General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, College B.S. requirements, major requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 hours. For complete details on these requirements, visit the B.S. Degrees tab on the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences pages.
Departmental Requirements for the B.S. in Forensic Examiner
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Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone course. Forensic Examiner majors must complete FIS 406L.
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Writing and Communication Skills Requirement: The Forensic Examiner Bachelor of Science is a SpeakWrite Certified ProgramTM. SpeakWrite Certified programs incorporate and develop students' written, verbal, visual, and mediated communication skills across the curriculum.
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Calculation of the GPA in the Major: To graduate with the Forensic Examiner major, students must achieve a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 in all FIS courses with no grade lower than a C- in any FIS course, or in any course listed in the "STEM Foundations" or "Forensic and Investigative Science Major Requirements" areas below. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat.
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Internship Requirement: All students are required to successfully complete the FIS 386 for at least 3 hours of credit.
Curriculum Requirements
| University Requirements | 31 | |
| ECAS B.S. Requirements | 4 | |
| Departmental Requirements | 24 | |
| Forensic Examiner Major Requirements | 61 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 | 18 | |
| FIS 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 31 | |
ECAS Bachelor of Science Requirements
| College Requirements | 4 | |
Global Studies & Diversity Requirement | ||
Mathematics Requirement | ||
| Calculus 1 | ||
| Calculus 1a with Precalculus and Calculus 1b with Precalculus | ||
| Science Requirement | ||
Please see the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences' Bachelor of Science (B.S.) tab. | ||
| Total Hours | 4 | |
Departmental Requirements
| STEM Foundations | ||
| Chemistry Requirement | 16 | |
| Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory | ||
| Principles of Chemistry 1 and Principles of Chemistry 1 - Laboratory | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Principles of Chemistry 2 and Principles of Chemistry 2 - Laboratory | ||
| Organic Chemistry 1 and Organic Chemistry 1 Laboratory | ||
| Organic Chemistry 2 and Organic Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Physics Requirement | 8 | |
Select one of the following sequences: | ||
| Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 1 Laboratory and Introductory Physics 2 and Introductory Physics 2 Laboratory | ||
| General Physics 1 and General Physics 1 Laboratory and General Physics 2 and General Physics 2 Laboratory | ||
| Total Hours | 24 | |
Forensic Examiner Major Requirements
| Math and Statistics Requirement | 6 | |
Select one of the following pairs: | ||
| Calculus 2 and Introduction to Probability and Statistics | ||
| Elementary Statistical Inference and Intermediate Statistical Methods | ||
| Biology Requirement | 8 | |
| Principles of Biology and Principles of Biology Laboratory | ||
| Introductory Physiology and Introductory Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Advanced Science Requirement | 8 | |
| Select one of the following pairs | ||
| The Living Cell and The Living Cell Laboratory | ||
| Introductory Analytical Chemistry and Introductory Analytical Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Complete a minimum of 4 credits from the following list. | ||
| Introductory Biochemistry | ||
or BIOC 339 | Introduction to Biochemistry | |
| Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory | ||
| Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology | ||
| Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology Laboratory | ||
| Molecular Genetics | ||
| Molecular Genetics Laboratory | ||
| Physical Chemistry: Brief Course | ||
| Physical Chemistry: Brief Course Laboratory | ||
| Forensic Chemical Analysis | ||
| Forensic Chemical Analysis Laboratory | ||
| Forensic Biology | ||
| Forensic Examiner Requirement | 30 | |
| Introduction to Forensic Identification | ||
| Science/Technology of Fingerprint Identification | ||
| Crime Scene Investigation 1 | ||
| Crime Scene Investigation 1 Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Microscopy | ||
| Forensic Photography | ||
| Professional Internship Preparation | ||
| Forensic Identification Internship | ||
| Crime Scene Investigation 2 | ||
| Law and Evidence | ||
| Latent Fingerprint | ||
| Forensic Quality Assurance | ||
| Forensic Examiner Electives: * | 6 | |
| Biological Evidence | ||
| Science and Culture of Illicit Drugs | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Gravesite Forensics | ||
| Blood Stain Pattern Analysis | ||
| Trace Evidence Examination | ||
| Trace Evidence Examination Laboratory | ||
| Advanced Forensic Photography | ||
| Teaching Practicum | ||
| Professional Ethics in Forensic Science | ||
| Professional Field Experience | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Research | ||
| Capstone Experience | 3 | |
| Capstone: Courtroom Testimony and Laboratory | ||
| Total Hours | 61 | |
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A maximum of 3 credits combined can come from FIS 490, 491, 492, 495, or 497. FIS 498C may not be used to fulfill this requirement
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| FIS 191 | 1 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ||
| BIOL 115 & 115L (GEF 2; B.S. First Area 1) | 4 | BIOL 117 & 117L (GEF 8; B.S. First Area 2) | 4 | ||
| CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 8; B.S. Second Area 1) | 4 | CHEM 116 & 116L (GEF 8, B.S. Second Area 2) | 4 | ||
| FIS 201 | 3 | MATH 156 (Math & Stats Elective 1) | 4 | ||
| MATH 155 (GEF 3, B.S. Math Requirement) | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 15 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | ||
| BIOL 219 or CHEM 215 (Advanced Sci Elective 1) | 3 | CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 | ||
| BIOL 219L or CHEM 215L | 1 | PHYS 102 (B.S. Third Area 2) | 4 | ||
| PHYS 101 (B.S. Third Area 1) | 4 | GEF 4 | 3 | ||
| STAT 215 (Math & Stats Elective 2) | 3 | General Elective | 1 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| GEF 5 | 3 | FIS 302 & 302L | 4 | FIS 386 | 3-6 |
| FIS 301 | 3 | FIS 314 | 3 | ||
| FIS 335 | 3 | FIS 405 | 3 | ||
| FIS 385 | 1 | GEF 6 | 3 | ||
| Advanced Sci Elective #2 | 4 | General Elective | 2 | ||
| General Elective | 1 | ||||
| 15 | 15 | 3 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| FIS 402 | 3 | FIS 406L | 3 | ||
| FIS 404 | 2 | Forensic Science Elective #2 | 3 | ||
| FIS 480 | 2 | GEF 7 (ECAS Global Studies Requirement) | 3 | ||
| Forensic Science Elective #1 | 3 | General Elective | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||||
| General Elective | 1 | ||||
| 14 | 12 | ||||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||||
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Enrollment in AGBI 412 is strictly limited, with FIS students able to enroll only after all Biochemistry majors have enrolled. Spaces in this course are not guaranteed.
Major Learning Outcomes
Forensic Examiner
Upon graduation from the Forensic Examiner major, students will be able to:
- Apply scientific methodology and evaluate techniques in the collection, processing, analysis, and evaluation of forensic evidence.
- Assess and defend data generated during forensic investigations.
- Present scientific data in written, verbal,and visual formats.
- Demonstrate the professionalism and high ethical standards demanded by the justice system and the forensic science community.