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Forensic Science | BS

PROGRAM TYPE
On Campus

DEGREES
BS

Contact

Kerriann Marden Ph. D.

Assistant Professor, Forensic Science

Health and Forensic Sciences

(508) 849-3365

kmarden@annamaria.edu

Academic Agreements

Accelerated Degree Program

Forensic Science | BS

The School of Nursing and Health Science

Program Overview

Forensic science combines natural science and criminal justice. Successful practitioners must have substantial technical expertise and knowledge, critical analytic and thinking abilities, superior communications skills, and an awareness of the scientist’s ethical responsibilities in the legal process.

Anna Maria offers a Forensic Science Criminalistics track. The Forensic Science, Criminalistics track provides students with the basic and advanced sciences necessary to investigate, gather data, evidence, and begin processing a crime scene both at a beginner and advanced level. Graduates will have the basic skills required to serve as Crime Scene Technicians and Crime Scene Investigators. They work alongside their crime lab colleagues providing the foundation and starting point for investigations. They follow protocols for gathering evidence, taking pictures, recording measurements, and securing further investigative areas, including hair, blood, other bodily fluids; tool and tire marks; bullet flight path trajectory; and textile fibers from clothing and other materials.

The forensic science program at Anna Maria College will expose students to a wide variety of disciplines and skills, providing them with a solid foundation to launch a career in forensic science. Students of the program will also engage in highly sought-after internships. Law School is also an option for the Anna Maria Forensic Science program students.

Graduates will find career opportunities at the entry-level, as either sworn or non-sworn personnel, in law enforcement agencies, Crime Scene Units, Bureau of Criminal Identification-Evidence Recovery Units, or in Crime Laboratories. Positions also exist in the private sector, including but not limited to law offices and insurance companies.

This program will also prepare graduates to enter advanced study and continue pursuing their studies in graduate Forensic Science programs. The program provides a balanced combination of law and science, with a rigorous course of study in numerous scientific disciplines. Graduates of this program may also consider employment in public and private settings, including law firms and insurance companies.

Students in the Forensic Science program will receive instruction from professional crime scene investigators and accomplished academics experienced in the field of forensics.

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Students in the Forensic Science program will receive instruction from professional crime scene investigators and accomplished academics experienced in the field of forensics.

Curriculum Highlights

Course of Study

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Curriculum Highlights

CRJ 212 – Criminal Law

Required

An examination of the substantive law of crimes, constitutional protections and criminal processes.

3 credits

Intro to Forensics (Lab)

Required

Studies the application of science to law. Introduces forensic science concepts, history, processes and issues including how forensic science is linked with other components of the criminal justice
system.

3 credits

Biology 2 (lab)

Required

s. Topics include cell structure in microbes and more complex organisms, genetics, and energy acquisition and use by living systems.

3 credits

PHL 110 – Introduction to Philosophy

Required

Course focuses on the most fundamental questions that human beings have always asked. Topics include a critical examination of theories about reality and truth, moral values and social justice, personal identity and free will, aesthetic values, and systems of religious beliefs.

3 credits

CHM 110/CHM 111 – Chemistry I & II (Lab)

Required

Students survey and apply fundamental concepts of general, inorganic and organic chemistry; explore the nature of scientific inquiry; apply standard methods in calculations and unit analysis; and gain experience with key laboratory techniques.

3 credits

Collection and Preservation of Evidence (Lab)

Required

This course teaches the fundamentals of crime scene investigation, including crime scene administration, management, and documentation.

3 credits

Homeland Security

Required

This course explains the history of building national security, its mission and its role. Through a consideration of best practices and the balance between security and liberty, it examines the organizational structures and resources required to defend the homeland.

3 credits

Criminal Procedure

Required

This course covers the relationship between the people and the police, focusing on the Fourth and Fifth Amendment constitutional concepts that govern law enforcement action.

3 credits

American Government

Required

This course examines the origins, evolution, organization, and functions of the American national government.

3 credits

Organic Chemistry

Required

Organic chemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies the structure, characteristics, and reactivity of organic molecules and organic materials, which are matter in various forms that contain carbon atoms.

3 credits

CRJ 430 – Ethics in Criminal Justice

Required

. The course will consider the potential for abuse of discretionary authority through a consideration of actual cases of misconduct by judges, police, prison officers, and other members of the criminal justice community.

3 credits

BIO 341 – Forensic Anthropology

Required

This course is designed to teach the methods of human skeletal anatomy and archaeology (bio archaeology) as they are applied to medical-legal death investigations.

3 credits

CRJ 250 – Policing in America

Required

A survey of the history, development, environment, organization, and sociology of law enforcement in America.

3 credits

CRJ/FOR 207 – Forensic Photography

Required

An introduction to the fundamentals of photography including its history, theory and role in documenting, preserving and identifying information.

3 credits

BUS 215 – Public Speaking

Required

Know your audience! Students will learn and practice the essential skills for delivering dynamic presentations. This course utilizes videotaping as one strategy for students to track their improvements.

3 credits

PSY 306 – Social or Abnormal Psychology

Required

The course will examine the contributions made by analytic, neurological, cognitive-behavioral, and humanistic schools in understanding the ontogenesis of abnormal behavior as well as the effectiveness of various treatment models.

3 credits

FSC 490 – Forensic Science Capstone

Required

This course promotes the assimilation and application of concepts and skills learned throughout the Forensic Science and General Education curriculum to a specific research question.

3 credits

CRJ/FOR 407 – Forensic Psychology

Required

A course that explores contemporary issues confronting the criminal justice system Students will have an opportunity to explore and analyze some of the existing research on the special focus of the course.

3 credits

Download Full Curriculum Map

Course Of Study

Career Opportunity

CAREER

Clinical social worker
Police detective
Lawyer
Forensic psychologist
Criminal profiler

Program Learning Outcomes

The forensic science program mission at Anna Maria is to foster professional and principled graduates whose proficiency in problem solving, legal analysis and function, quantitative reasoning, investigation and scientific laboratory procedures, and skills, that can be applied to immediate employment after graduation or advanced study.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Outcome 1	Demonstrate familiarity with a broad range of forensic science fields, techniques, and concepts
Outcome 2	Demonstrate scientific thought and techniques, and perform scientific analysis pertinent to the forensic sciences
Outcome 3	Identify and utilize correct investigative techniques during criminal investigations, including the proper use of equipment in the criminal investigation process.

ASSESSMENT

College competency is expressed or measured in one or more of the college learning outcomes. Instructors will teach directly to each college competency. Continued assessment will be demonstrated through lab activities and graded assignments. Competencies to be measured include but not limited to the below listed competencies.