Forensic Sciences: Program Overview

Major: Forensic Sciences

• Overview
• Hands-On Experience
• Video
• Dr. M. Lee Goff
• Academic Coursework
• Internships and Careers
• Graduate Programs Website

Dr. M. Lee Goff is one of the inspirations for the character Gil Grissom in the hit series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. An advisor to the series, Dr. Goff is at the end of a phone line when the CSI writers have a question about insects. He will be featured in the bonus material in the upcoming DVD for season 8.

Bachelor of Science Degree in Forensic Sciences

Academics:
Coursework for this degree is rigorous. Undergraduates complete the equivalent of a minor in chemistry, a minor in biology, intensive math and physics courses, as well as the Forensic Sciences curriculum. Our program is one of only 10 in the nation requiring this breadth of knowledge in the sciences for a B.S. in Forensic Sciences degree.

Hands-On Experience:
Our outstanding senior-year internship program provides a year of hands-on experience in a specific forensic science specialty of the student's choice, under the direct supervision of a recognized expert in that area.

Links

Dr M. Lee Goff, director of our forensic sciences department, is a leading authority on forensic entomology. Dr. Goff has served as a consultant for an number of television shows and movies, including the popular CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami and Crossing Jordan.

• NATURE (PBS) interview with Dr. Goff for the Crime Scene Creatures episode. See the "casefiles" video clip.
• Interview with Dr. Goff, "Fighting Crime With Bugs", National Geographic News
• Web Interview with Dr. Goff on the CSI:Crime Scene Investigation website
• Harvard University Press Catalog Reviews, A Fly For the Prosecution

Outstanding Faculty and Intern Mentors

Dr. Goff has participated in over 300 homicide investigations in Hawaii and other parts of the world, as well as published over 200 scientific papers. Dr. Goff is closely involved with instructing and mentoring students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

In Hawaii, Chaminade University draws faculty and intern mentors from the largest pool of active, top forensic investigators in the nation. Our teachers are experts currently employed and working cases, and thus are contributing to the most current knowledge and techniques in their field. These military and governmental agencies located on Oahu are among our resources for faculty and/or intern mentors:

• The U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii
• City and County of Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office
• The Air Force Office of Special Investigation
• The Naval Criminal Investigation Service

Small Classes and Personal Mentoring

Classes are small at Chaminade, with a student-to-faculty ratio of about 17:1. No class is larger than 45. Everybody gets to know everybody on campus. We take an interest in the progress of the individual student throughout the forensics program. In a larger institution, with larger classes, the student could easily "get lost" in the system.

With us, the student can get additional assistance if needed, quickly. Also, as we get to know our students, we assist them with career choices and research opportunities. The forensic sciences are an eclectic grouping of sub-disciplines, and we can guide the student into the area best suited to their interests and abilities.

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