Forensic Science Graduate Program Course Descriptions

FSCI 5101 - Seminar in Forensic Science: Features presentations and discussions by faculty and/or invited guest speakers on current forensic science topics.

FSCI 5251 - Serial Crime: Develop an understanding of the constructs of deviant behavior and how they relate to criminal activity and the impact that deviant behavior has on victims and society as a whole. Case studies and related research topics in these areas will be covered.

FSCI 5254 - Introduction to Forensic Drug Chemistry: An introduction to the basic principles and uses of forensic drug analysis. Concepts include various drug categories and appropriate analytical techniques for valid identification.

FSCI 5256 - Forensic Toxicology : An introduction to forensic toxicology, including pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, specimen collection, and laboratory analysis. Emphasizes duties and responsibilities of toxicologists in the laboratory.

FSCI 5257 - Explosives and Arson Investigation : Introduction to history of explosives/propellants, detection of hidden explosives, processing scenes of explosions, theories of fire investigation, and instrumental analysis of subsequent fire debris.

FSCI 5258 - Profiling and Forensic Science Investigation : Introduction to profiling and forensic science investigation, focusing on fundamentals of profiling methods, and theoretical and practical foundation of dynamics and motivation of serial offenses.

FSCI 5259 - Victimology: Provides a complete and integrated study of victimization, including history and theories, interaction of crime victims within the criminal justice system, and victim services.

FSCI 5260 - Report Writing and Expert Testimony: Seminar in effective report writing and provision of expert testimony. Emphasis on critical aspects and execution of written reports and practical experience of providing testimony.

FSCI 5308 – Fundamentals of Forensic Science: Overview of forensic science. Focuses on general principles of criminalistics, scope, history, and development of forensic science. Survey of physical, chemical and biological evidence.

FSCI 5331 – Forensic Science and the Law: Students will experience real-world topics specific to legal issues.

FSCI 5352 – Ethics in Forensic Science: A survey of ethics and professional standards in forensic sciences. Critical thinking and communication are emphasized.

FSCI 5353 – Research Methods in Forensic Science: A survey of research methods in forensic science. Emphasis is on critical aspects of designing, conducting, and critiquing experiments; and interpreting and communicating results.

FSCI 5350 – Crime Scene Investigation: Relevant issues and the principles of forensic science will be examined. Concepts of identifying, preserving, and collecting of evidence as it relates to solving crimes will be emphasized.

FSCI 5355 – Instrumental Methods for Trace Evidence Analysis: This course covers the theory and application of analytical chemistry concepts and methodology to the analysis of physical evidence.

ENTX 6351/6352 – Analytical Toxicology: Lecture: Theory of isolation, detection, identification, and quantification of toxic substances and their transformation products in environmental and biological samples. Lab: Extraction, cleanup, and quantitative analysis of environmental chemicals and their degradates. Reinforces and applies theories taught in ENTX 6351.

BTEC 6301 - Introduction to Biotechnology: Scientific bases of biotechnology techniques. Applications of biotechnology and ethical and social impact.