B.S. in Forensic Science
Forensic science is the exciting field where science and technology meet the law. As a forensic scientist you will bring the most advanced scientific tools to bear on the most pressing problems, including solving crimes and saving lives. The challenge of forensic science is to look back in time to determine the who, what, when, where and why of disputed events. In your search for clues that dispel mysteries and serve justice, you will investigate everything from DNA, blood and other body fluids to textiles, footwear, footprints, tire tracks, documents and signatures, flammables, pollutants and much more.
LIU Post’s 120-credit Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science degree will prepare you for a rewarding career in the laboratory departments of police departments, medical examiners’ offices, toxicology and pathology. The program integrates lecture courses with laboratory work and hands-on field experiences. Students study a broad range of forensic applications such as molecular pathology, criminalistics, human genetics and forensic anthropology. Classes are taught by practicing forensic scientists, medical professionals and LIU Post professors of biomedical sciences, chemistry, criminal justice and forensic science. In addition, students serve as interns at highly-productive Long Island and Manhattan crime laboratories, health departments and medical examiners’ offices.
The Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science degree is offered jointly through the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the School of Health Professions and Nursing and the Department of Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Program Curriculum
| Course # | Course Name | Credits |
| Required Foundation Science/Mathematics Courses (35-36 credits) | ||
| BIO 103 | General Biology I | 4 |
| BIO 104 | General Biology II | 4 |
| CHM 3 | Principles of Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHM 4 | Principles of Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHM 21 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHM 22 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| One of the following | ||
| BIO 141 | Biostatistics | 3-4 |
| ECO 72 | Statistics | 3-4 |
| MTH 19 | Basic Statistics | 3-4 |
| MTH 23 | Foundations of Statistical Analysis | 3-4 |
| PSY 53 | Psychological Statistics | 3-4 |
| SOC 53 | Sociological Statistics | 3-4 |
| One of the following sequences | ||
| PHY 3 | University Physics I | 8 |
| PHY 4 | University Physics II | 8 |
| OR | ||
| PHY 11 | College Physics I | 8 |
| PHY 12 | College Physics II | |
| Required Specialized Science Courses (19 credits) | ||
| BIO 107 | Genetics | 4 |
| CHM 37 | Quantitative Analysis | 4 |
| CHM 71 | Basic Biochemistry | 4 |
| BMS 80 | Immunology | 3 |
| BMS 256 | Diagnostic Techniques in Molecular Pathology | 4 |
| Required Forensic Science Courses (22 credits) | ||
| FSC 51 | Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| FSC 39 | Forensic Instrumentation | 4 |
| CRJ 76 | Criminal Procedure | 3 |
| BMS 71 | Introduction to Criminalistics | 3 |
| BMS 255 | Toxicology | 3 |
| BMS 257 | Forensic Molecular Technology | 4 |
| BMS 271 | Forensic Internship | 2 |
| Required Core Courses (4 credits) | ||
| One of the following |
||
| MTH 3 | College Algebra and Trigonometry | 4 |
| MTH 7 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | 4 |
| Course # | Course Name | Credits |
| POST 101 | Post Foundations | 1 |
| FY | First-Year Seminar | 3 |
| ENG 1* | Writing 1 | 3 |
| ENG 2* | Writing 2 | 3 |
| MTH | Quantitative Reasoning: fulfilled with any MTH course (MTH 7 required for major) |
3-4 |
| Choose one course from each of the five below course clusters and one additional course from one of the clusters. | ||
| Scientific Inquiry & the Natural World (BIO 103 required for major) |
4 | |
| Creativity Media & the Arts | 3 | |
| Perspectives on World Culture | 3 | |
| Self, Society & Ethics | 3 | |
| Power, Institutions & Structures | 3 | |
| One additional course from one of the five above clusters. (BIO 104 required for major) | 3-4 | |
* In addition to ENG 1 and 2, students take at least 3 more writing intensive (WAC) courses as part of their major, core, or elective courses.
ENG 303 and 304 can satisfy the ENG 1 and 2 requirement for students in the Honors College.
| Credit Requirements | |
| Total Major Requirement Credits | 36 |
| Elective Major Credits | 41 |
| Total Core Requirement Credits | 32 |
| Elective Liberal Arts & Sciences Credits | 11 |
| Total Degree Credits | 120 |
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