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In the era of true crime doc­u­men­taries, TV series, pod­casts, books — essen­tial­ly every type of enter­tain­ment — foren­sic sci­ence has become a fas­ci­na­tion for mil­lions. If you are pas­sion­ate about sci­ence or crim­i­nal inves­ti­ga­tion, then foren­sic sci­ence might be a great field of inter­est to you. 

Orig­i­nal­ly pub­lished in May 2023 and revised in Jan­u­ary 2024.

Foren­sic sci­ence is not one thing, but an inter­dis­ci­pli­nary blend of: 

  • Biol­o­gy
  • Chem­istry
  • DNA Analy­sis
  • Law
  • Com­put­er Science

Foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians play a vital role in law enforce­ment agen­cies and crim­i­nal jus­tice. Today, from chem­istry and biol­o­gy to foren­sic psy­chol­o­gy to dig­i­tal foren­sics, it’s one of the fastest-grow­ing and most desir­able crim­i­nal jus­tice career paths in the US.

Getting a Forensic Science Bachelor Degree

Mak­ing a foren­sic sci­ence def­i­n­i­tion is very sim­ple: foren­sic sci­ence applies the sci­en­tif­ic method to a crim­i­nal inves­ti­ga­tion. Foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians employ tech­niques like DNA analy­sis, fin­ger­print track­ing, com­put­er sci­ence, chem­istry, and oth­er advanced meth­ods to iden­ti­fy criminals. 

Thanks to the devel­op­ment of foren­sic sci­ences in recent years, inves­ti­ga­tors are able to track down crim­i­nals in a more effec­tive and pre­cise way. How­ev­er, the spe­cial­ized skill sets that foren­sic sci­ence demands require a lot of spe­cial­ized schooling.

While foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians may begin their career in foren­sic sci­ence with an asso­ciate degree, that will only pro­vide entry-lev­el foren­sic sci­ence jobs. For bet­ter-pay­ing jobs with more poten­tial for pro­mo­tion, a foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree is the way to go. 

The best schools for foren­sic sci­ence pro­grams will pro­vide stu­dents with not only the course­work they need, but labs, foren­sic sci­ence intern­ships, expe­ri­en­tial learn­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties, and net­work­ing for the job market.

Methodology: How We Ranked the Best Forensic Science Bachelor Degree Programs

To rank the 15 Best Bachelor’s in Foren­sic Sci­ence Degree Pro­grams, the Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter start­ed with pro­grams accred­it­ed by the Foren­sic Sci­ence Edu­ca­tion Pro­grams Accred­i­ta­tion Com­mis­sion (FEPAC). FEPAC is the fore­most stan­dard for foren­sic sci­ence edu­ca­tion, so all of the pro­grams fea­tured in the rank­ing guar­an­tee top-notch training.

From there, BDC edi­tors ranked pro­grams accord­ing to 5 factors: 

  • Cost
  • Rep­u­ta­tion
  • Alum­ni Salary
  • Grad­u­a­tion Rate
  • Job Place­ment Rate

Data is drawn from IPEDS, Col­lege Score­card, and Niche.

1. Texas A&M University 

Texas A&M Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Foren­sic and Inves­tiga­tive Sci­ences degree pro­grams offer two emphases, Pre-Law and Sci­ence. Its foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram is the only degree pro­gram in the state of Texas accred­it­ed by the FEPAC. 

A&M’s BS is one of the best foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­grams for those seek­ing an occu­pa­tion in the court­room or crim­i­nal jus­tice field with the skills to col­lect, pre­serve, and ana­lyze evi­dence. A&M allows up to 65 cred­its to be trans­ferred upon acceptance.

Texas A&M Uni­ver­si­ty was estab­lished in 1871 under the Mor­rill Land-Grants Act. It is also clas­si­fied as a sea-grant, space grant, and senior mil­i­tary col­lege. The uni­ver­si­ty is home to the George Bush Pres­i­den­tial Library. Its main cam­pus is 5,300+- acres and is con­sid­ered one of the largest cam­pus­es in the coun­try. Wash­ing­ton Month­ly has rec­og­nized Texas A&M as the top insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing based on the cri­te­ria of research activ­i­ty, social mobil­i­ty, and service.

2. Penn State University

Penn State Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Foren­sic Sci­ence is for those stu­dents who wish to enter inves­tiga­tive careers. The foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram has been accred­it­ed by (FEPAC). FEPAC pro­motes the edu­ca­tion qual­i­ty of foren­sic sci­ence degree pro­grams across the coun­try. The foren­sic degree pro­grams offer two degree options:

  • Chem­istry
  • Foren­sic Biology

Penn State’s foren­sic sci­ence pro­gram is nation­al­ly recognized.

Penn State Uni­ver­si­ty is a flag­ship uni­ver­si­ty with numer­ous facil­i­ties through­out the state of Penn­syl­va­nia. It was estab­lished in 1855 under the Mor­rill Land Act and is cur­rent­ly rec­og­nized as a sea-grant, space-grant, sun-grant, and land-grant insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing. Stu­dent enroll­ment at Penn State nears 100,000. The Cen­ter for World Uni­ver­si­ty Rank­ings rec­og­nizes the uni­ver­si­ty among the top uni­ver­si­ties across the globe.

3. Towson University

Tow­son Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Foren­sic Chem­istry comes from the Fish­er Col­lege of Sci­ence and Math­e­mat­ics. TU’s foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­grams are avail­able with three dis­tinct concentrations:

  • Gen­er­al track
  • DNA track
  • Drug Analysis/Trace Evi­dence track

Each foren­sic evi­dence chem­istry track requires 120 cred­its to grad­u­ate. Tow­son Uni­ver­si­ty is one of 38 foren­sic sci­ence pro­grams to be accred­it­ed by FEPAC.

Tow­son Uni­ver­si­ty is a mem­ber school of the Uni­ver­si­ty Sys­tem of Mary­land and one of the largest insti­tu­tions of high­er learn­ing in Mary­land. It was estab­lished in 1866 by the gen­er­al assem­bly. Tow­son is well known for its ser­vice pro­grams; the school offers a trans­porta­tion shut­tle at no cost to students. 

Tow­son has also part­nered with the Bal­ti­more City Pub­lic School Sys­tem and the city gov­ern­ment to rebuild neigh­bor­hoods in need of rehabilitation.

4. The George Washington University

The George Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty’s foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor degree offers a com­bined foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram where stu­dents grad­u­ate with both a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Chem­istry and a Mas­ter of Foren­sic Sci­ences.

Essen­tial­ly, stu­dents in the BS Chem­istry pro­gram are fast-tracked through a Mas­ter’s degree that cre­ates a sol­id foun­da­tion for stu­dents to com­plete course­work that includes the exam­i­na­tion of accel­er­ants & tex­tiles as well as the effects of drug abuse on the human body. This FEPAC pro­gram is gen­er­al­ly com­plet­ed in 5 years with course­work that exem­pli­fies a great foren­sic sci­ence program.

The George Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty is a pri­vate insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing named in hon­or of the first pres­i­dent. The US Con­gress char­tered the school in 1821. GW oper­ates three inte­grat­ed cam­pus­es — the Mount Ver­non cam­pus, the Fog­gy Bot­tom Cam­pus, and the Vir­ginia Sci­ence & Tech­nol­o­gy campus. 

The uni­ver­si­ty con­sists of thir­teen under­grad­u­ate and grad­u­ate schools, includ­ing the Colum­bia Col­lege of Arts and Sciences/Department of Chemistry.

5. West Virginia University

West Vir­ginia University’s BS in Foren­sic and Inves­ti­ga­tion Sci­ence pre­pares stu­dents to find the inter­sec­tion of sci­ence and jus­tice. WVU’s pro­gram offers course­work that cov­ers the fun­da­men­tals found in the foren­sic sci­ence definition. 

West Vir­ginia Uni­ver­si­ty holds the dis­tinc­tion of pro­vid­ing the largest foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cian train­ing facil­i­ty in the US, with crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion hous­es, a bal­lis­tics test cen­ter, and a vehi­cle pro­cess­ing cen­ter. This FEPAC-accred­it­ed pro­gram offers three foren­sic concentrations:

  • Chem­istry
  • Foren­sic Biology
  • Foren­sic Examiner

The West Vir­ginia State Leg­is­la­ture estab­lished West Vir­ginia Uni­ver­si­ty in 1867 as a land-grant school under the Mor­rill Land Act. It holds the dis­tinc­tion of being a flag­ship, space-grant, and space-grant insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing. Sev­er­al build­ings on cam­pus are list­ed in the Nation­al Reg­is­ter of His­toric Places. 

West Vir­ginia Uni­ver­si­ty offers degree pro­grams from fif­teen col­leges and schools. WVU’s foren­sic inves­tiga­tive pro­grams are nation­al­ly ranked due to the school’s affil­i­a­tion with the Fed­er­al Bureau of Investigation.

6. West Chester University of Pennsylvania

The West Chester Uni­ver­si­ty of Penn­syl­va­ni­a’s BS in Foren­sic and Tox­i­co­log­i­cal Chem­istry has been accred­it­ed by the Foren­sic Sci­ence Edu­ca­tion Pro­grams Accred­i­ta­tion Com­mis­sion (FEPAC).

This foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents with an exten­sive chem­istry back­ground, lab­o­ra­to­ry expe­ri­ence, and the foren­sic skills required for suc­cess­ful careers as foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians and foren­sic sci­en­tists. Foren­sic sci­ence pro­grams require the com­ple­tion of 122 cred­its in four years.

The West Chester Uni­ver­si­ty of Penn­syl­va­nia was estab­lished in 1871 as a teacher train­ing school. The school is a mem­ber school of the Penn­syl­va­nia State Sys­tem of High­er Edu­ca­tion. Their 200+-acre cam­pus is home to more than 17,000 stu­dents study­ing for the 188 under­grad­u­ate pro­grams offered. West Chester’s prox­im­i­ty to Philadel­phia has made it a great insti­tu­tion for job prospects, espe­cial­ly in pub­lic ser­vices like crim­i­nal justice.

7. University of Mississippi

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mis­sis­sip­pi’s BS in Foren­sic Chem­istry has been accred­it­ed by FEPAC and approved by the Amer­i­can Chem­i­cal Soci­ety (ACS) Chem­istry for Life requirements. 

Course­work includes a cap­stone project in a crime lab. Stu­dents grad­u­ate pre­pared as prob­lem-solv­ing experts ready to apply the ever-evolv­ing tech­no­log­i­cal tools. Stu­dents vying to become cer­ti­fied as foren­sic sci­en­tists by the ACS must com­plete cer­tain classes.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mis­sis­sip­pi was estab­lished in 1844 by the state leg­is­la­ture; the school opened four years lat­er to edu­cate 80 stu­dents. Ole Miss remains the state’s largest insti­tu­tion for high­er learn­ing and is one of the most promi­nent insti­tu­tions in the Deep South. The Ole Miss Med­ical Cen­ter is rec­og­nized as the first place across the globe for the first heart and lung transplant.

8. Loyola University Chicago

Loy­ola Uni­ver­si­ty Chicago’s BS in Foren­sic Sci­ence is accred­it­ed by FEPAC and nation­al­ly ranked. This inter­dis­ci­pli­nary degree pro­gram inte­grates class­es from the fields of chem­istry, anthro­pol­o­gy, physics, crim­i­nal jus­tice, and physics. 

The foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram requires the com­ple­tion of 88 cred­it hours of foren­sic sci­ence pro­gram course­work in both the Foren­sic Biology/DNA track and the Chem­istry track, in addi­tion to Loy­ola’s core cur­ricu­lum man­dates. Grad­u­ates have numer­ous career options as foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians and foren­sic sci­en­tists in the fields of finan­cial ser­vices, law enforce­ment agen­cies, account­ing, or pharmaceuticals.

The Jesuits found­ed Loy­ola Uni­ver­si­ty Chica­go in 1870. Today, it is a Catholic research insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing that con­sists of 11 col­leges. US News & World Report rec­og­nizes Loy­ola as a best-val­ue col­lege and among the top uni­ver­si­ties in the nation. Loy­ola is home to more than 17,000 stu­dents with a student/faculty ratio of 1 to 14, giv­ing stu­dents the kind of sup­port and suc­cess that Catholic uni­ver­si­ties are known for.

9. Sam Houston State University

Sam Hous­ton State University’s BS in Foren­sic Chem­istry is known as the first pro­gram of its kind in Texas. SHSU’s accred­it­ed pro­gram allows grad­u­ates to move for­ward toward grad­u­ate school or for a vari­ety of posi­tions in crime laboratories. 

This foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree requires the com­ple­tion of 126 cred­it hours. Most foren­sic sci­ence stu­dents opt for a minor in biol­o­gy, while oth­ers select a dou­ble major in chem­istry and crim­i­nal jus­tice. Foren­sic sci­ence degree grad­u­ates find suc­cess­ful careers in the pub­lic and pri­vate sectors.

Sam Hous­ton State Uni­ver­si­ty is locat­ed about an hour from down­town Hous­ton. It was estab­lished in 1879. It holds the dis­tinc­tion of the first teacher train­ing school west of the Mis­sis­sip­pi Riv­er. The Jour­nal of Crim­i­nal Jus­tice has rec­og­nized Sam Hous­ton State University’s Col­lege of Crim­i­nal Jus­tice in the top five in the country.

10. Virginia Commonwealth University

Vir­ginia Com­mon­wealth Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Foren­sic Sci­ence with an advanced focus on Chem­istry is accred­it­ed by the Foren­sic Sci­ence Edu­ca­tion Pro­grams Accred­i­ta­tion Com­mis­sion (FEPAC).

This foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram requires the com­ple­tion of 26 cred­its in the fields of chem­istry, foren­sic sci­ence, and cal­cu­lus. Over­all pro­gram class­es include a min­i­mum of 120 cred­it hours. Grad­u­ates find suc­cess as foren­sic sci­en­tists in a vari­ety of ana­lyt­i­cal lab­o­ra­to­ries across the nation.

Vir­ginia Com­mon­wealth Uni­ver­si­ty is a research insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing that was estab­lished in 1838. It was cre­at­ed by the gen­er­al assem­bly of the state when the med­ical depart­ment of the Ham­p­den-Syd­ney Col­lege merged with the Rich­mond Pro­fes­sion­al Insti­tute. The school oper­ates sev­er­al cam­pus­es across Vir­ginia, but in recent years VCU has earned nation­al recog­ni­tion for its dis­tance learn­ing platform.

11. University of Alabama at Birmingham

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Alaba­ma at Birm­ing­ham’s BS in Dig­i­tal Foren­sics pre­pares grad­u­ates for suc­cess­ful careers in the fields of cyber­se­cu­ri­ty and dig­i­tal forensics. 

UAB’s inter­dis­ci­pli­nary foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram has been accred­it­ed by FEPAC, the over­sight agency that sets the foren­sic sci­ence def­i­n­i­tion and stan­dards. Course­work pre­pares stu­dents to manip­u­late infor­ma­tion for dig­i­tal devices. Degree grad­u­ates are required to com­plete an intern­ship to graduate.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Alaba­ma at Birm­ing­ham is a pub­lic insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing that was found­ed in 1969. The Birm­ing­ham cam­pus of the Uni­ver­si­ty of Alaba­ma is one of three mem­ber schools. The school oper­ates with twelve aca­d­e­m­ic divi­sions that offer more than 135 pro­grams. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Alaba­ma at Birm­ing­ham is the only school in the state to have attained the high­est research sta­tus rec­og­nized by the Carnegie Foundation.

12. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

Indi­ana Uni­ver­si­ty Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Indi­anapolis’s BS in Foren­sic and Inves­tiga­tive Sci­ences focus­es on cre­ative prob­lem-solv­ing tools and tech­niques that apply where sci­ence and the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem meet. 

IUPUI’s foren­sic sci­ence under­grad­u­ate degree pro­gram requires the com­ple­tion of a min­i­mum of 124 cred­it hours and a cap­stone project. FEPAC accred­its foren­sic sci­ence pro­grams, which means the pro­gram meets the stan­dard for foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians and foren­sic sci­en­tists. Stu­dents have the option of select­ing the Biol­o­gy or the Chem­istry concentration.

Indi­ana Uni­ver­si­ty Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Indi­anapo­lis is a pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty that was estab­lished in 1969. Their urban 500+-acre cam­pus is locat­ed on a penin­su­la next to Indi­anapo­lis’ down­town. IUPUI is a mem­ber school of the Indi­ana Uni­ver­si­ty sys­tem and came about as a unique col­lab­o­ra­tion between the Indi­anapo­lis branch cam­pus­es of Indi­ana Uni­ver­si­ty and Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty. The school holds the dis­tinc­tion of being the site of the 2nd largest research facil­i­ty in the state of Indiana.

13. John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY)

The John Jay Col­lege of Crim­i­nal Jus­tice BS in Foren­sic Sci­ence is designed to give stu­dents the knowl­edge and expe­ri­ence need­ed to find employ­ment in research, teach­ing, or foren­sic laboratories. 

The Foren­sic Sci­ence degree blends chem­istry, biol­o­gy, law, and physics to give stu­dents real-world expe­ri­ence and research to focus on qual­i­ty data col­lec­tion and the val­ue of eth­i­cal deci­sions in sci­ence. Stu­dents can select con­cen­tra­tions in: 

  • Crim­i­nal­is­tics
  • Tox­i­col­o­gy
  • Mol­e­c­u­lar Biology

Part of the City Uni­ver­si­ty of New York, John Jay Col­lege is one of the world’s fore­most crim­i­nal jus­tice schools. Stu­dents at John Jay Col­lege gain a foun­da­tion in the prin­ci­ples and con­cepts of the sci­ences. They learn to review sci­en­tif­ic lit­er­a­ture and use it in their research. They devel­op writ­ten and oral com­mu­ni­ca­tion skills. 

Stu­dents begin to under­stand the sci­en­tif­ic process and incor­po­rate it into their own careers as foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians. From this stu­dents learn how to come to prop­er con­clu­sions from data and phys­i­cal evidence.

14. University of New Haven

Uni­ver­si­ty of New Haven’s BS in Foren­sic Sci­ence is ful­ly FEPAC accred­it­ed. Stu­dents will study at the Hen­ry C. Lee Insti­tute for Foren­sic Science. 

The Insti­tute is a state-of-the-art work­ing crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion lab with inno­v­a­tive and tech­no­log­i­cal­ly advanced dis­plays. In this degree pro­gram, stu­dents blend sci­ence and tech­nol­o­gy to find phys­i­cal evi­dence with which to tes­ti­fy in regard to court cas­es. Stu­dents will devel­op stronger obser­va­tion skills and begin to iden­ti­fy phys­i­cal evi­dence for crim­i­nal cases.

UNH foren­sic sci­ence stu­dents will inter­act with mock crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion exer­cis­es and learn the most up-to-date crime-solv­ing tech­niques and resources while using the most inno­v­a­tive equipment. 

They will devel­op skills to enable them­selves to recre­ate crime scenes, col­lect phys­i­cal evi­dence, and ana­lyze evi­dence such as fiber and hair. Stu­dents will have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to par­tic­i­pate in an intern­ship pro­gram or research projects, help­ing improve their job mar­ket options as foren­sic tech­ni­cians after graduation.

15. Cedar Crest College

Cedar Crest College’s foren­sic sci­ence bach­e­lor degree pro­grams include two pos­si­bil­i­ties: a BS in Foren­sic Sci­ence or a BS in Genet­ics with a con­cen­tra­tion in Foren­sic Biol­o­gy. These pro­grams are FEPAC accredited. 

Cedar Crest believes in a gen­er­al phi­los­o­phy when it comes to their degree in foren­sic sci­ence because they feel this gives stu­dents a stronger foun­da­tion in the entire field of foren­sic sci­ence. Stu­dents are giv­en a broad edu­ca­tion read­ing them for employ­ment in var­i­ous jobs. Cedar Crest offers a genet­ic engi­neer­ing degree with a con­cen­tra­tion in foren­sic biol­o­gy for stu­dents inter­est­ed in DNA test­ing for forensics.

Stu­dents in the Cedar Crest foren­sic sci­ences pro­grams will receive a base in nat­ur­al sci­ences while devel­op­ing their abil­i­ty to think crit­i­cal­ly and make sound deci­sions about foren­sic prob­lems. Stu­dents will learn how to use the lat­est tech­nol­o­gy, such as a Raman micro­scope, with the most cur­rent tools for a foren­sic sci­ence investigation. 

Upon grad­u­a­tion, stu­dents will be able to find employ­ment as a crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor, tox­i­col­o­gist, trace evi­dence exam­in­er, or crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor. Stu­dents have found jobs with police depart­ments, crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion foren­sic sci­ence depart­ments, cos­met­ics, and med­ical research.


How Do I Find a Forensic Science University I Can Trust?

While deter­min­ing where to study foren­sic sci­ence, you must find a decent pro­gram that has foren­sic sci­ence accred­i­ta­tion. You would­n’t want to receive sub­par edu­ca­tion or train­ing from an unver­i­fied pro­gram. Evi­dence analy­sis is a com­plex sub­ject that requires spe­cial knowl­edge and training. 

On top of that, the job mar­ket for this field is very com­pet­i­tive, so a qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion is need­ed to have an edge over competitors.

The best way to gauge whether a foren­sic sci­ence pro­gram is worth your time is to see if it has FEPAC accred­i­ta­tion. The Foren­sic Sci­ence Edu­ca­tion Pro­grams Accred­i­ta­tion Com­mis­sion aims to main­tain high stan­dards for foren­sic sci­ence edu­ca­tion. FEPAC has devel­oped a set of rules that a pro­gram must meet in order to receive foren­sic sci­ence accreditation.

While there are plen­ty of options avail­able, it is impor­tant to attend a pro­gram or uni­ver­si­ty that is FEPAC accred­it­ed. With­out a FEPAC-accred­it­ed pro­gram, the grad­u­ate’s employ­ment options will be severe­ly lim­it­ed. The best foren­sic sci­ence col­leges will have FEPAC accreditation.

What Are the Advantages of an On-Campus Forensic Science Program?

On-cam­pus edu­ca­tion tends to be more per­son­al­ized than vir­tu­al edu­ca­tion. Some stu­dents pre­fer in-per­son teach­ing, espe­cial­ly when it comes to train­ing and meet­ing foren­sic sci­ence degree require­ments. Even more impor­tant­ly for areas like chem­istry cours­es, on-cam­pus pro­grams pro­vide labs and expe­ri­ence that can’t be matched online.

Those who are inter­est­ed in both crim­i­nal jus­tice and sci­ence will find a career in foren­sic sci­ence very ful­fill­ing. A decent bach­e­lor of sci­ence in foren­sic sci­ence pro­gram will teach stu­dents about cut­ting-edge CSI areas like:

  • Organ­ic Chemistry
  • Bio­chem­istry
  • Pathol­o­gy
  • Foren­sic Toxicology
  • Trace Evi­dence
  • Foren­sic Analysis
  • Foren­sic DNA
  • Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tion Processing

For exam­ple, a chem­istry major in foren­sics will learn not only chem­istry but how to apply chem­istry to crim­i­nal jus­tice and law. Chem­istry cours­es for foren­sics will include the fun­da­men­tals of chem­istry, but also law, ethics, crim­i­nol­o­gy, and pub­lic policy.

A chem­istry degree can last any­where between two and four years, depend­ing on the pro­gram. Many foren­sic sci­ence majors decide to earn a foren­sic bach­e­lor’s chem­istry degree. Chem­istry is a crit­i­cal com­po­nent of foren­sic sci­ence because much of the evi­dence is eval­u­at­ed on a bio­chem­i­cal level.

Can I Make a Good Living in Forensic Science?

Those who work in foren­sics are known as foren­sic sci­en­tists. They help crim­i­nal inves­ti­ga­tions by gath­er­ing and ana­lyz­ing bio­chem­i­cal evi­dence left at the scene of a crime. Some sci­en­tists also work to fur­ther advance foren­sics by improv­ing the meth­ods and tech­nol­o­gy used with­in the field.

Oth­ers may be recruit­ed to par­tic­i­pate in crim­i­nal court cas­es, pro­vid­ing expert analy­sis of fin­ger­print­ing, hand­writ­ing, or bio­chem­istry results. Still, oth­ers work in edu­ca­tion, train­ing oth­er foren­sic sci­en­tists for crime scene investigation.

Like most pro­fes­sions, foren­sic sci­ence degree salary and career oppor­tu­ni­ties with­in the field will depend on the work­er’s expe­ri­ence and exper­tise. Foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians make a medi­an annu­al salary of $63,740, and that num­ber can go as high as $104,330 for some foren­sic sci­ence technicians. 

A foren­sic chemist’s salary, for instance, would be in this range. Research biol­o­gists make some of the high­est salaries in foren­sic sci­ence, earn­ing $60,000 to 110,000 annually.

A foren­sic chemist’s job descrip­tion would focus on the work of a foren­sic chemist; work­ing in a lab to ana­lyze evi­dence — non-bio­log­i­cal evi­dence, because that is the role of the foren­sic biol­o­gist, and wouldn’t fit with the foren­sic chemist job descrip­tion. But things like gun­pow­der, poi­sons, drugs, for­eign com­pounds — those are foren­sics jobs.

Some­one with a foren­sic sci­ence degree could become a blood-spat­ter ana­lyst, com­put­er foren­sics inves­ti­ga­tor, crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor, crime lab ana­lyst, foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cian, foren­sic nurse, foren­sic psy­chol­o­gist, foren­sic accoun­tant, foren­sic anthro­pol­o­gist, or foren­sic bal­lis­tics expert. Var­i­ous sec­tors are hir­ing foren­sic sci­ence grad­u­ates, includ­ing gov­ern­ment, law enforce­ment agen­cies, and pri­vate entities.

Relat­ed Rankings:

15 Best Online Foren­sic Sci­ence Degree Bachelor’s Pro­grams
10 Fastest Online Foren­sic Sci­ence Degree Bachelor’s Pro­grams
10 Most Afford­able Online Foren­sic Sci­ence Degree Bach­e­lor Programs