The Albany State University forensic science program received reaffirmation of accreditation through 2022 by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, making it the only FEPAC accredited program in the state of Georgia.
 
The Commission noted that the ASU Bachelor of Science degree in forensic science meets FEPAC’s rigorous principles of excellence, according to Zachariah Oommen, professor and director of the forensic science program.
 
“Students are trained according to the high standards set for accreditation,” Oommen said.
 
The program provides a premier experience for students. Learning environments are equipped with microscope technology and the program offers courtroom sessions for mock trial and testimony training. Students regularly participate in research activities and complete internship opportunities at crime laboratories.
 
“The accreditation and reaccreditation of our forensic science program speaks to the excellence of the program and the faculty delivering the program, said Dean of the College of Sciences and Technology, Joyce Johnson. “We have demonstrated that students who graduate from this program have met the program outcomes and are prepared to enter the workforce and meet the standards for practitioners in the field. I am extremely proud of the program and this continued national accreditation which is held by no other program in the state and few programs across the nation.”
 
The forensic science program recently received more than $600,000 in funding from the National Institute of Justice to conduct interdisciplinary forensic science research that relates to forensic detection. Research into microbiome, or genes of microorganisms in and on the body, may help link human touched objects to the identity of victims or suspects.
 
Reaffirmation of accreditation occurs every 5 years. The forensic science program was first accredited in 2007.