Wichita ? Wichita State University has a new major for students aspiring to become the real-life equivalent of Horatio Caine, the character on the “CSI: Miami” television series who relies on a team of scientists to fight crime.

Starting next spring, the school will offer a bachelor’s degree in forensics.

“The degree is designed for people who want to work in a forensic laboratory,” said Brian Withrow, a Wichita State criminal justice professor who helped design the program. “It’s sort of a double major in biology and chemistry, with some psychology, some anthropology and some criminal justice.”

Withrow said few courses will need to be added for the program, approved earlier this month by the Kansas Board of Regents.

Withrow said the popularity of crime scene television shows has generated student interest in the field. But he said some are put off when they learn the degree will require 30 hours of chemistry and another 30 of biology.

Graduates of the program will have many options, Withrow said.

“The degree is really structured so that if someone earned the degree, he could work in any sort of chemical or biological lab,” Withrow said.

Tim Rohrig, director of forensics laboratories at the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center, said graduates should have no shortage of job opportunities. One recent study, he said, concluded that it would take thousands of new forensic scientists to achieve a nationwide goal of having a 30-day turnaround for processing of all crime scene evidence.

But those interested in the field would do best disregarding the television portrayal of the profession. He said the 16 scientists in his lab rarely visit crime scenes. And many of the cases involve simple drug tests, he said.