The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has developed a new major in forensic science that will be available to students beginning this fall.

The major combines classes in biology, chemistry and criminal justice.

Students will take a core of 56 to 58 credits of criminal justice, biology, chemistry, physics and calculus. They will then choose a concentration in either biology or chemistry and take another 27 to 28 credits in their chosen area.

Dr. Francis Mulcahy, associate professor of chemistry, will be director of the program. He said that Pitt-Bradford already had the necessary courses, but that professors will tweak the contents of a few classes to benefit the new major. For example, the chemistry class Analytical Instrumentation will now emphasize the analysis of drugs over other substances.

Other classes, such as Organic Chemistry Analysis, already exist, but will be offered more frequently, Mulcahy said.

Mulcahy said that some of his chemistry students have already shown interest in the new program.

The criminal justice part of the program builds on the criminal forensics studies minor launched in 2013. To support the minor, and now major, Pitt-Bradford has a professional-grade forensics lab that includes a CYCLOPS Imager; a Forensic Digital Optical Video Magnifier; a Video-Based Optical Comparator; a Forensic Alternative Light Source Detection Kit; and a KRIMESITE Imager.