Forensic Degrees Online

Materials with Forensic Science

Course description
Course outline
Career opportunities
Assessment
Entry requirements
Further information

F2F4 BEng/MSFS
Three years

Course description

The need among employers in the forensic sciences is for experts in various disciplines who have the necessary analytical skills, legal awareness, and confidence to give evidence under legal cross examination.

You will acquire a better understanding of what science is and of what it can and cannot say. This philosophical background helps to bridge the gap between legal and scientific concepts of truth. Through courtroom role-play you learn skills and confidence in dealing with adversarial confrontation. In PBL you use analytical procedures to solve simulated crime scene problems. The programme comprises course units dealing with genetics, forensic chemistry, the legal process, forensic materials characterisation, materials science, mathematics, and financial management.

Course outline

Year 1 Heredity and Gene Action • Forensic Chemistry • Maths • Properties of Matter • Engineering Materials • Mechanics • Polymers • PBL Year 2 Forensic Science and the Legal Process • Forensic Materials Science • Transmission Genetics • Thermodynamics • PBL • Deformation • Corrosion • Financial Management • BEng Composites • MEng Maths Year 3 Legal Issues in Forensic Science • Forensic Chemistry • Failure of Solids • Manufacturing • Materials Selection • BEng Forensic Materials • Research Project • Advanced Ceramics • MEng Composites • Phase Transformations • Group Project Year 4 MEng Research Project • Advanced Ceramics • Advanced Studies • Applied Forensic Chemistry

Career opportunities

It is hoped that graduates from these relatively new programmes will go into careers both within the forensic science service as well as working for the other independent forensic science laboratories. In the global economy there are many jobs that will require the skills to reverseengineer products as well as to investigate what went wrong with a component or a system. Our graduates should be well equipped to fill these roles.

Assessment

Assessment for all degree programmes in Materials Science consists of a mixture of coursework, PBL work and examinations taken at the end of each academic year. You will also complete an individual research project during your final year of study. In addition all MEng students undertake a group research project during the third year of study.

For further information regarding assessment for specific courses, please see: www.sems.qmul.ac.uk [new window].

Placement Opportunities

For students interested in gaining practical experience, the Sandwich degree award offers the benefit of a paid placement period in industry.
Career Prospects

The skills and knowledge of a forensic scientist will find application in a very wide range of areas. Organisations such as the police and customs and excise are the obvious employers, however the techniques studied in this course may also be applied to environmental protection, accident investigation, drug research, the chemical industry and biomedical sciences. Many chemical and biological science graduates currently find work in analytical laboratories. Forensic science graduates will also be sought-after in these areas.
Professional Recognition

The BSc (Hons) Forensic Science course is recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry as fulfilling the academic requirements for admission to Associate Membership (AMRSC).

Forensic Science Curriculum (new in 2007)

As of Feb. 13, 2007, the Faculty Senate of Fairmont State University approved the following revised curriculum for the forensic science major. The new curriculum was designed by the Forensic Science Coordinating Committee in consultation with the Forensic Science Advisory Board to strengthen the degree and to align it with the requirements of the FEPAC (Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Committee). This curriculum will be in effect for students entering in the fall of 2007, and students in the pipeline will also be encouraged to use the new curriculum requirements.

Course descriptions are given in the FSU Catalog and collected on a forensic science course requirements web page for convenient reference.

Summary Table: Mapping of our overall curriculum to the FEPAC requirements
Course Category Hours required by FEPAC Hours in FSU curriculum
1. Natural Science Core 34 37
2. Specialized Science Courses 12 12
3. Forensic Science Courses 15 15
4. Additional Specialization Courses 19 19
5. Prerequisites not required by FEPAC 4
Total required 80 87

1. Natural Science Core Courses (FEPAC minimum 34 sem. hrs; our courses total 37 sem. hrs. because some of our introductory courses have more hours than the minimum)
FSU course requirement FEPAC requirement
BIOL 1106 Biological Principles II (4) Biology for science majors (1 course)
PHYS 1101 or 1105 Intro Physics I (4-5) Physics for science majors (2 courses)
PHYS 1102 or 1106 Intro Physics II (4-5)
CHEM 1105 Chemical Principles I (5) General Chemistry for science majors (2 courses)
CHEM 1106 Chemical Principles II (4)
CHEM 2201 Organic Chemistry I (4) Organic Chemistry for science majors (2 courses)
CHEM 2202 Organic Chemistry II (4)
MATH 1185 or 1190 Calculus I (4) Differential and integral calculus (1 course)
MATH 1113 Applied Statistics Statistics (1 course)
Subtotal FSU hours: 37 Minimum FEPAC required hours: 34

2. Specialized Science Courses: 12 hours of additional semester hours more advanced coursework in chemistry or biology with at least 2 of the classes including laboratory training.
BIOL 3360 Biochemistry (4)
CHEM 2205 Analytical (4)
CHEM 2215 Intermediate Instrumental Analysis (4)

Subtotal hours: 12

3. Forensic Science courses: 15 semester hours covering topics specified. Of these 15 hours, 9 semester hours are courses in forensic chemistry, forensic biology, physical methods or microscopy with a lab component. Up to 6 semester ours of the lab are an internship or independent study/research course.
CHEM 2225 Forensic Microscopy and Spectroscopy (3)
CRJU 2236 Criminal Investigation (3)
CRJU 3300 Criminalistics (3) (see co-requisite lab directly below)
INTR 3300 Forensic Criminalistics Laboratory (1)
INTR 4401 Capstone Seminar in Forensic Science (3)
INTR 4411 Forensic Internship (2)

Subtotal hours: 15

4. Additional specialization courses. A minimum of 19 additional semester hours in courses that provide greater depth in the student’s area of specialization. An undergraduate degree in forensic science should be an interdisciplinary degree that includes substantial laboratory work and an emphasis on advanced (upper level) coursework in either chemistry or biology. Students can use these additional courses to begin to specialize along a forensic science discipline track, such as forensic biology or forensic chemistry.

A. Specialization courses required for all students in our curriculum:
BIOL 3380 (4) Genetics
BIOL 3390 (4) Molecular Biotechnology
CHEM 4403 or BIO 4495 (2) Research/Problems courses

Subtotal hours: 10

B. Specialization choices from which students choose at least 9 additional hours (no more than 6 hours may be CRJU courses)
BIOL 2224 (4) Microbiology
CHEM 3301 (4) Physical Chemistry I
CHEM 3302 (4) Physical Chemistry II
CHEM 4405 (1-2) Advanced Integrated Laboratory
CRJU 2226 (3) Crime Scene Investigation
CRJU 2256 (3) Homicide Investigation
CRJU 3320 (3) Criminology
CRJU 2246 (3) Criminal Evidence

Subtotal hours: 9

5. Courses required in our curriculum because of prerequisite requirements that do not fit anywhere in the FEPAC specifications:
CRJU 1100 (3) Introduction to Criminal Justice
CHEM 1113 (1) Practical Scientific Statistics with a Spreadsheet

Subtotal hours: 4