Play a critical role in the justice system by preparing scientific work to be presented in courts of law.
Major Roadmap
探索你的选择——上课、实习、研究和出国留学. Browse the Forensic Science Major Guide to find what interests you, discover what you love, 并创造一个重要的经验，启动你的未来.
The mission of the forensic science program at St. Edward’s University is to prepare the next generation of socially conscious and scientifically sound forensic scientists.
As a Forensic Science major, you’ll learn how to collect and analyze evidence from crime scenes so it can be used in court cases or the criminal justice system. Become an expert witness in criminal cases, 或者在犯罪现场或指纹鉴定员那里工作. Unlike in popular TV shows, 犯罪现场从来没有简单的答案-但你将学习如何有条不紊地接近他们, 注重细节的方式，同时涉及批判性和创造性思维.
You’ll learn crime scene investigation techniques, 用科学的方法分析你收集的数据, and legal and ethical protocols. Get hands-on experience at mock crime scenes, like the one Associate Professor of Forensic Science Casie Parish-Fisher set up using the remains of deceased hogs at Wild Basin Creative Research Center, an Austin wilderness preserve managed by St. Edward’s. Intern with the Austin Police Department, 特拉维斯县法医办公室或其他执法机构, 毕业生准备用科学创造一个更加公正和安全的社会.
What do our graduates do?
法医学专业的学生可以从事各种各样的职业，也可以从St. Edward’s. Here’s a sample.
- 在德州公共安全部门工作, Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office, Austin Police Department, Houston Forensic Science Center, 圣安东尼奥警察局和圆石警察局
- Attending the South Texas College of Law
- 在萨姆休斯顿州立大学读研究生, 北德克萨斯大学和中央兰开夏大学
- Attending medical school at the St. George’s University Charter Program to Medicine and the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara Medical School
The Thrill of Discovery
Undergraduate research at St. 爱德华将学生与专业导师联系起来, 鼓励他们接受新的挑战，帮助一些人找到他们从未想过的职业. Read about five students, including a Forensic Science major, whose research is finding answers.
The Classroom and Beyond
法医学课程将科学概念应用于法律事务, bridging the worlds of science and law. 你的课程将教会你在工作中使用的技能, 你们将在虚拟和真实的模拟犯罪现场进行练习. 研究是法医学中使用的扩展方法的关键部分, and you’ll have a chance to conduct research that can help expand the techniques used in the field. 你也可以加入学生组织，帮助你建立人际网络，回馈社会.
Experiential Education
Your classes are taught by professors who have years of experience in the field and keep up with new developments as forensic science evolves. Each course is designed to give you an immersive, 吸引人的经历，与你在职业生涯中遇到的现实生活场景相似. For example:
In Crime Scene Photography, you will learn the parts of a digital camera, learn to document indoor and outdoor scenes, 练习拍摄假身体部位的伤口, creating a portfolio of your work. You also will review photographs in a virtual setting using virtual reality headsets in order to explore the immersive experience of being on a crime scene.
In Crime Scene Investigations I & II，你将评估和记录模拟常见现场经验的模拟犯罪现场. 您还将使用现场和实验室技术处理模拟证据. 有些模拟犯罪现场是亲自上演的，要么是在大街上. 爱德华的校园或野生盆地创意研究中心. For others, you’ll use a virtual reality headset or your computer to investigate evidence at mock crime scenes — like a hotel room where a body was found — and click on hotspots with embedded photos and case information.
In Forensics in the Wild, 您将探索调查户外犯罪的独特挑战. You’ll critically analyze environmental factors affecting outdoor crime scenes and learn to evaluate samples within forensic botany, soil recovery and analysis, and anthropology.
In Principles and Practices of Science and Law, you’ll explore the interaction between the ideas and practices of the scientific community and the legal community. Taking on the persona of an expert witness, 你要准备在模拟刑事审判中呈上一份法医证据. 你还会假扮成律师，打电话给“专家”作证.
Study Abroad
History and Philosophy of Science, a required course for Forensic Science majors, has been taught both on campus and abroad. When taught in London and Edinburgh, the class focused on the history of medicine and disease and how it intersects with the history of crime. 该课程的学生参观了伦敦与科学和医学史有关的地点, including the Alexander Fleming Museum, 展示了弗莱明发现青霉素的实验室. 他们还参观了爱丁堡的外科医生大厅博物馆, which has collections of pathological anatomy specimens and an anatomy theater with an interactive dissection table.
Student Organizations
法医协会致力于真相- SEU F.A.C.T. 简称-是一个致力于法医科学的学生组织，每两周开一次会. 会员建立自己的网络，学习职业. F.A.C.T. also hosts fun collaborative events that give you the chance to explore other science-based fields, like teaming up with the American Chemical Society chapter to conduct spooky Halloween-themed experiments.
The St. 爱德华刑事司法俱乐部是美国刑事司法协会的一个分会, Lambda Alpha Epsilon. The club meets twice a month to hear guest speakers, go on field trips, 提供社区服务，一起完成培训.
The St. Edward’s student affiliate chapter of the American Chemical Society hosts guest speakers who talk about their research, 工业界的工作和研究生院的细节. Members have volunteered at the ACS Southwest Regional Meeting and given poster presentations of their research, and they have traveled to other universities for hands-on training at advanced instrumentation workshops. SEU ACS还举办社交和娱乐活动，如扎染实验室外套和电影之夜.
Service
Forensic Science students have worked for several years on a grant-funded STEM outreach program for sixth-graders. The St. 爱德华的学生制作犯罪现场工具包，年轻的学生用它来破案. The program encourages elementary- and middle-school students to get curious about careers in science.
Degree Requirements
Major Requirements: The Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science major requires 96-97 hours of Forensic Science major courses, 包括生物信息学等课程, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.
General Education Requirements: 除了专业课程要求外，所有学生还必须满足 general education requirements. 与你的成功教练和指导老师谈谈哪些课程适合你.
View and download the full degree plan for the BS in Forensic Science major (PDF). This helpful course map 显示该部门的先决条件顺序.
Research
You’ll advance the state of forensic science by conducting research into potential new technologies and techniques. College students can test whether these techniques show enough promise to merit investment by professional labs. Through your research, you’ll address challenges currently being faced by investigators in the field and build marketable skills. Some examples of past projects include:
研发一种新型的双重化学物质可以揭示血液的存在, using titanium dioxide — which turns blood white and makes it visible on dark surfaces — and a fluorescent-based chemical, 是什么让血在大理石或彩色背景上也很显眼.
Working with a professor to test a new rapid DNA profiling machine on biological samples that had been burned, simulating samples from a fire scene. That capability would be important in disasters where multiple victims needed to be identified through DNA analysis.
比较两种处理多孔表面DNA谱的方法, such as paper and carpet, using a chemical enhancer that reacts with amino acids to make evidence like fingerprints or blood more easily visible.
Internships
You’ll have an opportunity to apply for internships where you’ll utilize some of the same skills you’ve been developing in your experiential classes. 法医学专业的学生在州和地方机构获得了竞争激烈的实习机会, including:
- Travis County Medical Examiner's Office
- Austin Police Department
- Travis County Sheriff's Office
- Leander Police Department
- El Paso Police Department
- Bexar County Sheriff's Office
Our Faculty
Dr. 帕里什·费希尔的研究兴趣涉及DNA分析, 特别是现场直接扩增和快速DNA分析. Her projects have centered around generating DNA profiles post-chemical and powder processing for latent prints, 对潜血印进行化学强化, 以及暴露在火中的生物样本.
– Casie Parish Fisher, 法医学助理教授兼法医学项目主任
Forensic Science Minor
Students who are interested in the forensic fields can get a minor in Forensic Science in order to establish baseline knowledge and experience within the subject. This is especially helpful for individuals who are interested in pursuing careers where forensic knowledge enhances their job applicant profile.
Required Coursework
- Criminology
- Intro to Forensic Science
- Crime Scene Investigation I with Lab
- Crime Scene Investigation II with Lab
- Crime Scene Photography
- Professional Practica in Forensic Science
Are you a current student? Contact your advisor for next steps on declaring your major or minor.
Named Among Best Forensic Science Programs
圣塔斯特大学自然科学学院的法医学专业. Edward's University is ranked among the top-25 Bachelor in Forensic Science degree programs by College Choice. Our Forensic Science major offers students the option to customize their degree with either a lab or field emphasis and prepares them to take on roles as crime scene investigators and personnel within crime laboratories.
SEU to You
Virtual mock crime scenes and VR headsets meet in-person crime-scene sketching and evidence processing in Associate Professor of Forensic Science Casie Parish Fisher's Crime Scene Investigations course.