MS FOS Thesis

Thesis Policy Requirements, Procedures, and Submissions Procedures

Completing a thesis is mandatory for all MS FOS students.

Prospectus Class

To be allowed to submit the thesis, students must complete the Thesis Prospectus series (FOS795-797). This series of three pass-fail courses introduces the student to scholarly research, report writing, library research, and documentation styles/techniques. Students should register for FOS 795 in their first semester of study. In FOS 795, students will be introduced to science faculty members and ongoing research projects. FOS 796 mainly consists of seminars by external forensic experts. In FOS797, students are expected to present their thesis research. 

Choosing a Thesis Advisor

A thesis advisor must be a full-time graduate faculty member in the MS-FOS program. Alternate arrangements may be made only with the approval of the Program Director.

Thesis Advisory Committee

The composition of the thesis committee will vary according to the thesis sponsor’s research direction. Each committee consists of at least three members. The thesis advisor acts as the chair of the committee. The second member must also be MS-FOS graduate faculty in the Department of Sciences at John Jay, but can be full-time or part-time. The mandatory third reader must be external to the MS FOS Program; however, they must have appropriate academic credentials (as determined by the program director) or scientific expertise related to the research project. External members of the thesis committee may be drawn from other John Jay College Departments, other CUNY colleges, other New York City research institutions, or a relevant discipline of the different local crime laboratories. The Program Director needs to approve this member.

Thesis Timeline and Tracking

A student should start inquiring about MS FOS faculty research and searching for a thesis advisor during the first year of study. Once the student and the faculty member have mutually agreed to thesis advisement, formulated a project title, and the Thesis Advisor Agreement has been filled out and submitted to the Program Director, the faculty member will become the student’s thesis advisor. The program director will inform the prospectus course instructors about the various thesis projects students are working on. Upon completing the approved thesis, the student will be eligible for a Master’s degree. The public oral presentation of the thesis work will be planned based on the student’s progress shortly before or after the completion of the thesis manuscript. 

Submission Deadlines for Thesis

The MS-FOS program director must approve each thesis before submission to the library. To allow for sufficient review time, the following semester-based deadlines apply:

• Fall Semester: Early December
• Spring Semester: Middle of May
• Summer Semester: Early August

For the final sign-off, submit a hard copy of your thesis to the Program Director, including the two signed original approval pages. Students are encouraged to submit their thesis before the deadline.

For any additional questions, please get in touch with Marta Concheiro-Guisan via email (mconcheiro-Guisan@jjay.cuny.edu). 

MS Theses

For a full list of our Forensic Science student research submissions, click here.

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2023