Department website: https://www.uwplatt.edu/program/forensic-investigation

Department Chair: Will LeSuer
Office: 1147 Ullsvik Hall
Phone: 608.342.1033
E-mail: lesuerw@uwplatt.edu

About the Forensic Investigation Program and Major

The forensic investigation major provides a thorough practical and theoretical study to the application of science within the investigative process. Students will explore the role that science plays in recognizing, documenting, collecting, and preserving physical evidence at crime scenes, and how this evidence is evaluated within a courtroom setting.

The UW-Platteville criminal justice and forensic investigation programs have received national recognition for the superior quality of their internship programs. As a result, participation in internship programs is competitive. The programs reserve the right to refuse a student an internship if they are not a suitable candidate on the basis of scholarship, verbal ability, or character. To be eligible for internship, the student must have earned at least 60 credits plus 12 upper division criminal justice/forensic investigation credits and a 2.50 G.P.A.

The UW-Platteville Departments of Chemistry, Engineering Physics, Biology, and Criminal Justice and Social Sciences cooperate in preparing students interested in becoming crime laboratory analysts.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the forensic investigation program should be able to:

1. Explain how the discipline of forensic investigation contributes to the criminal justice system
2. Utilize and describe methods of collection, preservation, analysis, and comparison in forensic investigation
3. Identify the relevant legal and ethical issues involved in evidence collection and processing
4. Demonstrate proper logic, grammar, and style for writing forensic reports
5. Review forensic research for purposes of solving a forensic problem
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the social, historical, scientific, and technological changes relevant to the study of forensic criminology

General Requirements

Bachelor of Science Degree

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Total for graduation		120
General education		44-58
Major studies		36

Major

• Forensic Investigation Major, B.S.
  • Crime Scene Emphasis
  • Laboratory Emphasis

Minor

• Forensic Investigation Minor

Four-Year Plan

• Forensic Investigation Major, B.S., Four-Year Plan

Faculty and Lecturers

Additional information about the Faculty and Lecturers below may be found in the Faculty and Academic Staff section of this catalog.