Television dramas often reflect real life, but at one Omaha school real life is being impacted by TV. The number of students, especially women, studying forensic science as a career is growing.

Returning to the College of Saint Mary for her senior year, Heather Carson is looking to the future, planning her career. "Sexual assault nurse examiner." Carson's one of a growing number of students at the college and across the country studying forensic science.

It's the art of the crime lab tech, collecting and preserving evidence, helping catch the criminal. It all appeals to Carson.

"You want to bring closure to anything that happens like that whether it be a death or an assault or something. It's just nice to be the person who can help bring that all together or be part of a team that brings that all together."

Forensic science is bucking an American trend. Math and science are not popular subjects in any American school. The study of forensic science is changing things. The College of Saint Mary believes enough in the program to invest $5 million to renovate the Math and Science Building. It's also getting a cadaver lab, one of the few in the heartland outside of a medical college.

Dr. Nicole Wall heads up the program at the College of Saint Mary. In the past four years the program has nearly tripled, but Wall doesn't think there's increased interest in math and science.

"Women tend to be a little bit more compassionate and kind of eager to address crime and maybe that comes from kind of their own maternal instincts and so you see women kind of opening up that door."

The study of forensic science is only a minor at the College of Saint Mary. Dr. Wall tells Channel 6 News she hopes continued interest in the subject will create a forensic science major at the school.