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Forensic Science at Howard Payne University represents a strategic partnership between the Criminal Justice Program and the Department of Physical Sciences and offers students from the humanities and the sciences the opportunity to explore the societally popular discipline in a forum that 1) complements a primary course of study (Criminal Justice), 2) prepares the student for ultimate placement in enforcement and investigative agencies as laboratory scientists or 3) affords any student the opportunity to satisfy one science credit while exploring some of the fundamental techniques employed in the field. |
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In the spring of 2008, faculty members from the Department of Physical Sciences met to discuss what initiatives they would like to undertake within the department. An idea for a class in forensic chemistry was advanced, and some market research within the university ensued. What was discovered was that the student populace in the Criminal Justice Program had been asking for a forensic science curriculum for years. Moreover, evidence suggested that some prospective students opted not to attend Howard Payne University because of the perceived lack of the scientific complement to the profoundly popular and successful academic-professional program. When faculty members from the two programs met, the synergism and collective creativity resulted in a course sequence, not merely a one-term survey of the content domain; and, following executive review and feedback, the faculty of Howard Payne University voted to recommend a new major in the fall of 2008. The curriculum was approved by the Board of Trustees before the end of 2008, and the Department of Physical Sciences welcomed the first class of students in the fall of 2009. |
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Initially serving the Criminal Justice student population, the Forensic Science Program is pleased to welcome the first declared major as of spring 2010—only one semester following its inception! Word about the new curriculum is spreading, though, and program director, Dr. Derek L. Smith, expects to enroll several majors by the fall of 2010 |
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