Forensic Science Minor

Requirements for the Minor in Forensic Science (19 - 20 credits):

POSC - 374. Introduction to Criminal Law 3 credit(s) * OR
SOCI - 190. Crime and Justice 3 credit(s)
CHEM - 100. Introduction for Forensic Science 3 credit(s)
CHEM - 105. Criminalistics 4 credit(s)
Forensic Science Electives by Student-Determined Track 9-10 credit(s)
*POSC 374 is offered every other fall semester

Tracks

Using the guidelines put forth by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), representative tracks will be summarized based on the following AAFS-recognized sections:

Forensic Anthropology
Forensic Criminalistics
Forensic Digital & Multimedia Sciences,
Forensic Engineering Sciences
Forensic General Sciences (including Forensic Accounting, Forensic Archaeology, Forensic Art and Sculpting, Forensic Aviation/Land Vehicle Accident Investigation, Forensic Chemistry, Forensic Consulting, Forensic Credibility Assessment, Forensic DNA Analysis, Entrepreneurship, Forensic Geology, Forensic Geophysics, Forensic Sociology, Forensic Investigation, Forensic Nursing, Forensic Aerial Photography, Forensic Photography, Forensic Radiology, Forensic Veterinary Sciences, Forensic Botany, Forensic Fingerprint Analysis, Forensic Handwriting Analysis, Forensic Entomology, Forensic Limnology, Blood Spatter Analysis, Environmental Forensics, Ethics in Forensic Science)
Jurisprudence
Forensic Odontology
Forensic Pathology/Biology
Forensic Psychiatry & Behavioral Science
Questioned Documents
Forensic Toxicology

⁰ Excerpts From: “So You Want To Be A Forensic Scientist.” iBooks. Accessed 4/13/2015

Each track will require a student to choose from courses that are related to the track’s focus.

As examples, if one were interested in:

Forensic Accounting (The study and interpretation of accounting evidence), one could choose from the following electives: ACCT 400 , ACCT 420 , ACCT 430 , ACCT 460 , ACCT 462 ; MGMT 305 .
Forensic Art and Sculpting (Concerning art authentication cases to help research the work’s authenticity. Art authentication methods are used to detect and identify forgery, faking and copying of art works, e.g. paintings, prints, sculptures, statues), one could choose from the following electives: CREA 112 , CREA 200 , CREA 312 , CREA 313 , CREA 314 , CREA 397 (if it is sculpting), CREA 420 , CREA 460
Forensic DNA Analysis (Takes advantage of the uniqueness of an individual’s DNA to answer forensic questions such as paternity/maternity testing and placing a suspect at a crime scene, e.g. in a rape investigation), one could choose from the following electives: BIOL 260 , BIOL 320 , BIOL 420 , BIOL 425 ; CHEM 460 .
Ethics in Forensic Science, one could choose from the following electives: ENVA 120 ; PHIL 210 ; PHIL 315 ; MGMT 305 ; JOUR 105 ; RELG 260 , RELG 360 , RELG 365 , RELG 370 , or the student will work with the director of the minor to chart an appropriate set of courses.