We get results
Data don’t lie—our students are successful. We’ve summed up student assessment data and other facts and figures on this page so you can see just what you can expect from our department.
B.S. program information as of 2021
3.2average GPA at graduation, Fall 2016–Summer 2021
89%of May 2021 graduates earned a dual degree and/or minor (usually chemistry or biology)
81%of May 2021 graduates earned a dual degree
>97%of Fall 2021 students are full-time
17%of Fall 2021 students are from out of state
80%of Fall 2021 students are female
>44%of students have an average grade of A– or better
M.S. program information as of 2021
65%average FSAT performance 2017–19 (includes nonthesis students)
3.7average GPA at graduation, Fall 2016–Summer 2021
8average class size, Fall 2016–Summer 2021
100%of graduates employed in a forensic lab or attending graduate/professional school 2017–19
B.S. student internships and employment
Internships
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
- Defense Forensic Science Center (DFRC)
- Indiana State Police (ISP)
- Indiana State Police Laboratory Division
- Indianapolis–Marion County Forensic Services Agency (IMCFSA)
- Marion County Prosecutor’s Office
- Marion County Coroner’s Office
- Evansville Police Department
- Evansville Police Crime Scene Unit
- Dubois County Sheriff’s Office
- Lake County Sheriff’s Department
- Maryland State Police Crime Laboratory
- Washington State Patrol
- Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (“The Body Farm”)
- Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.)
- Santa Clara County Department of Criminalistics
Employment
This is a sampling of some of the places our undergraduates are employed:
- Advanced Testing Labs (Indiana)
- Axis Forensic Toxicology (Indiana)
- Bode Cellmark Forensics (Virginia)
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA, Maryland)
- Dupage County Forensic Science Center (Illinois)
- Eli Lilly and Company (Indiana)
- FBI (Washington, D.C.)
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement (Florida)
- Fort Wayne Police Department (Indiana)
- Miami Vally Regional Crime Laboratory (Ohio)
- PepsiCo
- Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office (California)
- Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas)
- United States Drug Testing Laboratory (Illinois)
M.S. student employment
- Indiana State Police Laboratory (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Indiana State Department of Toxicology (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Texas Department of Public Safety (Austin, Texas)
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation (Denver, Colorado)
- Colorado Toxicology Lab (Denver, Colorado)
- Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Washington State Patrol Forensic Science Laboratory (Seattle, Washington)
- Sun King Brewery (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Defense Forensic Science Center (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Marion County Forensic Services Agency (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Bexar County Criminal Investigation Laboratory (San Antonio, Texas)
- AXIS Forensic Toxicology (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Rhode Island Department of Health (Providence, Rhode Island)
Student assessment data
| Status | Undergraduates (N=24) | Graduates (N=3) |
|---|---|---|
| Working in forensics | 33.3% | 66.7% |
| Working in a nonforensics lab | 20.8% | 0% |
| Graduate/professional school | 20.8% | 33.3% |
| Other employment | 4.2% | 0% |
| Other (internships or other experiential learning) | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployed or unknown | 20.8% | 0% |
| Number of years | 2016 (N=21) | 2017 (N=15) | 2018 (N=24) | 2019 (N=21) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <4 years (transfer) | 9.5% | N/A | 16.7% | 14.3% |
| 4 years | 66.7% | 73.3% | 62.5% | 52.4% |
| 5 years | 19.0% | 20.0% | 12.5% | 23.8% |
| 6 or more years | 4.8% | 6.7% | 8.3% | 9.5% |
For students who graduated in a particular year (May, August, or December), this table shows the percentage of that cohort that took fewer than four, four, five, or six or more years to complete their degree.
Student retention rates (1 year) for freshman students
| Students | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Number of incoming FIS students | 51 | 49 | 50 | 51 |
| Percent retained after one year | 92% | 83% | 80% | 76% |
| High-impact practice | Percent of students participating |
|---|---|
| Courses that include a service learning component | 67% |
| Culminating senior experience (capstone, senior project or thesis, comprehensive exam) | 60% |
| Internship, co-op, field experience, student teaching | 47% |
| Study abroad program | 20% |
| Faculty-mentored research project | 53% |