Program Prerequisites
The qualified entering student will have a four year undergraduate degree in a physical or life science (typically a BS in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Biology) with a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the last 60 units attempted with a GPA of 3.0 in science and mathematics coursework. Qualified students will have completed the prerequisite science and mathematics coursework (Table 1) and strong candidates will have additional preparation appropriate to their area of interest.
| Coursework | Equivalent Fresno State Numbers |
|---|---|
| One Year of General Biology with Laboratory | Biol 1A, 1B |
| One Year of General Chemistry with Laboratory | Chem 1A, 1B |
| One Year of General Physics with Laboratory (must include optics) | PHYS 2A, 2B or PHYS 4A+L,4B+L,4C |
| One Course in Calculus | Math 75 |
| One Course in Statistics | Math 101 or Psych 42 |
| One Year of Organic Chemistry with Laboratory | Chem 128A, 128B, 129A, 129B |
| One Course in Analytical Chemistry with Laboratory | Chem 102 or Chem 105 |
| One Course in Biochemistry | Chem 150 or 155 |
| A course in one of the following areas*: Instrumental Analysis with laboratory Genetics and Molecular Biology |
Chem 106 or 125 Biol 102 |
* both categories must be completed prior to classified standing, one is a prerequisite for admission
Examples of appropriate additional preparation for strong students would include a survey course in forensic science, coursework in genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry for forensic biologists, or coursework in calculus, physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and instrumental analysis for forensic chemists.