Course Descriptions

SCFS 518 Criminalistics Principles and practical sessions in forensic examination of glass, soils, dyes and pigments, hairs and fibers, gunshot residue, explosive compounds, questioned documents, impression and marks; principles and practical sessions in specialized forensic instruments; forensic examination of sexual assault case; mock case scenarios practice

SCFS543 Fundamentals of Crime Scene Investigation Principles of crime scene investigation, management, relating legal procedures, standards, and ethics; investigation of common indoor and outdoor crime scene; continuity of evidence (chain of custody); forensic evidence types and their nature; crime scene documentation; principles and practice of evidence search, recovery, and handling; presumptive testing; principles and practice of forensic evidence interpretation and evaluation; concepts and practice of crime scene reconstruction, crime scene report writing

SCFS544 Specialized Crime Scene Investigation Principles, practice, and case discussions of specialized crime scene investigation; investigation of traffic accident; firearms scene investigation; explosive scene investigation; bloodstain pattern analysis; evidence search, recovery, handling, chain of custody, interpretation and evaluation in specialized crime scene; reconstruction of specialized crime scene; CSI report; case scenario and mock crime scene

SCFS536 Forensic Science Profession Introduction to the forensic science profession; integration of forensic science in criminology; judicial process and court system; principles of forensic science and the forensic process; role of expert witness in court; ethics and competency in forensic science; standards and quality in forensic science; risk assessment and work safety; site visits, discussions and sharing with forensic science practitioners, medical examiners, and relating authorities

SCFS537 Statistics for Evidence-based Evaluation A revision of statistical techniques such as basic statistics, parametric and non-parametric statistics, including probabilities and likelihood ratio; introduction to evidence evaluation, prosecutors fallacy, conditional probability and Bayesian statistics; the use of statistics in specific cases; and implications for databases

SCFS538 Forensic DNA Analysis Forensic DNA sample collection and preparation; principles and methods of forensic DNA typing; practical sessions in forensic analysis of human STRs and a mock forensic case involving DNA evidence processing; STR genotyping and data interpretation; statistical interpretation of autosomal STR profiles; forensic analysis of non-human DNA; evaluation, presentation of DNA evidence, and report writing; practical sessions in mass disaster case scenario; mixed DNA profiles

SCFS539 Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology Principles of forensic chemistry and toxicology; drug biotransformation; presumptive and confirmatory tests; principles, application, and practical sessions in analytical techniques for forensic analysis of drugs of abuse, chemicals, toxins, and poisonous substances using thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, infrared spectrometry, Raman spectrometry, and X-ray powder diffraction; results interpretation, evaluation, and reporting; ethics and guidelines for international standards

SCFS540 Critical Reading and Presentation Skills Search, critical reading, presentation of research article in forensic science, research rationale and problem, experimental approach, result, discussion and suggestion

SCID518 Generic Skills in Science Research Qualities of a good researcher, Effective searching of the scientific information, Laboratory Safety: Biosafety, Chemical Safety, Radiation Safety and Electrical Safety, Ethics of research in human subjects and experimental animals in science, Intellectual property rights, Research misconduct & attribution of credit and responsibility, Techniques in formulating and writing thesis proposals, research projects, grant applications, research reports and manuscript for publication

SCFS516 Toxicology Introduction of toxicology, types of toxic substances, metabolic pathways of some drug types, immunological screening, EMIT and radio-immunoassay techniques, toxicological analysis, body tissue, urine and blood sample preparation, extraction procedures, Thin layer chromatography as a presumptive analysis, use of Gas chromatography, Gas chromatography-mass spectrscopy and High performance liquid chromatography, pharmokinetics, drug elimination, estimation of time since dosage

SCFS519 Selected Topics in Forensic Science One or two interesting topics, concerning advancement and new technology used in forensic science

SCFS520 Current Topics in Forensic Science Examination and discussion on current forensic science issues, including important issues of social interest, new scientific information, and advanced technologies related to forensic science; presentations by professional forensic scientist, and interactive discussions. Relevant readings or reference lists distributed in advance to provide background material for discussions

SCFS521 Seminar in Forensic Science Formal presentation of topics of interest in forensic science and group discussions under academic supervision on criminalistics, forensic chemistry, forensic biology, forensic botany, forensic medicine, toxicology, instrument and techniques for forensic analysis case studies and case report

SCFS522 Selected Topics in Forensic Medicine Characteristics of wound types and their medico-legal importance, identification of death, post-mortem changes, types and causes of death, autopsy, child abuse and sexual assault

SCFS524 Fingerprints Fingerprint evidence, collection and preservation of two or three-dimensional marks, chemical enhancement of latent fingerprint, examination of fingerprints, evidence comparison, Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), presentation of evidence, report writing

SCFS527 Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Nature of human blood and circulation, bloodstain patterns, factors affecting bloodstain pattern, determination of motion and directionality, determination of point of convergence and point of origin, impact spatter, search and recovery of bloodstain, analysis of bloodstains in crime scene, interpretation of bloodstain patterns, presentation of bloodstain evidence, report writing

SCFS532 Detection of Impressions and Tool Marks Nature of footwear impression, firearm, tool marks, and tire marks evidence; collection and preservation of two or three-dimensional marks; casting marks on different surfaces; examination of marks and impressions; evidence comparison; presentation of evidence; report writing

SCFS541 Molecular Biology and Genetics for Forensic Science Structure and function of DNA; DNA replication, transcription, and translation; principles of inheritance and population genetics; nature of genetic evidence and its application in forensic science; Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and its modifications; practical session in PCR; human genome and karyotypes; polymorphisms and forensic DNA markers; mitochondrial DNA; maternal inheritance; mini-sequencing; heteroplasmy; Y-chromosome and Y-STRs; visit to the Human Genetics Unit (Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital); basic bioinformatics

SCFS542 Instrumental Analysis Skills in Forensic Chemistry Principles of instrumental analysis; qualitative and quantitative analysis in forensic chemistry; measuring apparatus and equipment for sample preparation and handling; significant figures and precision in measurement; principles, application, and practical sessions in spectrometric techniques in forensic analysis, including absorbance, fluorescence, infrared, and mass spectrometry; principles, application, and practical sessions in liquid and gas chromatography in forensic analysis

SCFS698 Thesis Identifying research project, new in-depth knowledge which can be further applied in forensic science. Conducting research ethically. Data collection, analysis, interpretation of the result and report the result in terms of thesis. Presenting and publishing research in standard journals or a conference's proceedings