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Course Descriptions MS: Forensic Science

FIS 501: Advanced Forensic Science

This advanced survey course develops a fundamental understanding of the interactions of humans and their environment at a crime scene. The theories of evidence exchange, transfer and deposition, and retention will be applied.

FIS 502: Forensic Laboratory Management

The management of a forensic laboratory has many unique features which require a clear understanding of the legal and technological environments. The application of fundamental management principles to the crime laboratory will be developed. The role of ethics within the workplace and on the witness stand will be emphasized together with the quality requirements of forensic laboratories.

FIS 602: Forensic Informatics

The increased demands relating to data management on forensic laboratories will be addressed on both procedural and scientific levels. The demands of quality and the legal environment will be explored by use of laboratory information managements systems. Forensic intelligence and forensic directed investigations will be developed. The utilization of data-mining and linkage techniques will be investigated. The use of database systems such as AFIS and IBIS will be evaluated and standards and techniques for image processing will be covered. This course includes a laboratory component.

FIS 604: Forensic Fingerprint Examination

The critical evaluation of fingerprint comparisons using the ACE-V methodology will be covered. The significance of Daubert requirements and the presentation of this type of evidence in court will be emphasized. Specific topics will include: friction ridge identification; poroscopy and edgeoscopy; palm print identification; palmar flexion crease identification; the development and recording of latent prints; other areas of identification. This course includes a laboratory component.

FIS 610: Firearms Examination

This course will cover the examination of firearms related evidence. It will entail a detailed study of the design, mechanism, and manufacture of firearms as well as interior, exterior and terminal ballistics. This course includes a laboratory component.

FIS 614: Trace Evidence Examination

This course will further develop the theories of transfer evidence including detection, collection, analysis and the interpretation thereof. Aspects such as light and electron microscopy, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis microspectrophotometry and chromatographic methods will be applied. Different types of trace evidence will be studied, such as hairs & fibers, paints & polymers and glass. This course includes a laboratory component.

FIS 615: Questioned Document Examination

This course will cover the field of questioned documents and will focus on handwriting comparisons, signatures, typewriting and typescripts, and printed and photocopied documents. Areas such as erasures, additions and alterations will also be discussed. Ink analyses will also be performed. This course includes a laboratory component.

FIS 620: Forensic Casework Practicum

This practical course will give students the opportunity to manage mock cases involving multiple types of evidence. Students will be responsible for the collection, the laboratory analysis and the interpretation of the evidence. Based on a scenario, students have to apply the appropriate method of evidence recovery and collection and decide the relevant analytical sequence for the exploitation of such evidence. Moreover, they will be called to justify their procedures and interpret their findings in the context of the submitted case. Students will also write reports of expertise and defend them. This course constitutes an excellent opportunity to consolidate their knowledge, but above all to undertake the most important task carried out in a crime lab: casework analysis and interpretation. This is a laboratory based course.

FIS 632: Advanced Forensic Biology

The requirements of the analysis of biological material for forensic purposed will be studied in detail. Students will evaluate the procedures for forensic DNA analysis, and the interpretation of DNA typing results. The evaluation of DNA evidence based on its probative value will be covered. This course includes a laboratory component.

FIS 660: Advanced Forensic Chemistry

The application of forensic chemistry to a wide range of samples commonly encountered within a forensic laboratory will be covered. Specific topics include: statistics, sampling, and data quality; multivariate statistics, calibration, and quality assurance; sample preparation and chromatography; instrumentation; drug analysis, chemistry of color forensic polymer chemistry.

FIS 696: Forensic Seminar

Graduate Seminar. 1 Hr. PR: Consent. It is anticipated that each graduate student will present at least one seminar to the assembled faculty and graduate student body of his/her program.

FIS 697: Research

Research. I, II, S. 1-15 Hr. PR: Consent. Research activities leading to thesis, program report, research paper or equivalent scholarly project, or a dissertation. (Grading may be S/U.)

STAT 516: Advanced Forensic Statistics

3 Hr. PR: STAT 215. Probabilistic and statistical evaluation of evidence in forensic science: concepts of uncertainty/variation, discriminating power, coincidence/significance probabilities, historical overview, transfer evidence, DNA profiling, fingerprint identification, biometric identification, and selected forensic statistics topics/case studies.