Degree Requirements
- Credit Hours: Students are required to complete a minimum of 42 graduate credit hours in Forensic and Investigative Science at the 500 and 600 level.
- Grade Point Average: Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in courses applied to the degree.
- Graduation Requirement: Students are required to complete a thesis. Details, requirements, and timelines are provided in the department's Graduate Student Handbook.
- Benchmarks: Ideally, the Plan of Study Form should be completed and submitted to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies before the end of the first semester. Failure to complete the Plan of Study by the end of the second semester will result in the student being placed on probation.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | 22 | |
| Foundations of Criminalistics and Foundations of Criminalistics Laboratory | ||
| Forensic Laboratory Management and Forensic Laboratory Management Laboratory | ||
| Forensic Informatics and Forensic Informatics Laboratory | ||
| Trace Evidence Examination and Laboratory Trace Evidence Examinations | ||
| Forensic Casework Practicum | ||
| Advanced Forensic Biology and Advanced Forensic Biology Laboratory | ||
| Statistical Methods 2 * | ||
| Forensic Chemistry Requirement | 4 | |
| Please select one of the following lecture and lab pairs: | ||
| Arson and Explosives Analysis and Arson and Explosives Analysis Laboratory | ||
| Analysis of Seized Drugs and Analysis of Seized Drugs Laboratory | ||
| Analytical Forensic Toxicology and Analytical Forensic Toxicology Laboratory | ||
| Seminar | 4 | |
| Graduate Seminar ** | ||
| Research | 6 | |
| Research | ||
| Electives * | 6 | |
Any FIS course at the 400 level or above | ||
| Total Hours | 42 | |
- *
Or equivalent graduate class as approved by Graduate Studies Committee
- **
Each attempt at FIS 696 is worth one credit hour; students must successfully complete one credit per semester over four semesters.
Major Learning Outcomes
Forensic and Investigative Science
As a result of completing the MS in Forensic and Investigative Science, students will be able to:
·Assess the value of evidence in different circumstances, describe best practices for its examination and demonstrate competency in performing a variety of different examinations of evidence
·Identify the limitations in the knowledge and capabilities of forensic science, describe creative solutions and conduct scientifically sound experiments to overcome the identified limitations
·Execute persuasive communications, in written and oral formats, of his/her test results and research discoveries