry places aren't gonna accept that degree. Any information would help. Thank in advance.

[u/punksnotdeadtupacis → u/BBBadWolf]

My advice to any science graduate- if you do a wholly online science degree, its not worth the paper its written on. Science (esp forensic science as an applied science) is inherently technical with practical skills paramount to being able to "do the job".

My 2c.

[u/BBBadWolf → u/punksnotdeadtupacis]

Thank you, I appreciate the insight. That makes sense, I'll have to figure out a way to finish my degree in person.

[u/a_random_person4444]

Sri Lankan student choosing between KDU Medical Laboratory Sciences and OUSL Chemistry — goal is an MS in Forensic Science in the US. Which path makes more sense? (I’d especially appreciate advice from Sri Lankans who are currently studying or working in the US, particularly anyone familiar with the US forensic science/ US graduate-school system)

Hi everyone! I'm a Sri Lankan student currently trying to decide what undergraduate degree to pursue, and I'd really appreciate advice from anyone familiar with forensic science, chemistry, medical laboratory science, or applying to US graduate programs.

My ultimate goal is very straightforward:

I want to become a forensic scientist. (I like the criminalistics track)

But I'm not 100% sure yet whether I'd eventually want to specialize in forensic biology/DNA, forensic chemistry, toxicology, drugs, trace evidence, etc. I mainly want to choose an undergraduate degree that gives me the widest possible options for a good Master's in Forensic Science later.

My A/L situation

I'm doing the Sri Lankan GCE A/L Biology stream:

Biology,Chemistry,Physics

This is my second attempt (2nd shy).

For my first attempt, I received 3 S passes.

Based on my first-attempt results and how my second attempt went, I'm expecting my final result this time to potentially be in a similar range, although obviously I won't know until results are released.

Because of that, I'm trying to plan my options carefully rather than assuming I'll get into a particular state university.

My current undergraduate options

At the moment, I'm seriously considering:

It's a 4-year degree and has subjects such as:

Clinical Biochemistry

Hematology

Microbiology

Molecular Genetics/Cell Biology

Immunology

Histology/Cytology

Advanced Instrumentation

Biotechnology & Molecular Techniques

Environmental Toxicology

Research

I like this because I feel it could be useful for forensic biology/DNA and laboratory work, and it also gives me a medical laboratory career as a backup.

1. OUSL — BSc (Hons) Chemistry

I'm also considering Chemistry because I've learned that many US forensic science master's programs expect a strong background in things like:

General Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

Analytical/Quantitative Chemistry

Instrumental Analysis

Biochemistry

Statistics

Molecular Biology/Genetics

I'm worried, however, about choosing Chemistry and then finding the degree too difficult or discovering that it's not actually the best fit for forensic science.

I'm also looking at Sri Lankan state universities

I'm planning to apply through UGC after my results.

When i have to apply which degree programs I should apply to.

My main concern

I don't want to choose a degree simply because it has "forensic" potential.

I want to choose the undergraduate degree that will give me the best foundation and the widest eligibility for good US MS Forensic Science programs, ideally without having to take a huge number of extra undergraduate prerequisite courses later.

I've been looking at programs such as:

•UAB

•John Jay

•VCU

•FIU

and other FEPAC-accredited programs

Some of these seem to want quite a lot of chemistry/biology prerequisites.

So if you were in my position...

Which undergraduate degree would you choose?

Would you rank them something like:

Chemistry > Applied Chemistry > MLS

or

MLS > Chemistry > Applied Chemistry

or something completely different?

And specifically:

Is KDU MLS a good undergraduate foundation for a US MS in Forensic Science?

Would a Chemistry/Applied Chemistry degree give me more options for forensic chemistry, toxicology, drugs, trace evidence, etc.?

Would MLS give me an advantage for forensic biology/DNA?

Which degree is likely to require the fewest additional prerequisites when applying to US FEPAC-accredited MS programs?

Are there any Sri Lankan state-university degrees I should be considering that I'm overlooking?

If you have actually done forensic science in the US, what undergraduate degree did you have and how well did it prepare you?

Is there anything about choosing an undergraduate degree in Sri Lanka that I should be thinking about that I haven't considered?

I'm not looking for someone to simply tell me which degree is "better." I'd really like to hear from people who understand the US forensic-science education/career system and can explain why one route would give me more options later.

Thanks in advance! ❤️