Profile of students at the Forensic Science Undergraduate Program, from admission to graduation

Abstract

Background: The Forensic Science Undergraduate Program —hosted by the School of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)—aims to train highly qualified forensic science professionals. Eight years after welcoming its first students, we offer an overview of the admission process, grade point average, graduation rate, choice of degree-awarding options, and entry into the workplace.
Objective: To carry out a detailed analysis of student profiles at different stages of their undergraduate studies that provides key information for making decisions towards the development of the competencies that define the skill set of the forensic scientist and better prepare them to perform in the job market.
Method: This is a descriptive work that offers an overview of the student profiles from their admission to their entry into the workplace by means of information analyzed with descriptive statistics and presented graphically using R and Microsoft Excel.
Results: Data analysis portrays a student population that performs well in both high school and university, with minimal failure rates and correspondingly high and timely graduation rates, and better employment prospects than those enjoyed by other graduates of UNAM.
Conclusions: The information presented will be useful to guide decision-making that leads to adjusting teaching and evaluation to the professional profile and nature of forensic science, as well as disseminating the potential of the forensic scientist’s skill set to facilitate their employment. It will also serve as a basis for future more in-depth analysis of social service performance, degree options and employment opportunities.