Forensic science's popularity is rising on high school and college campuses, in part because of the profession's high-profile exposure during the O.J. Simpson trial and on TV shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

C.S.I. SPIN-OFF?

C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation fans get a peek at CBS' possible spin-off series this week, when the Las Vegas investigators head to Miami.     David Caruso (NYPD Blue) and Emily Procter (The West Wing) play Miami forensic investigators who help Gil Grissom (William Petersen) and Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) pursue a serial killer on C.S.I. Thursday (9 p.m., Channels 12, 7).     If CBS executives like the show — and the ratings — C.S.I.: Miami could be added to the schedule when CBS announces its fall lineup on May 16.

        “My program has probably doubled in the last five years,” says Robert Fraas, director of the forensic science program at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. The school is one of about a dozen in the country offering a bachelor's degree in forensic science, he says.

        “Students write in, and they want to do what they (see) on CSI. Last year, I responded to 470 prospective students,” Mr. Fraas says.

        The real world, he explains, is far different than the fictional TV show. “They've taken four or five (investigators) and made a composite of them, then dramatized it.”

        About 180 students were enrolled in Eastern Kentucky's program in the fall. That number drops through the year as students face the reality of schedules heavy on science and math courses, Dr. Fraas says.

        Ohio University in Athens offers a bachelor's degree in forensic chemistry. Enrollment, now at 100, has been steady in recent years, although “we are getting more inquiries, more this year than I ever have,” says Bruce McCord, director of the forensic chemistry program.

        Figures aren't available for the number of middle schools and high schools offering forensic science classes, but in the last five years, “It seems like it's really caught on,” says Cindy Workosky, spokeswoman for the National Science Teachers Association.

        Mr. Fraas and Mr. McCord say forensic science graduates will find a tight job market. “They have to be willing to move,” Mr. Fraas says. “But if they're persistent in seeking jobs, there are jobs out there.”

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