Physical Sciences, BS, Concentration: Forensic Science

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About the Program

Students are taught how to analyze crime scenes, perform ballistic and fingerprint comparisons, and learn how to maintain a proper chain of evidence and testify in a courtroom, in order to support modern criminal investigations.

Degree Requirements

120 Credit Hours
Minimum grade of C- required for all College of Engineering and Sciences courses
Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
Certain courses may only be available at one campus location

PNW General Education Core (32 Credits Minimum)

English Composition (6 Credits):
Speech Communication (3 Credits):
Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits): or *
Natural Sciences (4 Credits):
Technology (3 Credits):
Humanities (3 Credits):
Social Sciences (3 Credits):
Additional Credits (3 Credits):
General Education Elective (3 Credits):
First-Year Experience (FYE) (1 Credit): or

Forensic Concentration Core (21 Credits)

Other Required Courses (9 Credits)

Restricted Elective (3 Credits): Choose from CHM (any course excluding CHM 10000, CHM 10300, CHM 10600, CHM 11100, CHM 11200, and CHM 19400), PHYS (any course 20000 or higher), or forensics oriented SCI course. See program advisor for a list of available courses.

Free Electives (6 Credits): Student may choose any two (2) courses to fulfil this requirement. At least 3 credits of free electives must be 30000 level or higher.

Total 120 Credits Required

* Note: Students who choose to take MA 16300, MA 16400, PHYS 15200, and PHYS 25100 can reduce their free electives by five (5) credits to meet the 120 credit hour requirement.

Degree Map

Requirements

Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): Minimum grade of C- required for all College of Engineering and Sciences courses; 2.0 GPA

Experiential Learning (EL): One EL course required. EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title.

General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description. Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement.

Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study.

Courses that are only offered on one campus will be noted by an (H) for Hammond, or (W) for Westville.

Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information.

Semester 1 (14 Credits)

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester. Certain exclusions apply.

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