What training does a handwriting expert have?
• It is accepted in the profession that a forensic document examiner should have participated in a 2-3 year apprenticeship program. A college degree and certification are recommended, but not required at this time. • As shown in Handwriting Identification: Facts and Fundamentals, Roy A. Huber, A.M. Headrick, CRC PRESS, 1999, there are four instructional methods that have been employed either discretely or in combination to develop forensic document examiners: self instruction, correspondence course, apprenticeship programs, and university courses. • Self instruction was the only process available up to 1939. Then along came the advent of correspondence courses, apprenticeships, and finally university courses and programs which can lead up to obtaining a Masters Degree in the field of study. • Until 2003, apprenticeship training was only provided through government agencies, was limited in length and scope, and was not accessible to private citizens. • Today, there are nationwide appren
