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Criminal JusticeDegrees

Catawba Valley Community College · School of Community Development and Public Services Education

Associate degree — Forensic Science Concentration

AssociateConcentrationOn campusHybrid

Overview

Forensic Science is a concentration within Criminal Justice Technology at Catawba Valley Community College, covering fingerprint, footwear and tire-track evidence and crime scene processing. It is a criminal justice degree with a forensic concentration, not a laboratory forensic science degree.

Official program name
Criminal Justice Technology - Forensic Science concentration
Awarded degree
Associate degree · major: Criminal Justice Technology
Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Degree level
Associate
Subject focus
Concentration inside a broader degree — Forensic ScienceA formal concentration, track or specialization inside a broader degree such as psychology, sociology or chemistry. The awarded degree is the broader one.
Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Forensic type
Criminal justice with a forensic focusA criminal justice degree with forensic courses, a track or a concentration. It is not equivalent to a laboratory-intensive forensic science degree.
Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
School
Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Location
Hickory, NC
Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Subjects
Criminal Justice — core of the degree (“Criminal Justice Technology”)Forensic Science — formal concentration / track (“Forensic Science concentration”)
Tracks / concentrations
Forensic Science
Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Required credits
Not verified
Duration
Not verified
Why this program is listed

Associate-level program in the criminal justice area listed by the college as an associate degree; catalog pages were behind a bot challenge so award title and credits could not be verified.

The college states that Forensic Science is a concentration under the Criminal Justice Technology curriculum.

Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026

We list associate, bachelor's, master's and research-doctorate programs in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science and related subjects at institutionally accredited US schools — degrees in the subject and formal concentrations, never certificates or one-elective degrees. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Formats, online delivery, campus visits, internships and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the school states it.
Formats offered
On campus · Hybrid
Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Internship
Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity
Not verified

Curriculum

Laboratory components

  • The page describes theory and hands-on analysis of latent evidence, fingerprint classification and chemical development, footwear and tire-track casting, and processing crime scenes.
    Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Transfer pathways

  • North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement: an associate degree earned with no grade lower than C guarantees admission to at least one UNC system school as a junior, as printed on the program page.
    Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
  • The college states that some Associate in Applied Science degrees may transfer in full or in part to a four-year school, and that it has 2 + 2 agreements with certain schools (subject to change).
    Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Careers and licensure

An academic degree and an occupational licence are different things.

Career and licensure statements for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

A degree does not guarantee police academy admission, sworn officer certification, federal employment, a security clearance, a position with a named agency, a forensic laboratory job or eligibility to practice as a psychologist. Those have separate training, scientific prerequisites, examinations or hiring requirements set by the agency, state or licensing board. Academic degrees vs police academy training

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Admission requirements: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadlines: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
In-state — North Carolina residentFrom the school-wide rate table for this level$76per credit · Effective Fall 2026Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Out-of-state — Out of state (non-resident)From the school-wide rate table for this level$268per credit · Effective Fall 2026Source: cvcc.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Scholarships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for its level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; service scholarships require government service after graduation. Graduate funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation

Two different things: the school's institutional accreditation, and FEPAC accreditation of this exact forensic science program.

Institutional accreditation

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

FEPAC program accreditation

This program does not appear in FEPAC's accredited-program list. FEPAC accredits forensic science programs only and is optional; its absence is not a sign that a program is illegitimate, and the school's other programs or institutional accreditation do not imply it.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages and directories below. Last verified October 24, 2026.
  1. cvcc.edu/programs/community-development-public-services-education/ — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026
  2. cvcc.edu/programs/community-development-public-services-education/criminal-justice-technology-forens — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026
  3. cvcc.edu/student-payment-information/ — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026
  4. DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026

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Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level and focus. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Joliet Junior College

AA in Criminal Justice Studies — Criminal Justice Concentration

AssociateAAConcentrationTransfer-orientedAssociate of Arts
Format: Campus · Online
Location: Joliet, ILSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program

Criminal Justice Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Catawba Valley Community College. Information is collected from official pages and directories and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.