Background

This Master of Science Degree in Forensic and Biological Anthropology represents the first program focused primarily on the combine fields of forensic and biological anthropology in the country. The curriculum is well grounded in the disciplines of biological (physical) anthropology and archaeology. It is anticipated that graduates will either transition into Ph.D. programs specializing in biological anthropology, forensic science, or forensic anthropology, or seek employment in various state and federal agencies.

The program will be directed by Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat and Steven Symes. Both are board-certified forensic anthropologies (only 68 individuals in North America have been certified to date, of which only 45 or so are currently active). Dr. Dirkmaat’s specialty lies in the proper methods and techniques to be utilized in the recovery of human remains from outdoor contexts, while Dr. Symes is a renowned expert in skeletal trauma.

Educational Goals and Objectives

• Apply contemporary archaeological techniques in the proper identification, documentation, and collection of any outdoor forensic scene, including surface scatters, buried body, fatal fire, and mass fatality scenes,
• Identify specific bone and side of complete and fragmentary human skeletal remains,
• Determine chronological age, sex, stature, ancestry, and pathology of human remains,
• Identify modification of bones due to various taphonomic agents, including decomposition, heat alteration, water transport, and burial factors,
• Differentiate antemortem versus perimortem versus postmortem skeletal trauma, as well as provide biomechanical interpretations for traumatic forces,
• Apply proper and appropriate statistical analytical techniques to the analysis and interpretation of human skeletal remains,
• Understand rules of evidence and the basics of the American Criminal Justice System,
• Critically evaluate the significance of in situ physical evidence at a variety of crime scenes,
• Critically evaluate literary sources for valid methodologies, appropriate results and applicability to topic under discussion, and
• Conduct research and investigation of human remains under the strictest of ethical guidelines currently in place in the disciplines of general science, forensic science, and forensic anthropology.

Sample Distribution of Courses

Thesis and Comprehensive Exam

All students will be required to write a thesis. The topic of the thesis must be approved prior to the start of research and will focus on a topic within the purview of forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology, biological anthropology, or bioarchaeology, but may also encompass other forensic sciences and aspects of forensic investigation (pending approval of a thesis topic).

One of the primary tools to be used to assess the assimilation of information presented in the curriculum through course work, hands-on exercises and field and laboratory work, (i.e., the student's cumulative achievement) will be the comprehensive examination to be administered at the end of the first year of the program. The examination will consist of both a written and practical component. Students will be tested in two main areas: forensic archaeology and forensic osteology. The written examination will focus on history of the field and current methods, research and philosophies, and will include current and proper references, thus illustrating breadth of knowledge in the discipline.

Admission Policies

The program will broadly follow the admission requirements of Mercyhurst College, with some exceptions. Additional admission requirements specific to the Master’s of Science Degree in Forensic and Biological Anthropology are listed in Mercyhurst’s Graduate Catalogue and are described below.

Student Retention and Evaluation

No course with a grade C is awarded graduate credit. Nor will any student be allowed to earn credit for more than a total of two graduate courses in which a C grade has been earned. Students dropped from the program may petition for readmission after one year. A student who receives a grade of C or lower in a course may elect to take the course again. Students who earn a grade of B or better in a repeated course will have their original grade replaced by a PASS on their transcript. The student will be allowed to retake only one course.

Accreditation/Certification

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences recently created the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC). This commission is in the process of developing an accreditation program that will recognize and distinguish high quality undergraduate and graduate forensic science programs through a process of formal evaluation. Mercyhurst is currently in the process of applying for accreditation.