Student Handbook & Thesis Requirements

Student Handbook and Resources

For a copy of our student handbook, click here.

For a copy of our track maps, click here.

Thesis Resources

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

For a copy of our thesis handbook, click here .

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

Thesis Policy Requirements, Procedures, and Submissions Procedures

Completing a thesis is mandatory for all MSFOS students. If you have any questions, you may contact your Program Director, Marta Concheiro-Guisan (mconcheiro-guisan@jjay.cuny.edu)

Thesis Preparation

Please review the thesis guidelines and start working with your faculty advisor to prepare and comply with the thesis writing stages.

Note: The thesis guidelines have recently changed; the new guidelines are available here (2024-2025 Thesis Guide).

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 only be made if the student’s Program Director and the Graduate Dean approve.

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 and the student need 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. As long as all thesis committee members are present, the presentation can occur during either one of the FOS795-797 courses or be scheduled separately.

Students planning to graduate after their 4th semester in the program should plan on completing most of their thesis work in the first summer after the second semester. John Jay College requires all students to submit their thesis one year after completing all coursework required for graduation. The student may only request an extension by written petition to the faculty thesis advisor, program director, and dean in exceptional circumstances. If the request is approved, the student will be granted a limited period to complete the thesis.

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.