BS in Forensic Sciences
Program Requirements
A minimum total of 120 credit hours is required for the BS in forensic science with an overall GPA of 2.000, WSU GPA of 2.000 and program GPA of 2.000. The major consists of 74-76 core credit hours and students will choose between one of two concentrations. In addition to meeting the requirements of the WSU General Education Program and the requirements of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students in the BS in forensic science must complete the distributed coursework as follows:
Forensic Science with Biology Concentration
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| Select courses to meet General Education requirements 1 | 34-35 | |
| College Requirements | ||
| LAS Competencies and Electives - select enough courses to reach 120 credit hours and complete all LAS Competency Areas 1 | 11-12 | |
| Major Requirements - Biology Concentration | ||
| FS 298 | An Introduction to Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation | 3 |
| FS 453 | Forensic Serology | 1 |
| FS 454 | Fingerprint Development and Analysis | 1 |
| FS 499 | Seminar in Forensic Sciences Techniques II | 3 |
| ANTH 101 | Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 106 | Biological Anthropology Lab | 1 |
| ANTH 557 | Human Osteology | 3 |
| ANTH 600 | Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| BIOL 210 | General Biology I | 4 |
| BIOL 210L | General Biology I Lab | 0 |
| BIOL 211 | General Biology II | 4 |
| BIOL 211L | General Biology II Lab | 0 |
| BIOL 223 | Human Anatomy and Physiology | 5 |
| BIOL 223L | Human Anatomy/Physio Lab | 0 |
| BIOL 330 | General Microbiology | 5 |
| BIOL 330L | General Microbiology Lab | 0 |
| BIOL 419 | Genetics | 4 |
| BIOL 419L | Genetics Lab | 0 |
| BIOL 420 | Molecular Cell Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 420L | Molecular Cell Biology Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 211 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 211L | General Chemistry I Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 212 | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 212L | General Chemistry II Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 523 | Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 523L | Analytical Chemistry Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 524 | Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis | 4 |
| CHEM 524L | Instr Meths Chem Analy Lab | 0 |
| CJ 191 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 315 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJ 420 | Criminal Evidence: Mock Trials | 3 |
| STAT 370 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Required major courses may also count towards General Education and/or LAS Competencies. Students will need to select additional electives to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation with assistance from an advisor.
Forensic Science with Chemistry Concentration
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| Select courses to meet General Education requirements 1 | 34-35 | |
| College Requirements | ||
| LAS Competencies and Electives - select enough courses to reach 120 credit hours and complete all LAS Competency Areas | 9-10 | |
| Major Requirements - Chemistry Concentration | ||
| FS 298 | An Introduction to Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation | 3 |
| FS 450 | Forensic Identification of Marijuana | 1 |
| FS 451 | Forensic Identification of Narcotics and Other Illicit Substances | 1 |
| FS 452 | Forensic Toxicology Alcohol | 1 |
| FS 455 | Forensic Arson Analysis | 1 |
| FS 499 | Seminar in Forensic Sciences Techniques II | 3 |
| ANTH 101 | Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 106 | Biological Anthropology Lab | 1 |
| ANTH 557 | Human Osteology | 3 |
| ANTH 600 | Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| BIOL 210 | General Biology I | 4 |
| BIOL 210L | General Biology I Lab | 0 |
| BIOL 211 | General Biology II | 4 |
| BIOL 211L | General Biology II Lab | 0 |
| BIOL 223 | Human Anatomy and Physiology | 5 |
| BIOL 223L | Human Anatomy/Physio Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 211 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 211L | General Chemistry I Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 212 | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 212L | General Chemistry II Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 523 | Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 523L | Analytical Chemistry Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 524 | Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis | 4 |
| CHEM 524L | Instr Meths Chem Analy Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 531 | Organic Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 531L | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 532 | Organic Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 532L | Organic Chemistry II Lab | 0 |
| CHEM 661 | Principles of Biochemistry | 3 |
| CJ 191 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 315 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJ 420 | Criminal Evidence: Mock Trials | 3 |
| STAT 370 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Required major courses may also count towards General Education and/or LAS Competencies. Students will need to select additional electives to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation with assistance from an advisor.
Applied Learning
Students in the BS in forensic sciences program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from this program. The requirement can be met by successfully completing FS 499.
The curriculum, which is made up of all core courses in the hard sciences, requires students to participate hands on in labs, classroom experiments, etc., culminating in the Seminar in Forensic Science Techniques II, enabling each major to receive a great deal of experiential learning prior to graduating.