Message from the Chair

The Forensic Program at Trent University was established in 2004 and is now running at full capacity, with a total of approximately 250 students. Students have graduated from the program with a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science (B.Sc.F.S.), and have gone on to work with the Ontario Provincial Police, Lakefield Research, Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Justice, Canada Border Services, Ministry of Natural Resources, and  Patheon. Other students have chosen to continue their education through graduate programs in biology, anthropology, medicine, and chemistry.

Our graduating students have been so successful because we provide a combination of strong academic research at Trent with experienced practitioners from the justice community, which enhances the academic experience of our students through courses such as Police Powers, Introduction to Canadian Justice, and Criminology. This combination provides a curriculum that goes beyond a traditional “textbook” education, making Trent an exciting environment in which to train in the increasingly expanding field of forensic science.

In addition, our placement course immerses our Forensic Science students in real work environments such as pathology departments, OPP units, law offices, veterinary hospitals, environmental labs, and penitentiaries, allowing them to establish a professional network that will serve them through their future career development. By fourth year, thesis students conduct high-quality research projects in areas such as forensic entomology, microbiology, blood spatter analysis, conservation genetics, and forensic psychology. Some of these projects are done in collaboration with external agencies such as the RCMP Research Division, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Peterborough Regional Forensic Nursing Unit.

We have a permanent crime scene house, used by both undergraduates who are taking courses on how to process evidence at the scene of a crime, and by research students.

We now offer a joint majors degree in forensic science, in which students can combine a major in forensics with a major of their choosing. The forensic component of this joint degree will be less intensive than it is in the B.Sc.F.S. program, but will give students more flexibility to focus on a combination of subjects. For example, students will have the opportunity to partner a forensics major with a major in psychology, anthropology, political studies, environmental studies, computer science, or biology.

The Forensic Science Program at Trent has a reputation for excellence and is becoming renowned for its novel approaches to interdisciplinary study.  

Dr. Joanna Freeland
Associate Professor
Chair, Forensic Science Program