| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Requirements | ||
| General Education 1 | 40-53 | |
| Departmental Required Courses: 2 | ||
| FORENSIC 1320 | Survey of Forensic Sciences | 3 |
| FORENSIC 2420 | Crime Scene Processing I | 3 |
| FORENSIC 2620 | Crime Scene Documentation | 3 |
| FORENSIC 3020 | History & Ethics of Forensic Investigation | 3 |
| FORENSIC 3040 | Crime Scene Processing II | 4 |
| FORENSIC 3800 | Research Methods in Forensic Investigation | 3 |
| CRIMLJUS 4930 | Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Non-Departmental Required Courses: 2 | ||
| CHEMSTRY 1140 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| BIOLOGY 1650 | The Unity of Life | 5 |
| MATH 1830 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| MATH 2450 | Precalculus | 5 |
| or MATH 2530 | Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry | |
or any math over MATH 2610 | ||
| Total Credits | 79-92 | |
- 1
Depends upon high school world language courses completed, scores on the UW System Mathematics and English Placement tests, and whether courses selected for global studies and ethnic/gender studies also count for other liberal arts requirements
- 2
All forensic investigation majors must earn a "C-" or better in each course.
Forensic Investigation Emphases
Students must select one of the three emphases within the forensic investigation major.
Crime Scene Emphasis1
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Department Requirements | ||
| CRIMLJUS 1130 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRIMLJUS 2130 | Foundations of Policing | 3 |
| CRIMLJUS 2930 | Foundations of Interviewing | 3 |
| CRIMLJUS 3040 | Police Ethics | 3 |
| CRIMLJUS 3530 | Correctional Institutions | 3 |
| CRIMLJUS 4330 | Criminal Procedure and Evidence | 3 |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Choose at least 6 credits from the following list: | ||
| Fingerprint Analysis and Other Biometrics | ||
| Issues in Forensic Investigation | ||
| Forensic Anthropology | ||
| Medicolegal Death Investigation | ||
| Decomposition and the Post-Mortem Interval | ||
| Criminalistics | ||
| Cybercrime Investigations | ||
| Directed Individual Studies | ||
| Current Topics in Forensic Investigation | ||
| Internship | ||
| Forensic Botany | ||
| Forensic Chemistry | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
In addition, all forensic investigation majors with a crime scene emphasis must earn a “C-” or better in each required and elective course in the emphasis.
Laboratory Emphasis1,2
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Departmental Required Courses 2 | ||
| Biology | 10 | |
| The Diversity of Life | ||
| Chemistry | 13 | |
| General Chemistry II | ||
| Organic Chemistry I Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry II Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Mathematics | 7-8 | |
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | ||
| Physics | 8-10 | |
| Introductory Physics I | ||
or PHYSICS 2240 | General Physics I | |
| Introductory Physics II | ||
or PHYSICS 2340 | General Physics II | |
| Required Courses 2 | ||
| Criminalistics | ||
| Courtroom Testimony and Evidence | ||
| Electives 2 | ||
| Select at least 3 credits of the following: | 3 | |
| Medicolegal Death Investigation | ||
| Decomposition and the Post-Mortem Interval | ||
| Current Topics in Forensic Investigation | ||
| Non-Departmental Electives 2 | ||
| Choose at least 15 credits, at least 7 credits of which be from "laboratory" courses 4 | 15 | |
| Animal Tissue Culture | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Microbiology | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Ecology and Evolution | ||
| Biotechnology | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Molecular Biology 3 | ||
| Mammalian Endocrinology | ||
| Forensic Botany 3 | ||
| Advanced Physiology | ||
| Mammalian Histology 3 | ||
| Human Gross Anatomy 3 | ||
| Environmental Chemistry | ||
| Environmental Chemistry Lab 3 | ||
| Forensic Chemistry | ||
| Chemical Synthesis and Characterization | ||
| Physical Chemistry I | ||
| Physical Chemistry Lab I 3 | ||
| Physical Chemistry II | ||
| Physical Chemistry Lab II 3 | ||
| Instrumental Analysis 3 | ||
| General Biochemistry | ||
| General Biochemistry Lab 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 56-59 | |
- 1
Majors with this emphasis are strongly encouraged to double major in Chemistry or Biology. This emphasis has a high credit hour requirement per the standards set by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission.
- 2
In addition, all forensic investigation majors with a laboratory emphasis must earn a “C-” or better in each required and elective course in the emphasis.
- 3
This course counts toward the "laboratory" credits
- 4
These courses may not also satisfy the Non-Departmental Required Courses.
Medicolegal Death Investigation Emphasis1,2
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Departmental Required Courses 2 | 15 | |
| Foundations of Interviewing | ||
| Forensic Anthropology | ||
| Medicolegal Death Investigation | ||
| Decomposition and the Post-Mortem Interval | ||
| Courtroom Testimony and Evidence | ||
| Non-Departmental Required Courses: 2 | 44-46 | |
| The Diversity of Life | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II | ||
| Human Gross Anatomy | ||
| General Chemistry II | ||
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | ||
| Introductory Physics I | ||
or PHYSICS 2240 | General Physics I | |
| Introductory Physics II | ||
or PHYSICS 2340 | General Physics II | |
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | ||
| Non-Departmental Electives 2 | 2-5 | |
| Animal Tissue Culture | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Microbiology | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Ecology and Evolution | ||
| Biotechnology | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Molecular Biology | ||
| Mammalian Endocrinology | ||
| Forensic Botany | ||
| Mammalian Histology | ||
| Forensic Chemistry | ||
| General Biochemistry and General Biochemistry Lab | ||
| Total Credits | 61-66 | |
- 1
Majors with this emphasis are strongly encouraged to double major in Biology. This emphasis has a high credit hour requirement per the standards set by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission.
- 2
In addition, all forensic investigation majors with a medicolegal death investigation emphasis must earn a “C-” or better in each required and elective course in the emphasis.
Internship Eligibility
To be eligible for an internship, the student must have earned at least 60 credits plus 12 upper division Criminal Justice/Forensic Investigation credits and have a G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher.
The Washington Center
The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC) offers semester-long internship experiences for students in Washington, D.C. for students. Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation students accepted to the TWC program would enroll in 15 credits (Fall or Spring) or 9 credits (Summer) of TWC-related courses during the semester they will be in Washington, D.C.; see the Criminal Justice major page for more information. Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation majors are welcome to apply and should contact the Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation Department Chair for more information on the application process. Please visit https://www.TWC.edu for more information.