Forensic Science Certificate Now Offered to High School Students, Forensic Summer Camp Scheduled

Surry Community College's Forensic Science certificate will be offered to high school juniors and seniors through the dual-enrollment, tuition-free Career and College Promise program beginning Fall 2019. Students can get a sneak peak of the certificate program during a July summer camp.

“The Forensic Science certificate will teach students how to properly handle crime scenes and process different types of evidence, ” said SCC Forensic Science Instructor Denise Sizemore.

Six classes taken over a year earns students a Forensic Science certificate within the Criminal Justice Concentration (CJC). Three classes are taken in the fall, with the rest taken in the spring.

The 18-hour certificate includes the following classes: CJC 115 Crime Scene Photography, CJC 146 Trace Evidence, CJC 245 Friction Ridge Analysis, CJC 144 Crime Scene Processing, CJC 222 Criminalistics and CJC 246 Advanced Friction Ridge Analysis.

The classes are taught at The Elkin Center where Surry Community College has a state-of-the-art Forensic Science Laboratory. The program was previously called Latent Evidence, but has undergone a name change to Forensic Science. Students can also choose to obtain a degree in Forensic Science by taking more classes. Both the certificate and the degree are a part of the college's Criminal Justice Technology program.

Not only does the program teach students how to handle and maintain a crime scene and its evidence, program graduates will be able to conduct criminal investigations and assist in their successful prosecution in a criminal court while exhibiting ethical and professional behavior and work standards.

You can learn more about the program by going to www.surry.edu or contacting Sabra Long Matney, Public Services Division Chair, at longs@surry.edu or (336) 386-3276. Registration for fall semester classes is going on now. For more information or help with college application, financial aid or class registration, call (336) 386-3264 or email studentservices@surry.edu. The fall registration deadline is Aug. 2; classes start Aug. 15.

Students interested in the Forensic Science certificate can get a preview of the program during the Forensic Science Summer Camp, which will be held July 22 through July 25 from 9 a.m. to noon at SCC's Elkin Center, 1461 North Bridge Street, Elkin. Students should be rising eighth through tenth graders.

Campers will learn how to take fingerprints and mugshots, as well as identify tire marks and shoe prints. They will get to investigate staged situations while using their new knowledge to solve age appropriate crime scenes, and more.

For additional information and camp registration, please contact Kasey Martin, Coordinator of Student and Community Engagement, at martinkr@surry.edu or (336) 386-3468.