Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Investigate evidence and build a case strategy in this 3-week forensic science program for middle school students at UCLA.
Course Description
A crime scene contains more than clues. It contains evidence that must be noticed, collected, preserved, tested, and explained. Students learn how chemistry, physics, biology, and the scientific method contribute to forensic investigation, then apply those ideas through experiments, role-play, and case analysis.
The class studies fingerprints, DNA, blood types and spatter patterns, injury evidence, ballistics, drug residues, fibers, and trace evidence. Students practice bite-mark comparison, test fingerprint methods, analyze simulated blood patterns, and use a pickle-stabbing lab to examine how injury patterns can support an interpretation. Small crime scenes challenge teams to collect evidence carefully and critique one another’s process.
A group project develops throughout the course. Teams research a case, form a hypothesis, consider due process, and create a crime scenario for classmates to solve. Legal role-play introduces the perspectives of the defense, plaintiff, detective, and forensic scientist before final case presentations and peer review.
This three-week middle school program takes place at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. The program is developed by UCLA and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery. It is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect active academic exploration with campus life, growing independence, new friendships, and a clearer sense of what they may want to explore next.
A supplemental course fee of $95 applies.
What Will You Do?
• Observe surroundings and classify different types of forensic evidence
• Apply the scientific method to bite-mark and fingerprint investigations
• Analyze simulated blood types, spatter patterns, and injury evidence
• Examine ballistics, trajectory, drug residues, fibers, and trace evidence
• Collect evidence from staged crime scenes and evaluate another team’s process
• Build and present a case project for classmates to investigate
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Collect and document simulated evidence using an organized process
• Apply scientific observations to compare competing case explanations
• Present a case hypothesis that connects evidence, reasoning, and legal context
Students will leave with a completed group case project, practical exposure to several forensic methods, and a clearer sense of which parts of science or criminal investigation they may want to explore next.
Why Forensic Investigation Skills Matter
Forensic investigation depends on careful observation and disciplined reasoning. Evidence can be damaged, contaminated, or misunderstood if it is collected poorly. Even when a test produces a result, investigators must decide what that result supports and what it cannot prove.
Students practice separating observation from assumption, documenting a process, and comparing multiple explanations. Connecting science with legal role-play also shows why technical evidence must be communicated clearly to people with different responsibilities. Those habits strengthen scientific thinking, attention to detail, teamwork, and the ability to defend a conclusion without overstating it.
Who Should Attend?
This course is for middle school students who have completed 6th, 7th, or 8th grade and are curious about forensic science, crime-scene investigation, laboratory evidence, or how scientific findings are used in legal cases. It is a strong fit for students who enjoy experiments, puzzles, observation, and debating what evidence supports.
Students should be ready to work carefully with simulated evidence, collaborate on a continuing case project, discuss fictional crime scenarios respectfully, and revise an interpretation when new information appears. No prior forensic or legal experience is required. A completed program application is required.
Why UCLA?
UCLA gives middle-school students an energetic place to learn, have fun, and experience campus life in Los Angeles. The setting brings together science, technology, creativity, entertainment, and culture, helping new subjects feel connected to a wider world of ideas.
The program combines hands-on academics with friendships, campus activities, clear routines, and support as students become comfortable in a large university environment. Students can try new challenges, share interests with peers, and build confidence through participation without needing to decide where those interests will lead. For families, UCLA offers a structured middle-school experience that balances substantive learning with fun, community, and age-appropriate independence. Students leave with new memories and a clearer sense of what they may want to explore next.
Forensic Investigation in Action
Forensic scientists support investigations by examining evidence such as fingerprints, biological material, fibers, residues, blood patterns, and trajectories. Their work connects laboratories, crime scenes, law enforcement, attorneys, and courts. Related roles appear in toxicology, pathology, chemistry, biology, digital forensics, evidence management, and criminal justice.
Students try age-appropriate parts of that process through experiments, staged scenes, case research, and legal role-play. The range of work can help them identify whether they are most interested in laboratory methods, field investigation, evidence interpretation, legal strategy, or communicating technical findings to others.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive