Florida’s First Independent Institution of Higher Learning and First HBCU Will Offer New Undergraduate Degree Program Beginning Fall 2022
Submitted by Linda Y. Walters
JACKSONVILLE, FL – Earlier this week Edward Waters University (EWU) received formal notification from its accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), authorizing the university to offer a new Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Forensic Science. As such, the university plans to begin enrolling students in this exciting new academic degree program beginning in fall 2022. Traditionally, EWU has offered the B.A. degree program in Criminal Justice (with a concentration in Forensic Investigation) which has held strong interest amongst students and shown consistent enrollment and programmatic growth over the years. Accordingly, the university’s faculty and administration resolved to develop this new market relevant stand-alone degree program in Forensic Science to further expand EWU’s academic profile and meet student demand while simultaneously supporting future enrollment growth.
In particular, the all-new Forensic Science program will train graduates to enter the workforce as criminalists, crime scene investigators, and forensic DNA analysts in crime laboratories at the federal, state, and local levels. “We hope that the onboarding and implementation of this new degree program will enhance the readiness and overall competitiveness of EWU students who wish to pursue career paths in the burgeoning field of forensic science,” said EWU Professor of Forensic Science and Director of the Forensic Science Program, Mr. Ricardo Yanis.
Relatedly, over the last five years, EWU has made significant improvements in expanding the modernity and technological capacity of its forensic science laboratory resources to provide the necessary equipment and facilities to support a high-quality academic program.
“The transformation of Edward Waters University continues with the execution of this new cutting-edge degree program of study that will now better serve our current and even future students in one of our most popular and market relevant academic majors,” said Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., EWU president and CEO.
At present, the campus boasts three science laboratories located in three different buildings on the EWU main campus with two laboratories that will combine to have received over half a million dollars in facility and equipment upgrades in the past year by close of the spring 2022 semester.
“Introducing this new program contributes to EWU’s goal of enhancing the university’s academic profile by comprehensively inaugurating a competitive 21st century curriculum into our institution,” Dr. Donna H. Oliver, the Provost of EWU as well as the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs added.
