1 GRADUATE COUNCIL MEETING 9 May 2012 102 Kern Graduate ...

E3
Master of Professional Studies in Forensic Science
Penn State
The graduate faculty in forensic science is requesting changes to the curriculum of the
Master of Professional Studies in Forensic Science degree program. These changes will
more accurately reflect degree requirements, will address accreditation requirements, and
will provide the graduates of the program with an outstanding level of preparation as they
enter the field of forensic science.
We have added 3-4 credits to the program curriculum, but the length of the program has
remained the same, at two years. The typical length of a Master’s program in forensic
science is two years. Most of the proposed changes to our program will address
accreditation requirements by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation
Commission (FEPAC), of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. A copy of the
accreditation requirements can be found at www.aafs.org/fepac. In addition, we identified a
flaw in the delivery of our undergraduate and graduate courses. First, the demanding
nature of three of our undergraduate courses warranted a change to 400-level course
numbers; FRNSC 410, 411, 413 and 415W (one of the three courses was split into two).
These changes have been approved by the Faculty Senate. Second, our undergraduate
program is highly advanced when compared to other programs in the country. Therefore,
our incoming graduate students from other universities must take a sequence of 400-level
courses to prepare them for the 500 and 800-level courses; including those listed above.
While the Master’s program has a number of required 400-level courses, this reflects the
outstanding nature of our program, and does not translate into a reduction in the quality or
rigor of the Master’s program. In fact, the proposed changes outlined below will increase
the number of graduate level courses from 16 to 19-20 credits at the 500 and 800 levels. To
meet FEPAC requirements, we converted 11 elective credits to 11 prescribed credits, and
have added them to the original 16 core course credits. Therefore, we now require 27 core
course credits.
Proposed increase in core courses from 16 to 27 credits:
1. Accreditation requirements call for Masters-level graduates to have coursework in
drug chemistry/toxicology, regardless of their area of emphasis. Therefore, we have
added a core course to satisfy this requirement (FRNSC 532 – Drug Chemistry and
Toxicology). (+3 CREDITS)
2. Accreditation requirements call for Masters-level students to conduct formal
research. Therefore, we have added a requirement for six (6) credits of research
(FRNSC 894). (+6 CREDITS)
3. Accreditation requirements call for Masters-level students to have formal training in
courtroom proceedings and testimony. Therefore, we have added FRNSC 400 to the
core curriculum (Courtroom Proceedings and Testimony). (+1 CREDIT)
4. A change was made in the structure of FRNSC 500 (6 credits) to limit the content to
crime scene investigation (CSI) components, and to separate the course into the