Forensic Science Students Sweep Top-Five in National Ranking

By schwartzsa | July 15, 2011

For the second time Arcadia University has had a Forensic Science graduate student rank #1 on the FSAT.  Sarah Keeling, who graduated in May from the Master of Forensic Science program, placed #1 on the FSAT. Arcadia also had four students place in the top five of which three were members of the Class of 2011 Forensic Science: Amy Nestlerode, Lauren Force, and Karen Marcucci. Emmi Slivka, a first-year student in the master’s program this past spring and part of the FMI program at the Foundation this summer also placed in the top five.

The FSAT measures knowledge in eight forensic categories: forensic biology, controlled substances, trace analysis, toxicology, latent prints, questioned documents, fire debris and firearms/tool-marks. It was developed by representatives of the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC), Forensic Educators Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC), Council of Forensic Science Educators (COFSE) and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) as a tool for academic program assessment.

“The success achieved by Arcadia students on this examination speaks to the high quality graduate level forensic science education and training provided in this program,” says Heather Mazzanti, Director of Forensic Science. “The Arcadia University Master of Science in Forensic Science program is nationally accredited by FEPAC of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). Arcadia University is one of only a select few institutions in the country to hold this accreditation which recognizes the high quality graduate forensic science curriculum offered through this program.”

The Master of Science in Forensic Science degree is offered by Arcadia University in partnership with the Center for Forensic Science Research & Education and in collaboration with NMS Labs, one of the nation’s premier ASCLD-LAB and ISO 17025 accredited forensic science laboratories.