Earn Your MS in Forensic Science at a Tier One Research University
UC Davis was founded in 1908 to serve the state of California and has become one of the world's top research universities. We received more than $1 billion in research funding in 2021-2022 and are ranked 2nd nationally among public universities.
This legacy of achievement and commitment to research is reflected in our master's program in forensic science. Founded in 2002, the Forensic Science Graduate Program provides high quality instruction and advanced, hands-on training in forensic science techniques and crime laboratory methodologies. Our graduates serve as forensic science leaders in local, state, federal and private crime labs.
Our career-focused, research-driven curriculum, highly-engaged faculty and outstanding professional reputation make UC Davis one of the best schools for earning your master's degree in forensic science.
UC Davis is ranked 9th nationally among public universities
UC Davis is ranked 11th best university in the nation, by value
Only Forensic Science Masters Program in the UC system
Only research-focused Masters in Forensic Science program in CA
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide exemplary forensic science education, developing in students the skills necessary for success in a science profession, including ethics, integrity, the ability to devise innovative methods and techniques, and the capacity to integrate new technology.
Our Vision
Our vision is to inspire new forensic scientists to search for the truth through science and shape the future of the field using new knowledge and innovation.
Our Goals
- Present innovative curriculum that blends theoretical concepts and real-world examples
- Develop critical thinking skills
- Publish innovative M.S. thesis research that advances the field of forensic science
- Instill the ethical and professional standards of forensic science in our graduates
- Mentor and prepare students for successful careers in forensic science
| Program Metrics | |
|---|---|
| Number of students in the program | 46* |
| DNA Track | 22 |
| Criminalistics Track | 24 |
| Number of Graduates | |
| 2024–25 (Fall 2024 & Winter 2025, Spring 2025 not yet reported) |
10 |
| 2023–24 | 16 |
| 2022–23 | 16 |
| *6 part-time students, 40 full-time students | |
| Year | Have Job/Job Offer | Admitted into an Advanced Degree Program | Other (New Graduates/On the Job Market/Alternative Path) | Unreachable or Did Not Respond | Number of Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2023 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2024 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 2025 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 22 |
| Total | 59 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 65 |
| Academic Year | Title or Topic of project / area of study | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 – Spring 2025 | Breath Alcohol Testing in the Age of Covid-19: Effects of Wearing a Mask on the Dissipation of Mouth Alcohol | Sac Co. DA’s Lab |
| Develop/Validate LC-MS/MS Method for Top 20 GC-MS Drugs and Potentially Other drugs not Currently Detected by GC-MS | Sac Co. DA’s Lab | |
| Develop/Validate Updated LC-MS/MS Method for Cannabinoids | Sac Co. DA’s Lab | |
| Chemical Analysis/Firearms/Toolmarks | San Fransisco PD | |
| Evaluation of Plant Drug Uptake through Absorption of Cannabinoids and Structural Analogues | Sac Co. DA’s Lab | |
| Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 | Limit of Detection Determination for Qualitative Analysis of Downstream Fire Debris Extracts | Sac Co. DA’s Lab |
| Expansion of LC-MS/MS Opiate Method | Sac Co. DA’s Lab | |
| Fiber Population Study | Sac Co. DA’s Lab | |
| Development of a Method to Detect Nitazenes in Postmortem Human Blood | Sac Co. DA’s Lab | |
| Fall 2022 – Spring 2023 | No internships | |
| Academic Year | Type of Experience | Title or Topic of project / area of study |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 – Spring 2025 (includes students who have successfully defended their thesis, through July 31, 2025) |
Research | Unlocking the Potential of Touch DNA on Firearms: Overcoming Challenges for Forensic Investigations |
| Research | Evaluation of Deconjugation Approaches for the Analysis of Phase II Metabolites in Equine Urine | |
| Research | Population and Characterization of Fibers in Soil at Various Depths | |
| Research | Do Sample Storage Conditions Affect Sample Integrity for DUI-Alcohol Analysis? | |
| Research | Prevalence of Barium and Aluminum Particles Consistent with Gunshot Residue in a Wide Variety of Ammunition | |
| Research | Analyzing Cat Blood Biomarkers Associated with Aging | |
| Research | Performance of Proteomic Sex Estimation by Amelogenin and Enamelin in the Arid Environments of Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley | |
| Research | Identification and Quantitation of Compounds in the Postmortem Blood of Illicit Drug Users Presenting to an Emergency Department | |
| Research | Development of Domesticated hands for Quantitative Analysis of DNA Transfer Pathways | |
| Research | Examination of Land and Groove Impressions with a Focus on Reproducibility, Consistency and Accuracy of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners | |
| Research | Tracing Nuclear and Cell-free Touch DNA from Skin Cells on Fired Cartridge Cases Using Domesticated and Wild Fingerprints | |
| Research | Establishing the Rate of Mitochondrial DNA Degradation in Environmentally Insulted Samples | |
| Research | Methylation-Dependent Age-Determination of Environmentally Damaged Samples Using qPCR | |
| Research | Using Microbial DNA to Track Saliva Across a Mock Crime Scene | |
| Research | Forensic DNA Recovery for Insect Identification: A New Strategy for the Recovery of DNA from Insects | |
| Research | The Occurrence of Evidentiary Blood Spatter: The Evaluation of Staged Crime Scenes Using Bloodstains | |
| Research | Critical Evaluation of Race Assignment | |
| Research | Instrumental Analyses Comparison for Correlating Glass Class Evidence to its Source | |
| Research | Toxicology/Bird Feathers | |
| Research | Evofinder, Creating Likelihood Ratios, Determining Error Rates in Forensic Firearm Examination | |
| Research | Recognition of Alphanumeric Characters Imprinted on Fired Cartridge Cases | |
| Research | Using Dental Proteomics to Provide Biological Profile Information from Unknown Human Individuals | |
| Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 | Research | Comparison Between DNA STR Typing and Salivary Proteomic Signatures on Human Bite Marks |
| Research | The Sequential Analysis of DNA Interpretation Methods Utilizing Various Probabilistic Genotyping Software Programs | |
| Research | The Qualitative Identification of Cardenolide-Containing Plant Toxins in Biological Matrices Using LC-MS/MS | |
| Research | TrueAllele® and STRmixTM: A Comparison of Two Probabilistic Genotyping Software Platforms | |
| Research | Development of an Extensive Analytical Method for the Detection of Novel Psychoactive Substances | |
| Research | Comparing Human Dust Retention and Fibrotic Sensitivity Between Different Textile Fibers | |
| Research | Qualitative Identification of Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogues by LC-MS/MS | |
| Research | Evaluating the Severity of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Exposure in Postmortem Cases Using Blood and Tissue Samples | |
| Research | Development of a Method to Detect Nitazenes in Blood Using LC-MS/MS | |
| Research | Cytochrome P450 2B6 Regulation by ATF5 and Its Implications in Drug Metabolism | |
| Research | Quantitative Analysis of Protein and DNA Present in Salivary Samples | |
| Research | Species Identification of Feathers Using Proteomic Methods | |
| Research | Determination of Variation in Forensic Ethanol Values After Storage Under Various Conditions | |
| Research | Method Validation of a HS-GC-FID-MS for the Analysis of Blood Alcohol Content | |
| Research | Limit of detection determination for qualitative analysis of downstream fire debris extracts | |
| Internship | Species Identification of Feathers Using Proteomic Methods | |
| Research | DNA Allele Frequencies and other Forensic Parameters in Understudied Populations | |
| Fall 2022-Spring 2023 | Research | Development of a Liquid Chromatography Tandem-Mass Spectrometry Method for the Detection of Novel Psychoactive Substances |
| Research | Immune cell longevity and impact on microbial diversity in dental calculus samples | |
| Research | The Effects of Cycloheximide, Cell Suspension, and Drying Time on the Isolation and Detection of RNA in Touch Samples | |
| Research | Protein Modification and Genetically Variant Peptide Detection in Human Hair | |
| Research | Comparison of Salivary Proteome Signatures With and Without Smoking History | |
| Research | A Study of Trace Textile Fiber Populations on Public Transportation Seating | |
| Research | Proteomic Signatures in Different Archeological Burial Environments | |
| Research | Determining the Frequency of Occurrence of Certain Textile Fibers in Residential Dust | |
| Research | Detection of Phosphorothioated Oligonucleotide Therapies in Biological Matrices | |
| Research | Detection of Anabolic Steroid Metabolites in Equine Urine Using LC-MS/MS | |
| Research | DNA Loss as a Result of Concentration Via Evaporation in Low Template DNA Samples | |
| Research | Proteomic Analysis of Dental Calculus Highlighting Dietary Markers in Ancient Populations | |
| Research | Proteomic Analysis of Dental Calculus Highlighting Disease Markers in Ancient Populations |