Students: International Students / Students with International Transcripts

Overview | MS Degree | Certificate | Non-degree | Readmissions

University of Florida Online Forensic Science Program

International Student/Students with International Transcripts

Student Status Options

Enrollment Options

Qualified students can begin quickly by registering now as a non-degree student. The application process for a certificate or master’s can be completed for a future semester.

Applications

All applications can be found at www.forensicscience.ufl.edu under the heading of “Apply.”  Application fees are not required for the nondegree option.  If applying for the nondegree option, please fill out the application and fax it to 352-392-6950.  The residency declaration page is always required regardless of a student’s physical location.

A $30 (in U.S. funds only) application fee is required for the Certificate and Masters program applications.  Along with the application, send a check or money order (made payable to the University of Florida) with your application.  If you are applying online to the MS program, you may pay the application fee online with a credit card.

Nondegree

Minimum requirements for acceptance:

Up to 6 credit hours of coursework may be taken for non-degree credit, without formal admission to graduate study. These courses may be counted toward the forensic science certificate or Master's program should the student subsequently be enrolled as a graduate student at UF.  If a student registers for three credits during a particular term as a non-degree student and wishes to attend another term for three credits, a new non-degree application is required. The non-degree application only pertains to the term in which it is submitted only.

The nondegree option is available for students who would like to experience graduate level classes while making a decision of which program to choose, or a person who would like to broaden their knowledge base of forensic sciences to enhance their professional development.

For the non-degree student, grades will be given and held on a transcript, but will not be counted toward a certificate or degree at the University of Florida until full admission to the certificate or degree program is granted. At that time, any credits accumulated in this status, where the student earned a “B” grade or better and the course(s) taken count toward the program in which they were accepted, will be petitioned to count toward the program the student was accepted into.

Enrollment in a course as a non-degree student does not guarantee acceptance into the Certificate or MS program. Students need to meet the entrance requirements listed below for the program they wish to enter.

Certificate

Minimum requirements for acceptance:

To take all 15 credits of the Forensic Toxicology, Forensic Drug Chemistry, Forensic Serology and DNA, or Forensic Death Investigation certificate program, participants must be registered as post baccalaureate students with the UF College administering the program. Six credits of non-degree certificate courses can be applied toward a certificate program. Coursework from other universities cannot be accepted towards a certificate.  Not more than fifteen credits will be accepted towards the transfer of credits to the Master's program.  In order for the credits to be transferred to the MS degree, the following criteria have to be met:

On successful completion of their program, students will receive a University of Florida Certificate in their chosen specialty.

Students wishing to subsequently pursue a masters degree at the University of Florida will then have to apply for admission to the graduate school and take the GRE exam.  Once accepted as a masters student, we would petition the graduate school to accept the 15-credit certificate toward the requirements of the MS degree. No more than fifteen credits will be accepted towards the transfer of credits to the masters program.

The transcript requirements for students who received their degrees outside the United States are as follows:

**Attach official original transcript credentials showing the dates of enrollment and coursework taken (sealed from the University) with degrees diploma in the original language, accompanied by an English translation (if not in English) from the each institution attended to your application.  If you cannot get the originating school to send the documents, you may send your original transcript and diploma certificate to us.  We can send the original documents back to you if you require it (but, you will need to let us know in advance.) Please note: Credential evaluation reports prepared by private agencies cannot be submitted in place of transcripts; the university requires official academic credentials.

Mail the package to the Forensic Science Program office:

Forensic Science Program
Attn. Jo Pilkinton
Bldg 471 Mowry Road
Room 16
Gainesville, Florida, 32611

Masters

Minimum requirements for acceptance:

  1. A baccalaureate degree equivalent to a U.S. four-year degree in a science subject from an accredited institution.
  2. If your Bachelors degree is not in a science subject, please email Program Assistant Nancy Toffolo at ntoffolo@ufl.edu.
  3. An upper-division (last 60 hours) bachelors degree GPA of 3.0 (B grade) or better
  4. All applicants are required to take the GRE entrance exam and receive a minimum cumulative score of 1000 from verbal and quantitative sections of the general GRE exam. To see where you can take this in your area please visit the exam's site: http://www.gre.org/ttindex.html
    GRE exemption: If you already have earned a graduate or professional degree from an accredited university in the U.S. do not need to retake the GRE to apply for admission to the University of Florida.
  5. A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based, 213 on the computer-based, or 80 on the internet TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) for a person whose native language is not English or for an applicant who graduated with a Bachelor's degree from a non-English speaking country. You can see locations for the TOEFL exam at their site (http://toefl.ets.org/intro.cfm)
  6. A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based, 213 on the computer-based, or 80 on the internet TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) for a person whose native language is not English or for an applicant who graduated with a Bachelor's degree from a non-English speaking country. You can see locations for the TOEFL exam at their site (http://toefl.ets.org/intro.cfm)
    TOEFL Exemption will be granted if you have completed one academic year of study at a recognized/regionally accredited university or college in a country where English is the official language (this does not include intensive English language programs), OR If you are from or received your degree from one of the following countries: Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, India, Ireland, Islas Malvinas, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Kitts and Nevi, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Virgin Islands, Western Samoa and Zimbabwe.
  7. Transcripts are also required and are outlined above under “Certificate.” **