Blog Challenge #1

A potential career for me would me medical examining. I want to become a medical examiner because I enjoy learning about the body and all the functions the body has. I also like to figure things out, like putting the pieces of a puzzle together which is what a medical examiner does. I enjoy figuring out problems and making challenges for myself to over come and get to the bottom of a situation. I also like to help other people out, which is sort of what a medical examiner does, they figure out how someone has died to let the investigators and family know so the person can then be put to rest and all questions can then be answered.

Carlow University- Biology Major: Autopsy Specialist
     Carlow University is located in Pittsburgh, PA on the Main Oakland Campus. The program that they offer is a biology major as an autopsy specialist with a bachelor of science degree. The program offers the only autopsy specialist concentration in the country with a bachelor of science in biology. It gives the students the opportunity to study with pathologists who perform in state-of-the-art science labs. The campus is also surrounded by many hospitals where students have the opportunity to study. The program is a total of 4 years, but the students are required to complete courses designed to prepare the students for a career as an autopsy specialist and forensic investigator. Carlow requires a minimum of 3.0 GPA at the end of the students sophomore year in order to attend the courses required for their junior year. The total amount of credits for the course requirements is 120.0 credits. Some of the required courses for an undergraduate are; 4 credits of fundamental organismal biology, 4 credits of fundamental of mol cell biology, 4 credits of genetics, 4 credits of general ecology, 2 credits of junior seminar, ect.

Penn State University- Forensic Science
     Penn State University is located on Old Main, University Park, PA and offers a forensic science course and is a 4 year program. The program introduces students  to topics in criminal forensic chemistry, forensic biology, crime scene investigation, and social sciences. The students are taught forensic sciences in the criminal justice field, the analysis of scientific evidence, and evidence presented in court. Graduate students in this major can pursue a job as a scientist in a federal, state, or private forensic lab or with insurance companies, homeland security agencies, or the judicial community. Graduate students can also pursue an advanced degree in forensic science, medicine, psychology, anthropology, pathology, odontology, toxicology, law, or the general sciences. For a student to be eligible to take the forensic science major, they must have a 2.0 GPA, completed CHEM 110 GN, completed CHEM 111 GN, CHEM 112 GN, FRNSC 210, MATH 140 GQ, and earned a C or better in each of the courses.

Michigan State University- Forensic Anthropology
     Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan. The program focuses on the skeletal analysis, human identification, trauma, and evidence recovery. Michigan State's school of Criminal Justice offers the forensic program, and also offers the students modern research and teaching forensic labs in the country. In the Chemistry Building at Michigan State, the forensic lab contains state-of-the-art equipment that included GC/MS, FTIR, capillary electrophoreses, HPLC, fluorescence spectrophotometer, and polarized light microscopy. The DNA labs contain PCR and genetic analysis equipment, electrophoresis equipment, digital photography equipment, and multiple thermocyclers. The forensic anthropology labs contain bench space for osteological exams, a stereozoom microscope, an image superimposition center, and a GE portable X-ray unit. The lab headquarters is located near the MSU campus and the full-service lab is available as a source of research resources and internship placements. The program offers internship opportunities for forensic science students and gives them the chance to learn one-on-one how a crime lab works and many of the internships carry out research projects under the autopsies of laboratory personnel. The requirements to be accepted into MSU are a 3.4-3.9 GPA, a 23-28 ACT, and a 1040-1210 SAT. Students wanting to pursue a career in forensic science must go through 17 credits of forensic chemistry, 20 credits of forensic biology, 25 credits of forensic anthropology, 6 credits of master thesis research, attend 1 master seminar lecture per semester, and pass an oral exam in defense of the thesis.