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Forensic health is the application of health science to legal issues. 

Who Should Take This Minor

Open to any undergraduate at ÂÌñÉç, the forensic health minor is well suited for students majoring in fields with forensic applications (nursing, biology, chemistry, anthropology, psychology, sociology, social work, public health) who are considering careers in healthcare, forensic sciences or the law.

Requirements

The minor requires 24 credit hours — 16 credits of core courses and two adjunct courses (8 credits). To graduate with the minor, a student must have a grade of C- or higher in all courses taken for the minor; repeating coursework is not permitted. Course descriptions are below.

Core courses (must complete a total of 16 credits from these courses*)	Credits	When offered
HSCI 331 / NURS 335: Forensic Health Essentials	2 or 3	spring and summer II
HSCI 332 / NURS 335B: Forensic Health of Victims	2 or 3	fall
HSCI 333 / NURS 335C: Forensic Health of Offenders	2 or 3	spring
HSCI 334 / NURS 335D: Forensic Pediatrics	2 or 3	fall
HSCI 335 / NURS 335F: Medicolegal Death Investigation	2 or 3	spring and summer I
HSCI 336 / NURS 337: Forensic Health: Sexual Offending and Victimization	2 or 3	summer II
HSCI 431 / NURS 455: Correctional Health	3	fall
NURS 370: Disaster Preparedness	3	fall and spring
*Six courses are variable credit to allow flexibility of choice and scheduling. Students are strongly encouraged to contact the forensic health program coordinator (see below) for advice on making sure they meet the requirements for minor completion. The Nursing Honors Program may be substituted as an alternate for NURS 335D, NURS 335F, NURS 455 or NURS 370 if it is focused on a topic integral to forensic health and approved by the forensic health program coordinator. Anthropology forensic health minor students may substitute ANTH 245 Bones, Bugs and Forensic Science for any 3-credit forensic course.  All forensic health courses are restricted to students enrolled in the minor. Students who matriculated at ÂÌñÉç before fall 2024 must sign up for NURS sections. All others must sign up for HSCI sections.
Adjunct courses (must complete 8 credits)		Credits
PSYC 111: Introduction to Psychology		4
PSYC 220: Developmental Psychology		4
PSYC 330: Drugs and Behavior		4
HDEV 200: Introduction to Human Development		4
HDEV 400: Social Justice		4
HWS 340: Substance Abuse in Contemporary Society		4
Adjunct courses subtotal		8
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED FOR MINOR		24

Application Criteria

Applicants must have 45 completed earned hours to be considered; current semester coursework does not count in the earned hour total. Admission is competitive, and students must demonstrate academic strength. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) at the time of application is required for consideration (and conferral of the minor at graduation). Applicants with a grade of D or less in a core forensic health minor course are not eligible for the minor. 

Students should not apply until they meet the minimum GPA and earned hour requirements. Those not meeting the criteria will not be accepted into the minor; no exceptions will be made. 

Application Procedures

are reviewed three times a year:

• March — applications due by March 15
• July — applications due by July 15
• October — applications due by October 15

Applicants will receive a decision no later than 30 days after the application due date.

Forensic courses fill rapidly. Students enrolled in the minor must register during their assigned registration time. Failure to register promptly may result in the applicant being unable to attend the course and possibly not being able to complete the minor requirements. If a student enrolled in the minor cannot register during his/her/their assigned registration time (e.g., due to credit overload), the student should contact the forensic health program coordinator immediately to reserve a seat.

Course Content  

NOTE: These are the course content descriptions. For official course descriptions, go to the University's Schedule of Classes. 

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Forensic health program coordinator

Matthew M. Lunn, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences

mlunn@binghamton.edu