[221] Degree In Forensic Science Added To MTSU's Spring Program Lineup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 7, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919

DEGREE IN FORENSIC SCIENCE ADDED TO MTSU’s SPRING PROGRAM LINEUP
Biology, Chemistry & CJA Departments Partner to Create State’s 1st Such Degree Program

(MURFREESBORO)—Beginning in spring 2010, MTSU will boast a new program of study with the official addition of the university’s newest undergraduate offering, the Bachelor of Science degree in forensic science.
The 120-hour program is the result of an academic collaboration by participating faculty in biology, chemistry and criminal justice administration, all of whom have teamed to build a strong interdisciplinary curriculum that was modeled in accordance with accreditation standards.
Dr. George Murphy, chairman of MTSU’s biology department, said his department has agreed to handle the paperwork for the program, such as assignment of advisers, but faculty from each of the three departments will be involved in all aspects of the program.
"Just as forensic scientists are partners with law enforcement and the criminal justice system, the B.S. program in forensic science at MTSU is a partnership that provides an education for students to work as forensic scientists in the ‘real world,’” said Dr. Deborah Newman, CJA chairwoman. “The biology and chemistry departments provide the extensive background needed in science, laboratory processes, technological procedures, and analysis of evidence while the criminal justice department provides the basic principles of crime-scene investigation, judicial processes and presentation of evidence in court."
MTSU’s newest degree offering, Murphy said, is one that arose from student demand and a desire to help fill the demand for properly trained, degreed professionals in the forensic science field.
“We are strictly focusing on the lab-analysis aspect (of forensic science),” including the DNA portions of the lab and other Tennessee Bureau of Investigation-related crime-lab disciplines, such drug chemistry, latent prints examination, firearms identification, serology/DNA, toxicology and so forth, explained Murphy, regarding the program.
Moreover, he added, MTSU’s forensic science degree will be the lone such program offered in the state, with the next-closest such programs currently residing at Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Mississippi.
In the making for two years, Murphy said no minor is required since the degree is highly interdisciplinary, with a core curriculum that includes 23 semester hours in biology, 25 credit hours in chemistry, nine hours in CJA and eight hours of forensic seminar/internship credit.
Murphy said he anticipates many of MTSU’s forensic science graduates will find employment with crime labs, such as the TBI, which currently employs more than 100 forensic scientists at its three lab sites, with an ongoing demand for degreed forensic science personnel who are skilled in using scientific techniques to analyze crime evidence and with a strong working knowledge of the criminal justice system.
“You’re dealing with people’s lives, so you have to meet certain certifications,” Murphy explained, referring to those who work in TBI’s crime labs.

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Although it’s not yet known how many enrollees the new degree will have during its inaugural semester, “I think our bigger problem will be not overpopulating (the program), because of the popularity of TV shows such as CSI and things like that,” Murphy noted.
However, he added, “I think once (students) experience the rigor of the program, there will be a bit fewer going into it. But potentially, we could turnout a lot of graduates here. I am guessing we will be turning out 10 (forensic science) graduates a year during the first three years.”
For more information on MTSU’s forensic science degree, please contact the Department of Biology at 615-898-2847.



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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with Dr. George Murphy or Deborah Newman regarding the new degree, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or at lrollins@mtsu.edu.



With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.