University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering will offer what’s believed to be a first-of-its-kind certificate in forensic engineering starting in the 2017-2018 academic year.

The program, which will be available to undergraduate engineering students, will cover principles of investigation involving product failure, automobile and aircraft accident reconstruction, and fire and explosion.

Forensic engineers are trained to find and analyze data from disasters, accidents and structural failures and present an unbiased assessment of what the underlying cause may have been.

“Unlike some witnesses, physical evidence has no opinion, no bias and never lies,” says forensic engineer Dough Perovic, a professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Toronto. Perovic, who has led more than 500 product liability investigations over a 25-year career, will lead the course, which will feature guest experts from Canada’s top forensic engineering firms.

Students will be exposed to investigative techniques such as how to conduct destructive and non-destructive testing, how to interpret evidence left behind on a fractured surface or at the scene of a vehicle collision, and how to narrow down the origin and cause of a fire, the university said. The course concludes with a mock trial where lawyers from top law firms will participate in demonstrations of expert witness cross-examinations.

The Alexandria, VA-based National Association of Forensic Engineers (NAFE) describes the professional practice of forensic engineering as "the application of the art and science of engineering in matters which are in, or may possibly relate to, the jurisprudence system, inclusive of alternative dispute resolution.”

Most forensic engineers are professional engineers (PE) who are licensed under state law and who have developed expertise in a particular technology or industry, according to an Engineering360 article in July 2016. Attorneys, insurance companies, government agencies and businesses retain forensic engineers to analyze the causes of accidents and failures and perform accident reconstruction depending on the type of incident and provide expert witness testimony in court.

Although NAFE does not define the qualifications of a practitioner acceptable to the court, the organization’s members, senior members and fellows are certified by the Council of Engineering Specialty Boards as “diplomates” in forensic engineering. To maintain their board certification, members must maintain 100 hours of continuing professional development during each five-year period.

While becoming a forensic engineer is predicated on experience, colleges and universities are responding to the growing student interest in the field.

In addition to the new certificate program at the University of Toronto, Columbia University recently launched a graduate-level forensic structural engineering concentration. The purpose is to provide students with the basics to investigate failures and understand the legal aspects, as well as to prepare students for the eventual practice of forensic structural engineering.