Medicolegal Death Investigation, MS

Contact:

Michael Sponsler
315-443-4880
sponsler@syr.edu

Faculty:

Kathleen Corrado, James Crill, Deepika Das, Brian Ehret, Ulrich Englich, James Hewett, Michael Marciano, Natalie Novotna, Marie Pettolina, Robert Silver, James T. Spencer, Michael B. Sponsler, Robert Stoppacher

Description:

The M.S. in Medicolegal Death Investigation is a focused degree program designed to prepare students for all aspects of a career as a death investigator.

This degree is intended for students who have selected this career path, and the objective is to prepare them both for the various aspects of this occupation (case investigation, understanding the body along with pathologies and trauma, autopsy, interviewing skills, securing and documenting evidence, courtroom testimony), as well as working effectively with and understanding other professionals whose roles intersect with death investigation (forensic pathologists, forensic scientists, crime scene investigators, law enforcement officers, toxicologists, and other medical and legal personnel). Graduates of this program will be exceptionally well prepared for this career relative to most applicants for the positions.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND PRINCIPLES - Apply the scientific foundational principles of forensic pathology and medicolegal death investigation in the criminal justice setting.
2.a RESEARCH AND CRITICAL THINKING - Identify needs for research in forensic science and critique empirical scientific studies as they relate to the reliability, accuracy, and limitations of forensic practices.
2.b RESEARCH AND CRITICAL THINKING - Use a rationale-based approach to evaluate and analyze a situation and/or in problem solving.
3. ETHICS and QUALITY - Assess and apply ethical standards, integrity, professionalism, and quality assurance protocols and standards in the field of forensic science.
4. COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION - Effectively communicate scientific principles with objectivity and transparency to stakeholders, including scientists and non-scientists.
5. PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION - Demonstrate procedural and scientific knowledge in death scenes and investigations.

Total Credits: 36

Gateway Courses: 27 Credits Required

Three of the courses on this list, FSC 657, FSC 668, and ANT 633, serve as options for a single requirement.

FSC 606 - Advanced Forensic Science 3 credit(s)
FSC 631 - Statistics for Forensic Science 3 credit(s)
FSC 633 - Quality Assurance and Ethics 3 credit(s)
FSC 634 - Anatomy & Physiology for Forensic Medicine 3 credit(s)
FSC 635 - Medicolegal Death Investigation I 3 credit(s)
FSC 657 - Principles of Human Toxicology 3 credit(s)
or FSC 668 - Crime Scene Investigation 3 credit(s)
or ANT 633 - Human Osteology 3 credit(s)
FSC 651 - Forensic Pathology 3 credit(s)
FSC 663 - Bloodstain Pattern Analysis 3 credit(s)
FSC 667 - Forensic Photography 3 credit(s)

Electives: 6 Credits Required

In addition to the elective courses listed, any FSC course will be accepted by petition.

FSC 641 - Forensic Analysis of Biological Evidence 3 credit(s)
FSC 652 - Forensic Mental Health 3 credit(s)
FSC 653 - Forensic Toxicology 3 credit(s)
FSC 655 - Computational Forensics 3 credit(s)
FSC 657 - Principles of Human Toxicology 3 credit(s)
FSC 661 - Firearms and Impression Evidence 3 credit(s)
FSC 664 - Latent Print Processing 3 credit(s)
FSC 665 - Latent Prints 3 credit(s)
FSC 668 - Crime Scene Investigation 3 credit(s)
FSC 672 - Advanced Light Microscopy 3 credit(s)
FSC 678 - Crime Scene Investigation II 3 credit(s)
ANT 633 - Human Osteology 3 credit(s)
ANT 634 - Anthropology of Death 3 credit(s)
ANT 636 - Bioarchaeology 3 credit(s)
LAW 604 - Criminal Law 3 credit(s)
LAW 708 - Constitutional Criminal Procedure - Investigative 3 credit(s)

Internship: 3 Credits Required

FSC 670 - Expereince Credit 3 credit(s)

Each student is required to participate in an internship in a medical examiner’s office, related to forensic pathology and/or medicolegal death investigation. Credits in excess of 3 will be counted as elective credits.

Seminar Requirement

Each student is required to participate in the FNSSI seminar program by attending at least 50% of the seminars during their semesters as an M.S. student in Syracuse.