New Graduate Student
Orientation
2009
Department of Forensic Sciences
The George Washington University
Introductions
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Staff
– April Hill, Executive Aide (allhill@gwu.edu)
– Iva Beatty, Director, CCAS Graduate Advising and Student
Services (iva@gwu.edu)
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Faculty
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Nicholas Lappas
Daniele Podini
Edward Robinson
Moses Schanfield
Head GTA
– Becky Billmire
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New students
Orientation Schedule
Time
Session
9 am
Introduction
10:00 -10:45 am
Forensic Molecular Biology Concentration
10:45-11:30 am
Forensic Toxicology Concentration
11:30 am -12:30 pm
Lunch
12:30 pm – 1:15
High Technology Crime Investigation and Intelligence Analysis Concentrations
1:15 – 2:00 pm
Forensic Chemistry Concentration
2:00 -2:45 pm
Crime Scene Investigation Concentration
2:45 – 3:15 pm
University Police Department/Association of Forensic Science Students
3:15 - 4 pm
Professionalism in Forensic Science
Criminal Background Checks
All students entering the Department’s
degree programs and planning on working
for publicly funded crime laboratories or
law enforcement should be able to pass a
criminal background check.
 Students who cannot pass such a check
may be unemployable.
 Some agencies require background checks
for internships.
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Student Communication
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Students must have a local addresses, telephone
number, email address.
GWU email addresses will assure that you receive
university messages such as school closings.
An email address (GWU or otherwise) is necessary to be
on the Department listserv to receive department
announcements, job postings, internships etc.
Without a GWU email address you cannot access Banner
or teaching aids such as Black Board.
Students are responsible for keeping their addresses,
telephone numbers and email addresses current. This is
facilitated by the ability to correct information in Banner.
Student Communications
Academic Problems
Instructor
 Faculty advisor
 Department chair
 Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
 Dean of CCAS
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Student Communications
Emergency Preparedness
GW Information Line (202-994-5050)
 GW Campus Advisories
(http://www.gwu.edu/~gwalert/index.cfm)
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Degree Concentrations
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Master of Forensic Science
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Non-Concentration
Concentration in Crime Scene Investigation
Concentration in Forensic Chemistry
Concentration in Forensic Molecular Biology
Concentration in Forensic Toxicology
Concentration in High Technology Crime Investigation
(off campus)
– Concentration in Security Management (off campus)
Advising
All students must meet with an advisor the first
semester in residence.
 Students must fill out a Program of Study
showing how they are going to meet
requirements for their degree programs.
 The program of study must be in the student’s
file in the department office prior to registration
for the second semester or the student will not
be allowed to register for his/her second
semester.
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Faculty Advisors
Forensic Biology: Professor Podini or
Schanfield.
 Forensic Chemistry: Professor Rowe.
 Forensic Toxicology: Professor Lappas.
 Crime Scene Investigation: Professor
Robinson.
 Other MFS students will be divided
between Professor Rowe and the rest of
the faculty.
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Grades and Grading
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GPA and Grades:
– CCAS requires that students maintain a GPA
of 3.0 or better.
– If your GPA falls below 3.0 you will have one
semester of probation.
– In graduate school any grade below a B is an
unsatisfactory grade.
Grades and Grading
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Incomplete work is graded “I” and must be completed
within a time frame agreed upon with the instructor, with a
maximum of one year.
– One year is not automatically granted.
– The time to be allowed is determined between the student and
instructor.
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A contract to finish incomplete work is signed by the
student and the instructor specifying
– the work to be completed and
– when it will be completed
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Upon completion of all graded work the instructor
submits the final grade and the student’s
transcript is changed to read “IA”, “IB”, “IC” or
“IF”
An “I” on a transcript cannot be removed
Laboratory Safety
All students attending or planning to attend a
laboratory course in the on-campus programs at
GWU must take the laboratory safety / blood
borne pathogen sessions annually (as would be
required in a crime laboratory).
 They must pass these courses before taking the
laboratory courses.
 The course can be taken on line any time at:
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http://www.gwu.edu/~riskmgnt/traininghelp.cfm
Comprehensive Examination
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A General Examination ("Comprehensive Examination")
is usually taken in the last semester of attendance,
usually the weekend of the 5th through 7th week of the
semester for Fall and Spring Semesters, and between
the two Summer sessions.
On-campus students: The exam consists of three
questions: a concentration-based question, an elective
question and a law question.
Note: Students receiving the grade of “A” or “A-“ in FORS
221 Criminal Law I are exempted from the law question.
A grade of “B” or better must be received on the
concentration question to pass the comprehensive
examination.
The concentration question will be a case study based
on all concentration courses.
Comprehensive Examination
An average grade of B must be attained in order
to pass the comprehensive examination.
 Regardless of the average score, a grade of “F”
on any single question or the grade of “B-” on
two or more questions constitutes a failure of
the comprehensive examination.
 If a student fails the exam on his/her first
attempt, he/she may petition the Department to
take it a second time.
 A student who fails the comprehensive
examination a second time will be terminated
from his/her degree program.
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Research and Theses
Students are expected to take one (1) to three
(3) credits of research as FORS 295.
 This research requirement can be fulfilled by
doing extended projects as part of a research
segment in a course, projects for your employer
or some other mutually agreed upon project.
 A student may also elect to do a thesis. Thesis
students register for FORS 299-300 (6 semester
hours).
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Internships
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Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE)
Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL)
Bode Technology Group
D.C. Pretrial Services Drug Testing Laboratory
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
U. S. Secret Service
Montgomery County Crime Laboratory
Northern Virginia Crime Laboratory
DC Medical Examiners Office
Financial Aid
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Financial aid is governed by GWU regulations; current information
can be found at: http://www.gwu.edu/~bulletin/grad/fnad.html.
The Department has a limited number of GTA packages and TA
positions at Catholic University.
Students eligible for these are notified as soon as possible during
the application process. Students will be notified during the year of
positions that become available.
The Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships
(http://www.gwu.edu/~fellows/) often has job opportunities for
students which provide them with tuition support.
Students seeking full- or part-time employment should contact the
Career Center (http://gwired.gwu.edu/career/).
Students should also visit the Foundation Center
(http://foundationcenter.org/) website for a list of philanthropic
funding sources.
A New Department of Forensic
Sciences
The Department of Forensic Sciences has moved
from Samson Hall on the Foggy Bottom Campus
to Somers Hall on the Mount Vernon Campus
 Classes will be taught in the Academic Building
on the Mount Vernon Campus or in one of two
laboratories in the Acheson Science Center
 Laboratories will be held in the Acheson Science
Center or in Somers Hall
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FEPAC Accreditation
The Department of Forensic Sciences is
preparing the self-study document to
apply for FEPAC accreditation
 The Department expects to apply for
accreditation in the spring of 2010
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