Bachelor of Science [B.S] [Applied Forensic Sciences] From Mercyhurst University

Starting with a deep understanding of the natural sciences, students learn to identify, collect, analyze and interpret forensic evidence through hands-on experiences in our state of the art forensics lab on campus and in hundreds of real-life cases outside of Mercyhurst.

Forensic science involves the utilization of the natural, physical, and social sciences in the multi-disciplinary investigation of matters related to society and the law. Activities of relevance to forensic science range from the location, documentation and collection of physical evidence at the crime scene to the analysis and interpretation of that evidence in the laboratory. Many diverse fields are included in the forensic sciences. 

The development of the program offered by the Mercyhurst University represents the first multi-disciplinary science major at Mercyhurst that incorporates all major natural science fields in the core curriculum. Three concentrations are available to the students in the Bachelor of Applied Forensic Sciences degree: Criminalistics/Forensic Biology, Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Chemistry. 

Supported by the nationally recognized undergraduate and master’s program in forensic anthropology, the strength of the Applied Forensic Sciences program will continue to reside in the recognition and documentation of physical evidence at the outdoor crime scene, whether that crime scene involves a surface scatter of program uniquely prepares students for graduate studies in biological, physical and forensic anthropology. 

The Mercyhurst undergraduate program is the only one in the United States with a Forensic Anthropology concentration. The department includes a board-certified Forensic Anthropologist and conducts approximately one hundred forensic cases a year. Upperclassmen are provided opportunities to work with both faculty and forensic anthropology master’s students on a number of these cases both in the field and in the laboratory. This concentration prepares students for advanced studies in anthropology, death investigation positions and positions in medical examiner’s offices.