<p>Hello, international student here.
After my bachelor degree, i’d like to apply for a MSc in Forensic Science. I already have a list of my top universities but on the American Academy of Forensic Science website i saw a list of universities accredited by them (FEPAC) and then a general list with all the others not accredited.</p>
<p>Now, on my list there are many unis accredited but big coincidence my number one, Drexel U, is not.</p>
<p>So i wanted to ask you if you know how much is this accreditation important for the university and consequently for the student who graduates from there.</p>
<p>Accreditation matters most for professional licensing. I would suggest seeing who licenses forensic scientists and technicians in your desired region of employment, and seeing what they require. I would also suggest looking at job postings and seeing if they mention accreditation.</p>
<p>It depends on the field. General accreditation by an organization like SACS is really important, for example, but field-by-field an accreditation can either be a really really important criterion for getting hired (like in psychology; programs need to be APA-accredited) or the accrediting body can mean pretty much nothing. You’ll have to investigate for your field - like cosmicfish said, look at job postings for forensic scientists and see if they require an MA from an accredited program, or look at the licensure application for your state and several others you may move to and see if they require an accredited program to get a license.</p>
<p>A bit of poking around shows that licensure requirements vary from state to state. Some states require a license whereas others do not. Most states suggest getting certified by one of the many organizations that certify forensic scientists, like the ACFEI.</p>