George Mason University – Graduate Council
Graduate Course Approval Form
All courses numbered 500 or above must be submitted to the Graduate Council for final approval after approval by the
sponsoring College, School or Institute.
Graduate Council requires submission of this form for a new course or any change to existing courses. For a new course,
please attach a copy of the syllabus and catalog description (with catalog credit format, e.g. 3:2:1). The designated
representative of the College, School or Institute should forward the form along with the syllabus and catalog description, if
required, as an email attachment (in one file) to the secretary of the Graduate Council. A printed copy of the form with
signatures and the attachments should be brought to the Graduate Council meeting. Please complete the Graduate Course
Coordinator Form if the proposed changes will affect other units.
Note: Colleges, Schools or Institutes are responsible for submitting new or modified catalog descriptions (35 words or
less, using catalog format) to Creative Services by deadlines outlined in the yearly Catalog production calendar.
Please indicate: New___ ___
Modify __ X ___
Delete_______
Department/Unit: ___COS Dean’s Office____ Course Subject/Number: ____FRSC 540_________
Submitted by: ____P. Becker_______________ Ext: ___3-3619________ Email:___pbecker@gmu.edu_______
Course Title: ____Forensic Chemistry____________________________________________________
Effective Term (New/Modified Courses only): ___F 2009_______
Credit Hours: (Fixed) _3_
(Var.) ______ to ______
Final Term (deleted courses only):____________
Grade Type (check one):
__X__
_____
_____
Regular graduate (A, B, C, etc.)
Satisfactory/No Credit only
Special graduate (A, B, C, etc. + IP)
Repeat Status*(check one): _ X_ NR-Not repeatable ____ RD-Repeatable within degree ____ RT-Repeatable within term
*Note: Used only for special topics, independent study, or internships courses
Total Number of Hours Allowed: __3__
Schedule Type Code(s): 1. LEC LEC=Lecture SEM=Seminar STU=Studio INT=Internship IND=Independent Study
2. LAB LAB=Lab RCT=Recitation (second code used only for courses with Lab or Rct component)
Prereq _X_ Coreq ___ (Check one): Undergraduate degree in chemistry or biology or permission of instructor.
Note: Modified courses - review prereq or coreq for necessary changes; Deleted courses - review other courses to correct prereqs that list the deleted course.
Description of Modification (for modified courses): Title, prerequisites, and catalog description.
Special Instructions (major/college/class code restrictions, if needed):__________________________________________
Department/Unit Approval Signature: ________________________________________ Date: _____________
College/School Committee Approval Signature: _________________________________ Date: _____________
Graduate Council Approval Date: ____________ Provost Office Signature: _________________________________
George Mason University
Graduate Course Coordination Form
Approval from other units:
Please list those units outside of your own who may be affected by this new, modified, or deleted course. Each of these units must
approve this change prior to its being submitted to the Graduate Council for approval.
Unit:
Head of Unit’s Signature:
Date:
Unit:
Head of Unit’s Signature:
Date:
Unit:
Head of Unit’s Signature:
Date:
Unit:
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Unit:
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Graduate Council approval: ______________________________________________ Date: ____________
Graduate Council representative: __________________________________________
Date: ____________
Provost Office representative: ____________________________________________
Date: ____________
Course Proposal Submitted to the Graduate Council
by
The College of Science
1. COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE: FRSC 540 Forensic Chemistry (3:2:3)
Course Prerequisites: Prerequisites: Undergraduate degree in chemistry or biology or permission of instructor.
Catalog Description: The principles of forensic chemistry will be addressed in this course, including analytical
chemistry, instrumentation, sample handling, drug chemistry and pharmacology, and analysis of physical
evidence such as papers, inks, paints, and coatings.
2. COURSE JUSTIFICATION:
Course Objectives: The objectives of this course are to introduce the principal areas of forensic chemistry
from the perspective of analytical chemistry, address the legal context in which forensic chemistry is
conducted, the types of samples and matrices and variety of sample types encountered, and the extensive
use of instrumentation. The course will delve into the aspects of study unique to forensic chemistry,
including: types of samples and how they are prepared; acid/base chemistry of drugs; solubility;
preparations; presumptive testing, and a detailed discussion of microscopy, a fundamental tool of the
forensic chemist. An overview of forensic pharmacology, including physical and biological evidence,
toxicology, and aspects of drug analysis critical to reconstructing a crime scene will be presented. Finally,
the analysis of evidence related to combustion; polymers; paper and inks, and paints and coatings will be
addressed. Students will spend time in the lab preparing and analyzing environmental, fuel, ink, and paint
samples. They will also learn how to separate and identify commonly used pharmaceutical drugs.
Course Necessity: This course will be one of a small suite of courses taught in support of the new graduate
certificate in forensics.
Course Relationship to Existing Programs: This will be a required course in the proposed graduate certificate
in forensics for students in the Forensic Science concentration. It may also be used as an elective in the
Chemistry and Biochemistry MS program.
Course Relationship to Existing Courses: This course will complement other course offerings in the proposed
forensics graduate certificate program.
3. APPROVAL HISTORY: None
4. SCHEDULING AND PROPOSED INSTRUCTORS:
Semester of Initial Offering: The course will be first offered in the Fall of 2009.
Proposed Instructors: Chemistry Department faculty (Couch, Foster, Honeychuck, Mushrush, Schreifels).
5. TENTATIVE SYLLABUS: See attached.
FRSC 540
Chemical Analysis
-- SYLLABUS -Prerequisites: Undergraduate degree in Chemistry, Biology, or permission of instructor.
Credits: 3
Instructors: R. Couch, G. Foster, R. Honeychuck, G. Mushrush, J. Schreifels
Textbook: Forensic Chemistry, by Suzanne Bell (2006), Prentice Hall Publishers, ISBN 0131478354
Course objective: The objectives of this course are to introduce the principal areas of forensic chemistry from
the perspective of analytical chemistry, address the legal context in which forensic chemistry is conducted, the
types of samples and matrices and variety of sample types encountered, and the extensive use of
instrumentation. The course will delve into the aspects of study unique to forensic chemistry, including: types
of samples and how they are prepared; acid/base chemistry of drugs; solubility; preparations; presumptive
testing, and a detailed discussion of microscopy, a fundamental tool of the forensic chemist. An overview of
forensic pharmacology, including physical and biological evidence, toxicology, and aspects of drug analysis
critical to reconstructing a crime scene will be presented. Finally, the analysis of evidence related to
combustion; polymers; paper and inks, and paints and coatings will be addressed. Students will spend time in
the lab preparing and analyzing environmental, fuel, ink, and paint samples. They will also learn how to
separate and identify commonly used pharmaceutical drugs.
Course description: The principles of forensic chemistry will be addressed in this course, including analytical
chemistry, instrumentation, sample handling, drug chemistry and pharmacology, and analysis of physical
evidence such as papers, inks, paints, and coatings. The course will be split into three sections. Section one will
be an introduction to forensic chemistry, including the topics of statistics, calibration, quality assurance, sample
preparation, and instrumentation. This section will include laboratory sessions where students learn how to
handle and prepare samples. The focus of section two will be on drug analysis and toxicology and will include
laboratory sessions in separation and identification of common pharmaceutical drugs. The final section of the
class will focus on the analysis of physical evidence, including gunshot residues, inks and paints, and various
polymers. Students will prepare and analyze a variety of physical evidence as part of the laboratory session.
Lecture outline:
Weeks 1-4: Introduction, statistics, sampling, data quality, calibration, quality assurance, sample preparation and
chromatography, instrumentation and microscopy; handling and preparation of samples in the laboratory (G.
Foster, J. Schreifels)
Weeks 5-8: Drugs and pharmacology, analysis of acidic drugs, analysis of basic drugs; separation and
identification of common pharmaceutical drugs in the laboratory (R. Couch, G. Foster)
Weeks 9-13: Chemistry of combustion, explosives and gunshot residue, inks and paint, fibers, paper, plastics,
adhesives; analysis of fuel, ink, paint, and fiber samples in the laboratory (G. Mushrush, R. Honeychuck)
Grading basis: The students will be graded on exams at the end of each section of the class (25% for each
exam) and on performance in the laboratory exercises (25%).