BE THERE. FORENSIC SCIENCE
THE DEPARTMENT OF
FORENSIC SCIENCE As a recognized leader in forensic science education, the Department of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University is prepared to help you reach your career goals. As one of the first FEPAC-accredited graduate programs in the United States and the first of its kind in Texas, you will see why so many of our graduates go on to pursue successful careers in their chosen forensic discipline. The difference is here.
shsu.edu/forensicscience
DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED Undergraduate Minor in Forensic Science The Department of Forensic Science offers a flexible minor in forensic science that is geared towards students with diverse backgrounds. The forensic science minor is ideally suited for students who intend to pursue investigative careers within the criminal justice system as well as natural science majors who are interested in more traditional laboratory-based careers in forensic science. The minor can be completed online and covers important topics for mandatory state licensing of forensic analysts and technicians in the State of Texas. Students must complete 18 credit hours of which at least 6 must be 400 <4000> level courses.
Master of Science in Forensic Science The Master of Science degree is designed to provide students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities essential to forensic science. Graduate level topics include forensic biology, forensic toxicology, controlled substances, trace evidence and microscopy, instrumental analysis, crime scene investigation, pattern evidence, law and forensic science, ethics, and quality assurance. These core topics are complemented with advanced discipline-specific coursework and extensive hands-on laboratory instruction in our state-of-the art scientific facility. The program requires the completion of 44 graduate semester hours that can be fulfilled in two years of full-time study. In addition to core coursework and specialized electives, students must complete an internship and research project.
Doctor of Philosophy in Forensic Science The Doctor of Philosophy is an interdisciplinary science degree that is designed to provide students with the critical thinking ability, problemsolving skills, and discipline-specific knowledge to allow them to advance into leadership positions. This is accomplished by demonstrating the ability to perform independent, original research, the successful completion of multidisciplinary academic coursework, hands-on experience in the laboratory, and collaboration with accredited forensic laboratories, institutes and partners. The PhD in Forensic Science requires the completion of 86 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Students are expected to complete the requirements during approximately five years of full-time study. Those seeking careers in this field should be aware that background checks similar to those required for law enforcement officers are likely to be a condition of employment. Drug testing, history of drug use, criminal background checks and other factors, such as social media use and content may be considered for employment or internship placements.
shsu.edu/cjprograms
ACADEMIC INDUSTRIAL
PARTNERSHIPS Institutes of higher education play a critical role advancing the standard and practice of forensic science in the United States. As a recognized leader in forensic science education at the graduate-level within one of the oldest and most well-respected Criminal Justice Colleges in the U.S., Sam Houston State University is committed to academic-industrial partnerships that advance the goals of the profession. Through collaborative, interdisciplinary, and industrially relevant research and training, the Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation (IFRTI) works to broaden scientific awareness and serve as a vehicle for technology transfer and innovation. Working together, we advance the practice of forensic science through strategic academic-industrial partnerships, industrially relevant research, and the delivery of highly specialized training to the forensic practitioner and stakeholder communities. SHSU not only values this type of collaboration within its graduate programs but has embraced it for over a decade. Strong ties with the forensic enterprise, accredited laboratories and the medico-legal community play an important role in education, research and service within the Department of Forensic Science. Our faculty consist of engaged scholars, many of whom actively participate in forensic reform efforts at the state and national level. Through faculty participation in the OSAC (Organization for Scientific Area Committees) for forensic science and various standards developing organizations (SDOs), our contemporary curriculum exposes students to new and emerging issues so that they are well-prepared for the workplace.
SOUTHEAST TEXAS APPLIED FORENSIC SCIENCE FACILITY The Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science (STAFS) Facility is a willed-body donor facility, recognized by the Anatomical Board of Texas, accepting human body donations for the purposes of scientific research. The STAFS Laboratory contains state-of-the-art equipment, including digital imaging, microscopy, necropsy suite and a skeletal collection room for students, researchers, and professionals in physical and forensic anthropology. The STAFS Outdoor Research Facility is located within the Center for Biological Field Studies at Sam Houston State University, a 247 acre parcel of land adjacent to the Sam Houston National Forest. STAFS facilitates and conducts research that benefits the broader forensic and medico-legal communities. In collaboration with law enforcement and forensic practitioners, STAFS simulates forensically relevant scenarios that may be encountered in real-world investigations. These efforts help answer key scientific questions, and may provide supporting data through empirical research. Students at SHSU have the opportunity to participate in these research efforts, assist with training, and intern at the facility. To find out more about the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility, please visit us online at www.ifrti.org/STAFS.
INSTITUTE FOR FORENSIC RESEARCH, TRAINING AND INNOVATION The mission of the Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation is to advance the practice of forensic science through strategic academic-industrial partnerships, industrially relevant research, and to deliver highly specialized training to forensic practitioners and stakeholders. Through interdisciplinary forensic research and training, we hope to broaden scientific awareness and serve as a vehicle for technology transfer and innovation in a way that advances forensic science and the administration of justice locally, nationally, and globally. To find out more about the Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation, please visit us online at www.ifrti.org.
MS IN FORENSIC SCIENCE The Master of Science in Forensic Science program is accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) and provides a rigorous core curriculum with an integrative approach. This unique and interdisciplinary program was the first of its kind in Texas and allows students the flexibility to tailor their degree to specific needs and goals. The program maintains strong ties with accredited forensic laboratories in both the private and public sectors. Students will complete an internship in a forensic laboratory, an independent research project, and demonstrate good oral and written skills that will prepare them for future success in both the laboratory and in the courtroom.
Students enrolled in the MS program may apply for the PhD program during their second year of study. Students who successfully pass a qualifying examination at the conclusion of the second year can transfer all eligible credit hours towards the 86 graduate semester requirement for the PhD.
shsu.edu/programs/graduate/forensic-science/
CORE COURSEWORK Year 1
FORS 5445 Forensic Instrumental Analysis FORS 5360 Pattern and Physical Evidence Concepts FORS 5117 Controlled Substances FORS 5440 Forensic Biology FORS 5435 Trace/Microscopical Analysis FORS 6446 Forensic Toxicology
Summer
FORS 6371 Forensic Science Internship
Year 2
FORS 5116 Seminar in Forensic Science FORS 6014 Forensic Science Research FORS 5226 Law and Forensic Sciences FORS 6224 Quality Assurance and Ethical Conduct in Forensic Science
PhD Only
FORS 7331 Research Methods FORS 7332 Scientific Communications FORS 7390 Forensic Laboratory Management
PHD IN FORENSIC SCIENCE The PhD in Forensic Science requires the completion of rigourous core coursework, dissertation research, and electives. In order to advance to candidacy students must have successfully completed 44 graduate credit hours of coursework and research, submit a portfolio for review, write a formal research proposal and orally defend the proposal typically by the close of the second year. Once the doctoral program committee determines that the qualifying exam (portfolio, proposal and oeal defense) are satisfactory, the student may enroll in dissertation research. A minimum of 15 hours of dissertation credits are required and students must maintain continuous enrollment until they graduate. Students must complete and defend a doctoral dissertation, which is the product of original scholarly research of publishable quality to represent a meaningful contribution of knowledge in the field of forensic science.
Students with an MS in Forensic Science from a FEPAC-accredited institution may be eligible to transfer credit towards the eighty-six credit hour requirement for the PhD in Forensic Science.
shsu.edu/programs/doctorate/forensic-science/
SPECIALIZED ELECTIVES FORS 5310
Forensic Molecular Biology
FORS 5333
Forensic Anthropology
FORS 6315
Forensic Population Genetics
FORS 6333
Behavioral Genetics
FORS 6337
Forensic Medicine
FORS 6361
Advanced Forensic DNA
FORS 7315
Advanced DNA Mixture Interpretation
BIOL 5305
Medical/Criminal Entomology
BIOL 5363
Genomics and Bioinformatics
BIOL 5391
Advanced Genetics
FORS 5119
Fire Debris
FORS 6319
Controlled Substance Analysis
FORS 6335
Advanced Forensic Chemistry
FORS 6345
Advanced Instrumental Analysis
FORS 7345
Advanced Mass Spectrometry
FORS 7346
Advanced Forensic Toxicology
FORS 7381
Explosive Analysis and Detection
BIOL 5394
Electron Microscopy
CHEM 5372
Advanced Biochemistry I
CHEM 5373
Drug and Toxin Biochemistry
CHEM 5368
Analytical Spectroscopy
PSYC 5360
Advanced Physiological Psychology
PSYC 5361
Neuropsychopharmacology
FORS 5114
Firearms and Toolmarks
FORS 5118
Questioned Documents
FORS 5362
Techniques for Crime Scene Investigation
FORS 6111
Fundamentals of Research Methods
FORS 6317
Forensic Statistics
FORS 7089
Practicum
FORS 7394
Doctoral Seminar
FACULTY &
RESEARCH Our dedicated forensic faculty have terminal degrees in their respective disciplines and real-world experience working in local, state, and federal laboratories and organizations. Our core faculty have experience in forensic biology, controlled substances, forensic toxicology, forensic anthropology, crime scene investigation, pattern evidence, forensic microscopy, trace evidence, quality assurance, crime laboratory management, and more. Forensic science research at SHSU is highly interdisciplinary in nature and has attracted significant external funding. Our researchers have a wide range of interests with research programs covering a broad range of chemical, biological and physical forensic sciences: massively parallel sequencing (MPS), mixture interpretation, highly degraded DNA, touch DNA, forensic botany, forensic taphonomy, postmortem forensic toxicology and medico-legal death investigation, behavioral toxicology, novel psychoactive substances (NPS), metabolomics, chemical profiling, chemometrics, informatics, pattern and impression evidence, questioned document examination, trace materials, evidence interpretation, gunshot residue analysis, nanotechnology and sensors, and novel instrumental techniques.
Dr. Sheree Hughes Associate Professor of Forensic Science
Dr. J. Tyler Davidson Assistant Professor of Forensic Science
Dr. Rachel Houston Assistant Professor of Forensic Science
Dr. Sarah Kerrigan Professor of Forensic Science
• Chair of the Department of Forensic Science. • Director of the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science (STAFS) Facility. • PhD in Health Science (Forensic Genetics) at Bond University in Australia. • Over 15 years teaching experience in the fields of human anatomy and dissection, forensic biology, and forensic anthropology. • Served on state and national forensic science commissions, working groups, and societies. • Combines DNA typing and forensic anthropology by investigating highly degraded and challenging biological samples for human identification and forensic intelligence purposes.
• Graduate Program Director. • Joined the Department of Forensic Science as an Assistant Professor in 2020. • PhD in Forensic Science from West Virginia University. • Recipient of the 2020 Emerging Forensic Scientist Award through the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. • Former Chair of the FLN-TWG subcommittee on Evolving Approaches and Technologies for Seized Drug Analysis. • Forensic applications of mass spectrometry to seized drugs, toxicology, and trace evidence.
• Online Program Director. • PhD in Forensic Science from Sam Houston State University. • Expertise in forensic genetics and member of the OSAC Wildlife Forensics Subcommittee. • Leveraging next-generation sequencing for forensic and intelligence purposes. • Method development of genetic panels for non-human species of forensic interest. • Assessing front-end processing of evidence and exploring novel sexual assault sample processing techniques.
• Director of the Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation. • Former Forensic toxicologist at the Scotland Yard Forensic Science Laboratory in London, England. • Served as a forensic scientist, quality assurance manager, as well as regional and state laboratory director in accredited crime laboratories in the United States. • Past President of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists. • Served on the Forensic Science Standards Board • of the OSAC for seven years. • Member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. • Recipient of the Irving Sunshine Toxicology Award, 2002. • Recipient of the Rolla N. Harger Award in 2018. • Appointee of the Texas Forensic Science Commission.
Dr. Jorn Yu Professor of Forensic Science
Dr. Patrick Buzzini Professor of Forensic Science
Dr. Tim Kalafut Associate Professor of Forensic Science
Dr. Geraldine Monjardez Assistant Professor of Forensic Science
• 15+ years of Forensic Faculty experience. • 8+ years of crime scene investigation experience. • 40+ peer-reviewed publications. • 2 provisional patent applications. • 10+ internally and externally funded projects. • Certified by the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC-CC). • Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. • Member of the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) Consensus Body (CB) of the AAFS Academy Standard Board (ASB).
• Professor of Forensic Science with the SHSU DFS since 2015. • Graduated with a BS+MS (2001) and PhD (2007) in forensic science from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. • Research interests span various forensic applications of microscopical and spectroscopic methods as well as problems of trace evidence interpretation. • Served as the 2019-2020 Chair of the AAFS Criminalistics Section, is an appointee of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, and is a member of the (Trace) Materials Subcommittee within OSAC.
• Joined the Department of Forensic Science as an Associate Professor in 2020. • Forensic DNA scientist at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences (SWIFS) in Dallas, Texas, for three years before joining the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL). • Over the course of almost twenty years at USACIL, performed DNA testing on thousands of samples from hundreds of cases and testified as an expert witness at numerous state trials and military courts at Department of Defense installations worldwide. • Research focuses on immediate casework and testimony needs. Specializes in mixture interpretation, probabilistic genotyping, and evaluating DNA evidence given competing activity level propositions. • Joined the Department of Forensic Science as an Assistant Professor in 2019. • Associate member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), and member of the American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners (ASTEE) and the Texas Society for Microscopy (TSM). • Research is focused on the forensic applications of spectroscopic techniques, including Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, to trace evidence and forensic chemistry. • Assessment of portable and handheld instruments for the detection of explosives and seized drugs. • Development of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for field applications.
Dr. Britni Skillman Assistant Professor of Forensic Science
Dr. Mayra Eduardoff Assistant Professor of Forensic Science
Dr. Jonathon Brooks Assistant Professor of Forensic Science
• Board certified as a fellow of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT). • Member of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), and the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT). • Experience in postmortem, driving under the influence, and drug-facilitated crime casework. • Research expertise in liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) techniques. • Experience with a wide variety of prescription medications, drugs of abuse, and novel psychoactive substances in various biological specimens. • Recipient of the Leo Dal Cortivo Award, 2019.
• Joined the Department of Forensic Science as an Assistant Professor in 2023. • Expertise in conducting human identification processes in large-scale missing persons contexts, employing a comprehensive understanding of multidisciplinary forensic methodologies and protocols. • Utilizing cutting-edge DNA analysis technologies for human identification especially from degraded human remains. • Proficiency in kinship analysis and large-scale matching techniques, adept at establishing genetic relationships to assist the identification process of missing individuals using extensive database searches. • Assessing genetic analysis methods for predicting externally visible characteristics and ancestry.
• Joined the Department of Forensic Science as an Assistant Professor in 2024. • PhD in Chemistry from the University of Leicester (UK) focused on the identification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of post-mortem specimens. • Developed training methods for search operatives, including cadaver dogs, and alternative sampling methods used within post-mortem examinations in UK serious and major crime investigations. • Extensive experience in training units and conducting search and recovery operations, both nationally and internationally, with particular interest in mass grave investigations. • Experience as a specialist crime scene manager in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. • Research into a multi-disciplinary chemical approach to understanding the biochemical process of human decomposition, to develop targeted sensors that can be used in the field.
STATE-OF-THE-ART
EQUIPMENT ■ Accurate-Mass Quadrupole
Time-of-Flight (Q-TOF) LC/MS
■ Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS-MS)
■ Direct Analysis in Real Time-Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS)
■ Liquid Chromatography (Diode Array Detection)
■ Gas Chromatography (GC) ■ Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)
■ Chemical Ionization GC-MS ■ Pyrolysis GC-MS ■ Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) GC-MS
■ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy ■ DNA Analyzers/Sequencers ■ Thermal Cyclers ■ Gradient PCR Thermal Cycler ■ Real-Time PCR Thermal Cyclers ■ Fast Real-Time PCR Thermal Cyclers ■ Bioanalyzer
■ Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS) ■ Massive Parallel Sequencing /
Next Generation DNA Sequencers and automation platforms
■ DNA Extraction Robotics ■ Fluorometry ■ Scanning Electron Microscopy – X-ray
Energy Dispersion Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS)
■ Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) ■ Comparison Microscopy ■ Digital Microscopy ■ Stereomicroscopy ■ Visual Spectral Comparator (VSC) ■ Micro-Raman Spectroscopy ■ Portable Raman Spectroscopy ■ Fluorescence Microscopy ■ Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA) ■ Glass Refractive Index Measurement (GRIM 3) System
■ UV-Visible Microspectrophotometry (UV-Vis MSP)
POST GRADUATE SUCCESS Our mission is to provide SHSU graduates the knowledge, skills and abilities to prepare them for successful careers in forensic science. This mission is accomplished through academic coursework, hands-on experience in the laboratory, research and the completion of an internship in a forensic science laboratory. Each year graduates from the Department of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University go on to pursue exciting and rewarding careers in forensic science. Our graduate success speaks for itself.
“During my time in the Forensic Science program at SHSU, I was provided with opportunities that built my confidence and leadership skills, professionally and academically, which has allowed me to be successful in my career. The relationships I built with fellow students and professors has left me with life-long friends and mentors.” — Lindsay Glicksberg, PhD Technical Manager, Forensic Chemistry Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences Recipient of the 2017 Emerging Forensic Scientist Award from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, SHSU PhD graduate 2017
EMPLOYMENT IN FORENSIC SCIENCE Drugs 14%
The interdisciplinary curriculum at SHSU prepares students for a wide variety of forensic science disciplines. Despite the competitive nature of the field, employment and postgraduate success rates have averaged 94% over the past ten years. Our graduate success speaks for itself. Most of our graduates accept employment in DNA, Toxicology, Controlled Substances, Trace Evidence and Firearms. The majority are employed in the public sector, working in government forensic laboratories at the federal, state, county or city levels. Since 2006, employer satisfaction surveys have indicated satisfaction rates of 100%. THE DIFFERENCE IS HERE.
Firearms 5%
Toxicology 32%
Latents 1% QD Arson Trace 1% 0% 5%
DNA 42%
FORENSIC SCIENCE GRADUATE EMPLOYERS Abbott Toxicology | Baylor College of Medicine | Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office Bode Technology | Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences Defense Forensic Science Center | Federal Bureau of Investigation Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences | Houston Forensic Science Center Los Angeles County Medical Examiner – Coroner | National Medical Services Labs | Orchid Cellmark Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office | Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner San Diego Police Department Crime Laboratory | San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Signature Science | Quest Diagnostics | U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory | Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office U.S. Army Medical Institute of Chemical Defense | U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Virginia Department of Forensic Science | Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory | And more...
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SHSU Box 2525 1003 Bowers Blvd., Huntsville, TX 77341 forensics.shsu.edu | 936.294.2517 | forensics@shsu.edu