NEW YORK — Where are your kids going to college? If it’s a school with a criminal justice studies program, they may be part of a larger than normal incoming class if the nationwide trend follows the example at one of the country’s top criminal justice colleges.

Administrators at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City have seen queries from students come streaming in as interest in careers such as forensic science escalates in the wake of this country’s heightened awareness of terrorism.

A future in law enforcement — be it local, state or federal — has noticeably captured the attention of a growing number of kids wanting to ready themselves for a meaningful vocation. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice, home to approximately 11,500 students, is well known and highly respected for its advanced criminal justice curriculum.

Prior to the September 11 attack on America, there were already several classes pertaining to terrorism, and the school now has plans to augment that area of crimefighting with the development of a terrorism institute. Expansion plans also include the creation of a modern toxicology lab and the addition of new and expanded course offerings such as analyzing biological assaults, cybercrime, risk management, organized crime and forensics.

The Criminal Justice Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice also provides law enforcement agencies with a variety of seminars, workshops and training programs. It is the site of the Regional Training Center for the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and serves as a Northeast Regional Train-ing Facility for the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Inves-tigation (FBI). It is authorized by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services to provide Peace Officer Training.