Chloe Watkins, a criminal justice transfer track student, was one of the first students to enroll in the forensics program.
The new criminal justice lab will offer fingerprinting technology, microscopes, hands-on tools and a mock crime scene.
ACM EXPANDS CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM OFFERINGS
CUMBERLAND, Md. (June 8, 2021) – Allegany College of Maryland will offer a forensics area of concentration degree and a certificate through its criminal justice program. Prospective students may enroll now for the fall semester.
The 60-credit transfer track program broadly prepares students for further study in criminal investigation and forensics, eventually leading to careers as crime scene investigators or detectives. Students will have the opportunity to take specialized courses in criminal investigation, basic forensics, and forensics photography. Successful program completion qualifies a student to apply for an associate of science degree in criminal justice transfer with an area of concentration in forensics. The36-credit certificate program in forensics is designed for those already employed in the criminal justice industry or those interested in learning more about criminal justice and forensics.
Chloe Watkins, a third-semester criminal justice transfer major, enrolled in the forensics area of concentration degree program after an excruciating wait. “I waited a whole year for this, and constantly asked [Associate] Professor Hoover about the program,” said Watkins. “I want to learn how to do processing and collecting, so I can eventually become a crime scene investigator or crime lab analyst.”
She was one of the first students to visit the new criminal justice lab in the college’s renovated Tech Building. The lab includes fingerprinting technology, microscopes, a mock crime scene and additional hands-on tools of the criminal investigation trade. Students will also have the opportunity to use the criminal justice/legal studies courtroom for practice in giving testimony and making statements in court.
Not interested in a big university setting, Watkins chose ACM after graduating from Fort Hill High School in 2020 and has excelled in online courses. “The instructors are incredibly responsive, but I’m excited to be in hands-on classes in the fall,” said Watkins. She first became interested in criminal investigations in seventh grade, thanks to procedural television shows like CSI and NCIS, and dramatic movies about serial killers and psychopaths. After graduating from ACM, she hopes to enter the Maryland State Police Academy before eventually earning her bachelor’s degree.
More information is available online at allegany.edu/criminal-justice/program-options. Prospective students may contact the Advising Center at Allegany College of Maryland at 301-784-5464. Brandon Hoover, program director, may be reached via email at bhoover5265@allegany.edu.
