15 Best Online CSI Degree Programs

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Glob­al offers the #1 online CSI degree pro­gram.
• Online CSI pro­grams teach prac­ti­cal skills nec­es­sary for effec­tive crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion, such as evi­dence col­lec­tion and analysis.
• Grad­u­ates can apply these skills across var­i­ous roles with­in crim­i­nol­o­gy and foren­sic sci­ences.

Enrolling in a CSI degree pro­gram when you are already work­ing in the crim­i­nal jus­tice field is a great way for you to add cre­den­tials to your list of achieve­ments. Online degree pro­grams pro­vide you with the lat­est tech­nol­o­gy when it comes to inves­tiga­tive tools and tech­niques. Crime ser­vice inves­ti­ga­tion is one of the top career choic­es for indi­vid­u­als who have an inter­est in crim­i­nol­o­gy and foren­sics. The abil­i­ty to work and go to school at the same time is a bless­ing for those who have to sup­port their families.

CSI online degree pro­grams teach the same high-inten­si­ty cur­ricu­lum that stu­dents receive if they take their cours­es in a class­room. CSI degree pro­grams offer stu­dents who can’t attend a con­ven­tion­al class­room an oppor­tu­ni­ty to obtain all of the skills they need to be an effec­tive crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor. Stu­dents are taught how to per­form inter­views, col­lect spec­i­mens, log their find­ings, and secure a crime scene. These valu­able tools can be used in a vari­ety of career paths in the crim­i­nal jus­tice field.

Look­ing for the best online CSI degree pro­grams? This guide reviews the top accred­it­ed online crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion degrees, what you learn, job out­comes, and how to become a CSI step-by-step.

Relat­ed:

• Most In-Demand IT Degrees and Certifications
• Top 10 Fast-Grow­ing Col­lege Majors
• Tech-Focused Online Degrees for Future-Proof Careers

Quick Picks

Best Over­all: Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Glob­al – online BS with CSI con­cen­tra­tion
Best for Foren­sics-Focused Work: FIU Crime Sci­ence BS
Best for Flex­i­bil­i­ty: Nor­wich Uni­ver­si­ty – self-paced CJ degree
Best Bud­get Option: West­ern Car­oli­na University

See Also:

Most Affordable Online CSI / CJ–CSI Degree Programs

Fastest Online CSI / CJ–CSI Degree Programs

How to Become a Crime Scene Investigator: Step-by-Step

Becom­ing a Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tor (CSI) involves a com­bi­na­tion of edu­ca­tion, hands-on train­ing, cer­ti­fi­ca­tions, and law enforce­ment expe­ri­ence. While require­ments vary by agency, the steps below rep­re­sent the most com­mon path­way into CSI work in local, state, and fed­er­al inves­tiga­tive units.

1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in a Relevant Field

Most agen­cies require at least a bachelor’s degree in one of the fol­low­ing areas:

• Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tion (CSI)
• Foren­sic Science
• Crim­i­nal Jus­tice with a CSI concentration
• Biol­o­gy or Chem­istry (for lab-heavy foren­sic roles)

A degree pro­vides foun­da­tion­al knowl­edge in evi­dence pro­cess­ing, crim­i­nol­o­gy, sci­ence, and inves­tiga­tive procedure.

2. Complete Specialized CSI Training

After (or dur­ing) your degree, stu­dents typ­i­cal­ly receive tar­get­ed train­ing such as:

• Crime scene photography
• Evi­dence col­lec­tion and preservation
• Blood­stain pat­tern analysis
• Fin­ger­print devel­op­ment and comparison
• Death inves­ti­ga­tion procedures
• Crime scene doc­u­men­ta­tion and reconstruction

Many online CSI pro­grams inte­grate these skills into the cur­ricu­lum or offer option­al on-site inten­sives or vir­tu­al labs.

3. Gain Field Experience Through an Internship or Entry-Level Role

Real-world expe­ri­ence is crit­i­cal. Most CSIs start by:

• Com­plet­ing a CSI internship
• Work­ing as a police offi­cer or deputy
• Serv­ing as an evi­dence tech­ni­cian or foren­sic assistant
• Vol­un­teer­ing with law enforce­ment or foren­sic units

Intern­ships build prac­ti­cal skills, strength­en résumés, and often lead direct­ly to employment.

4. Earn Professional Certifications

Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions show employ­ers that you meet nation­al stan­dards for evi­dence han­dling and crime scene work. The most rec­og­nized cer­ti­fi­ca­tions include:

• Inter­na­tion­al Asso­ci­a­tion for Iden­ti­fi­ca­tion (IAI):
  • Cer­ti­fied Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tor (CCSI)
  • Cer­ti­fied Crime Scene Ana­lyst (CCSA)
  • Cer­ti­fied Crime Scene Recon­struc­tion­ist (CCSR)
• Inter­na­tion­al Asso­ci­a­tion of Chiefs of Police (IACP):
  Offers spe­cial­ized foren­sic and inves­tiga­tive train­ing programs.
• Cer­ti­fied Foren­sic Tech­ni­cian (CFT) or oth­er agency-spe­cif­ic credentials.

Many agen­cies strong­ly pre­fer or require cer­ti­fi­ca­tion with­in the first 1–2 years of employment.

5. Apply to Local, State, or Federal CSI Positions

Once trained, you can apply for CSI roles across fed­er­al, state, and local law enforce­ment agen­cies, including:

• Police depart­ments
• Sheriff’s offices
• State bureaus of investigation
• Fed­er­al agen­cies (FBI, ATF, DHS, etc.)
• Med­ical exam­in­er or coro­ner offices
• Pri­vate foren­sic firms

Some agen­cies hire CSIs as civil­ians, while oth­ers require sworn law enforce­ment status.

How We Ranked the Best CSI Online Degree Programs

For the Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter rank­ing of the best CSI degrees online, BDC edi­tors researched trust­ed, accred­it­ed insti­tu­tions all over the US. With a broad range of choic­es, edi­tors ranked pro­grams accord­ing to their tuition cost, stu­dent sat­is­fac­tion, and salary poten­tial, using data from Col­lege Score­card, IPEDs, and Niche.

1. Purdue University Global

When you are look­ing for the best CSI online degree to help with your career goals, the bach­e­lor of sci­ence in crim­i­nal jus­tice with a con­cen­tra­tion in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion from Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Glob­al is a good choice. The degree pro­gram pro­vides stu­dents with a strong foun­da­tion in the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem and empha­sizes applied research meth­ods to eval­u­ate evi­dence. It pre­pares stu­dents to han­dle chal­lenges when work­ing in the field of crime scene investigation.

Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Glob­al encour­ages stu­dents to gain hands-on expe­ri­ence with intern­ships. Stu­dents are expect­ed to start an intern­ship and learn from oth­er pro­fes­sion­als in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion before they grad­u­ate with a bach­e­lor’s degree. Since the pro­gram is avail­able online, it does offer an accel­er­at­ed for­mat that allows stu­dents to fin­ish their degrees at a fast pace.

What We Like: Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Glob­al offers mul­ti­ple start­ing dates for stu­dents in the CSI program.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice: Crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion, BS

Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tion BS — Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty Global

2. Florida International University

Flori­da Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty offers one of the best CSI online degrees at the under­grad­u­ate lev­el for stu­dents who want to work in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion. The Crime Sci­ence pro­gram empha­sizes research and crime map­ping, as well as foren­sic sci­ence, to pre­pare stu­dents for a chal­leng­ing career eval­u­at­ing evi­dence left at a crime scene. It ensures that stu­dents have a strong foun­da­tion in the sci­ences behind foren­sics and are able to eval­u­ate and draw con­clu­sions based on the evidence.

Flori­da Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty takes an inter­na­tion­al approach to CSI stud­ies and requires stu­dents to take a for­eign lan­guage and to com­plete glob­al learn­ing cours­es through­out their stud­ies. Stu­dents who are flu­ent in a for­eign lan­guage may be able to avoid the stud­ies in a lan­guage if they show com­pe­tence in a sec­ond lan­guage. The focus on inter­na­tion­al and glob­al crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion sets the school apart from oth­er programs.

What We Like: Flori­da Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty encour­ages stu­dents to take an intern­ship through­out their stud­ies to gain hands-on experience.

Degree: Crime Sci­ence, BS

Flori­da Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty Crime Sci­ence, BS

3. Excelsior College

When you are look­ing for CSI degrees online that help you start a career in crim­i­nal inves­ti­ga­tion, Excel­sior Col­lege offers an option to help with your goals. The Crim­i­nal Jus­tice degree in the col­lege empha­sizes the role of law enforce­ment, as well as mea­sures to pre­vent cor­rup­tion with­in law enforce­ment and prop­er pro­ce­dures for crim­i­nal inves­ti­ga­tions. The focus on the jus­tice sys­tem ensures that stu­dents have a strong foun­da­tion to help them reach their long-term goals of work­ing in crime scene investigation.

Excel­sior Col­lege empha­sizes psy­chol­o­gy, soci­ol­o­gy, and crim­i­nol­o­gy as the­o­ries before teach­ing stu­dents the prac­ti­cal appli­ca­tion of the­o­ries in a law enforce­ment role. The focus on dif­fer­ent the­o­ries and ideas as it applies to crim­i­nal inves­ti­ga­tions and law enforce­ment ensures that stu­dents are pre­pared to take on chal­leng­ing roles in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion as they gain expe­ri­ence in law enforce­ment and the crim­i­nal jus­tice system.

What We Like: Excel­sior Col­lege offers cred­it for mil­i­tary expe­ri­ence and is a mil­i­tary-friend­ly school.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BS

Excel­sior Col­lege Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BS

4. Portland State University

Port­land State Uni­ver­si­ty offers a Crim­i­nol­o­gy degree that pre­pares stu­dents for the chal­lenges of work­ing in the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem. The degree pro­gram pro­vides stu­dents with the fun­da­men­tal skills and the­o­ries they need to eval­u­ate poten­tial crim­i­nal behav­iors and to find solu­tions to reduce the rate of crim­i­nal activ­i­ty by address­ing the under­ly­ing caus­es of the situation.

Port­land State Uni­ver­si­ty empha­sizes crim­i­nol­o­gy as it applies to the indi­vid­ual, fam­i­ly, and soci­etal focus of the per­son com­mit­ting the crime. Since crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion requires an under­stand­ing of crim­i­nal behav­ior, the degree pro­vides stu­dents with the basic the­o­ries and ideas that help deter­mine why indi­vid­u­als behave in cer­tain ways. It also pro­vides stu­dents with a strong foun­da­tion in the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem and cur­rent prac­tices to address con­cerns about the system.

What We Like: Port­land State Uni­ver­si­ty allows stu­dents to trans­fer cred­its into the pro­gram to speed up the process of com­plet­ing their degrees.

Degree: Crim­i­nol­o­gy, BCJ

5. Maryville University

Maryville Uni­ver­si­ty offers a crim­i­nol­o­gy degree pro­gram that helps stu­dents focus on their career goals. It pro­vides stu­dents with a strong foun­da­tion in the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem and ensures that stu­dents have the the­o­ries to under­stand the behav­ior of crim­i­nals and oth­er indi­vid­u­als. The pro­gram also offers stu­dents a strong foun­da­tion in mod­ern tech­nol­o­gy used in crim­i­nal jus­tice to eval­u­ate data and clar­i­fy evidence.

Maryville Uni­ver­si­ty requires stu­dents to take a practicum in their senior year of col­lege to gain hands-on expe­ri­ence in the crim­i­nal jus­tice field. Since the school requires stu­dents to gain hands-on expe­ri­ence, it offers a solu­tion to help stu­dents focus on their long-term goals. It also pre­pares stu­dents for the chal­lenges they may face when work­ing in law enforce­ment and crime scene investigation.

What We Like: Maryville Uni­ver­si­ty offers small class sizes with a stu­dent-to-teacher ratio of 14 to one.

Degree: Crim­i­nol­o­gy, BCJ

Maryville Uni­ver­si­ty Crim­i­nol­o­gy, BCJ

6. University of Cincinnati

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cincin­nati offers a degree in Crim­i­nal Jus­tice that pre­pares stu­dents to work in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion and law enforce­ment. The degree pro­gram teach­es stu­dents the the­o­ries behind dif­fer­ent crim­i­nal behav­iors and helps them under­stand the fac­tors that may impact behav­iors to result in crim­i­nal activ­i­ty. By under­stand­ing the rea­sons for crim­i­nal behav­ior, stu­dents are able to eval­u­ate evi­dence and rec­og­nize dif­fer­ent pat­terns of behav­ior to solve crimes.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cincin­nati helps stu­dents with their career goals by allow­ing them to join dif­fer­ent orga­ni­za­tions that relate to the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem. Stu­dents are able to join the Crim­i­nal Jus­tice Soci­ety, the Stu­dent Ambas­sador Pro­gram, or the CEPH Tri­bunal while they are attend­ing school and work­ing through their online degrees. That abil­i­ty to con­nect with oth­ers through dif­fer­ent orga­ni­za­tions ensures that stu­dents are able to gain new oppor­tu­ni­ties for their careers.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cincin­nati offers schol­ar­ships to stu­dents in the online crim­i­nal jus­tice program.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BS

Uni­ver­si­ty of Cincin­nati Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BS

7. Norwich University

Nor­wich Uni­ver­si­ty offers a bach­e­lor’s degree in Crim­i­nal Jus­tice that allows stu­dents to advance in their careers in law enforce­ment or to take mea­sures to move into a dif­fer­ent area of law enforce­ment. For stu­dents who plan to work in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion, the school allows stu­dents to select elec­tive cours­es for a con­cen­tra­tion in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion that pre­pares them for the chal­lenges of eval­u­at­ing evidence.

Nor­wich Uni­ver­si­ty empha­sizes flex­i­bil­i­ty and work­ing at your own pace. That means the online pro­gram allows stu­dents to advance in their stud­ies when they com­plete course mate­ri­als and does not hold stu­dents back when they are ready to move for­ward. The empha­sis on flex­i­bil­i­ty allows stu­dents to accel­er­ate their edu­ca­tion and com­plete their degrees at a fast pace.

What We Like: Nor­wich Uni­ver­si­ty allows stu­dents to trans­fer up to 90 cred­its into the online crim­i­nal jus­tice program.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BS

Nor­wich Uni­ver­si­ty Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BS

8. Western Carolina University

West­ern Car­oli­na Uni­ver­si­ty offers a bach­e­lor’s degree in Crim­i­nal Jus­tice that pre­pares stu­dents for a career in law enforce­ment and crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion. The degree pro­gram empha­sizes the the­o­ries and ideas behind the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem and crim­i­nol­o­gy. That empha­sis on the­o­ry ensures that stu­dents are able to rec­og­nize pat­terns of behav­ior and solve crimes through effec­tive prob­lem-solv­ing skills.

West­ern Car­oli­na Uni­ver­si­ty allows stu­dents to join Alpha Phi Sig­ma, or the Nation­al Crim­i­nal Jus­tice Hon­or Soci­ety, as long as stu­dents main­tain a high grade point aver­age and meet the stan­dards for hon­or stu­dents. Stu­dents are also able to join the Stu­dent Asso­ci­a­tion of Crim­i­nal Jus­tice Affairs to vol­un­teer in the local com­mu­ni­ty and par­tic­i­pate in stu­dent-relat­ed crim­i­nal jus­tice activities.

What We Like: West­ern Car­oli­na Uni­ver­si­ty allows stu­dents to trans­fer cred­its into the online pro­gram from a com­mu­ni­ty col­lege or oth­er universities.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BS

West­ern Car­oli­na Uni­ver­si­ty Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BS

9. Roosevelt University

The Bach­e­lor of Arts in Crim­i­nal Jus­tice from Roo­sevelt Uni­ver­si­ty pre­pares stu­dents to work in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tions and oth­er law enforce­ment posi­tions for their careers. The degree pro­gram empha­sizes the main­te­nance of social con­trol while also bal­anc­ing the rights dis­cussed in the U.S. Con­sti­tu­tion. It pro­vides stu­dents with a basic under­stand­ing of the law and crim­i­nol­o­gy to under­stand the fac­tors that may con­tribute to crime. Stu­dents are also able to learn about the basics of inves­ti­gat­ing crime and resolv­ing poten­tial com­pli­ca­tions with the law.

Roo­sevelt Uni­ver­si­ty empha­sizes the Con­sti­tu­tion­al Rights that apply to indi­vid­u­als who are involved in the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem. It rec­og­nizes that law enforce­ment pro­fes­sion­als must con­sid­er the laws that apply to indi­vid­u­als and ensure that the rights of each per­son are tak­en into account when eval­u­at­ing evidence.

What We Like: Roo­sevelt Uni­ver­si­ty requires seniors in the crim­i­nal jus­tice pro­gram to com­plete a Cap­stone project.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BA

Roo­sevelt Uni­ver­si­ty Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BA

10. Utica College

When you want to find the best CSI degrees for spe­cial­ized areas of crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion careers, Uti­ca Col­lege offers a solu­tion to help with your goals. The Fraud and Finan­cial Crime Inves­ti­ga­tion pro­gram empha­sizes spe­cial­ized train­ing in eco­nom­ic crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion to pre­pare stu­dents to iden­ti­fy poten­tial crimes and clar­i­fy the type of finan­cial crime that occurred. It also allows stu­dents to check on cor­po­rate com­pli­ance with laws and reg­u­la­tions as it relates to the industry.

Uti­ca Col­lege stands out by focus­ing on a high­ly spe­cial­ized area of crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion with a focus on eco­nom­ic crimes. It ensures that stu­dents are able to rec­og­nize cor­rup­tion, fraud, and relat­ed crimes that may occur in large and small-scale sit­u­a­tions. It also pro­vides stu­dents with the abil­i­ty to assist state and fed­er­al law enforce­ment agen­cies when look­ing into large-scale crimes.

What We Like: Uti­ca Col­lege was the first col­lege in the nation to offer a spe­cial­ized crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion degree that focus­es on eco­nom­ic or finan­cial crimes.

Degree: Fraud and Finan­cial Crime Inves­ti­ga­tion, BS

Uti­ca Col­lege Fraud and Finan­cial Crime Inves­ti­ga­tion, BS

11. Liberty University

Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty offers an online CSI degree pro­gram that helps you focus on your long-term career goals. The CSI con­cen­tra­tion under the Crim­i­nal Jus­tice degree empha­sizes the skills you need to eval­u­ate a crime scene, main­tain prop­er pro­ce­dures as required by the law, and pro­tect or record evi­dence that is vital to a case. The pro­gram teach­es you about the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem to pre­pare you for the chal­lenges of a career as a foren­sic investigator.

Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty stands out from oth­er online pro­grams by pro­vid­ing a fast-paced envi­ron­ment for stu­dent learn­ing. The accel­er­at­ed class­es are eight weeks long and allow stu­dents to work at their own pace. That focus on pro­vid­ing flex­i­ble and fast-paced cours­es allow stu­dents to fin­ish their bach­e­lor’s degree with­in 3.5 years or to fin­ish up a degree at a fast pace after trans­fer­ring up to 75 per­cent of the class­es into the program.

What We Like: Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty offers mul­ti­ple start dates for stu­dents in the online CSI program.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice: CSI, BS

Lib­er­ty Uni­ver­si­ty Crim­i­nal Jus­tice: CSI, BS

12. Champlain College

Stu­dents who want to work in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tions with a focus on eco­nom­ic crimes may find the Eco­nom­ic Crime Inves­ti­ga­tion degree from Cham­plain Col­lege is a good choice for your goals. The degree pro­gram focus­es on build­ing up prob­lem-solv­ing skills and ana­lyt­i­cal skills to ensure that you are able to catch the signs of eco­nom­ic crime. It also pro­vides the train­ing you need to work in finan­cial fraud inves­ti­ga­tion positions.

Cham­plain Col­lege stands out by empha­siz­ing spe­cial­ized skills that allow you to focus on a spe­cif­ic area of crime scene inves­ti­ga­tions. The degree pro­gram also pre­pares you for the Cer­ti­fied Fraud Exam­in­er test and oth­er cer­ti­fi­ca­tion exams to ensure that you are ready to take on spe­cif­ic roles with­in law enforce­ment. You can work in fed­er­al, state, or local law enforce­ment when you fin­ish your degree.

What We Like: Cham­plain Col­lege is a mil­i­tary-friend­ly school that works with active-duty mem­bers of the mil­i­tary and vet­er­ans who are work­ing on a degree.

Degree: Bach­e­lor’s in Eco­nom­ic Crime Investigation

Eco­nom­ic Crime Inves­ti­ga­tion — Cham­plain College

13. Brandman University

The Bach­e­lor of Arts in Crim­i­nal Jus­tice from Brand­man Uni­ver­si­ty is a good option for stu­dents who want to work in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tions with law enforce­ment. The degree pro­vides stu­dents with a strong foun­da­tion in the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem and the law, as well as the basic skills they need to work in foren­sics and crime scene investigations.

Brand­man Uni­ver­si­ty stands out by empha­siz­ing the val­ue of mul­ti­ple view­points when look­ing into crim­i­nal law and inves­ti­ga­tions. It encour­ages stu­dents to think about dif­fer­ent aspects of crime and under­stand the under­ly­ing caus­es of a crime to ful­ly under­stand the evi­dence that may be left at the crime scene. Stu­dents are also encour­aged to col­lab­o­rate and work as a team to ensure that they do not miss impor­tant information.

What We Like: Brand­man Uni­ver­si­ty offers a ful­ly online as well as a hybrid online pro­gram so stu­dents can work around their per­son­al sched­ules and obligations.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice, BA

BA in Crim­i­nal Jus­tice from Brand­man University

14. Hampton University

The Foren­sic Chem­istry bach­e­lor’s degree from Hamp­ton Uni­ver­si­ty is a good option for stu­dents who want to work in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tions. The degree pro­gram focus­es on the appli­ca­tion of sci­ence and chem­istry to the eval­u­a­tion of evi­dence in the crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem. It teach­es stu­dents to use their knowl­edge of sci­ence and their skills in chem­istry to ana­lyze, eval­u­ate, and inter­pret the phys­i­cal evi­dence left at a crime scene.

Hamp­ton Uni­ver­si­ty stands out by offer­ing a spe­cial­ized area of crime scene inves­ti­ga­tions that is part of the sci­ence depart­ment of the uni­ver­si­ty. Stu­dents are expect­ed to have a strong foun­da­tion in sci­ence and chem­istry to ensure that they under­stand the data and are able to pro­vide effec­tive tes­ti­mo­ny based on the evi­dence found in a crim­i­nal case.

What We Like: Hamp­ton Uni­ver­si­ty works with mem­bers of the mil­i­tary to help with finan­cial aid and scholarships.

Degree: Foren­sic chem­istry, BS

15. Salem University

Salem Uni­ver­si­ty offers a crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion pro­gram that pre­pares stu­dents to work on a crime scene inves­tiga­tive team when they grad­u­ate. The degree pro­gram teach­es stu­dents the prop­er ways to han­dle secu­ri­ty and the main­te­nance of evi­dence as well as prop­er com­mu­ni­ca­tion with­in the team. Stu­dents also learn to col­lect, record, and doc­u­ment evi­dence from a crime scene as part of the inves­tiga­tive process.

Salem Uni­ver­si­ty encour­ages stu­dents to work on their course mate­ri­als in a for­mat that is com­fort­able for their per­son­al learn­ing styles. Stu­dents in the CSI pro­gram are able to take the class­es through a ful­ly online, hybrid online, or on-cam­pus class envi­ron­ment based on their needs and goals. The flex­i­ble solu­tions ensure that stu­dents can work around per­son­al and pro­fes­sion­al obligations.

What We Like: Salem Uni­ver­si­ty pro­vides cours­es on a month­ly basis, so stu­dents are able to enroll in the col­lege at mul­ti­ple times through­out the year.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice: Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tion, BA

Salem Uni­ver­si­ty Crim­i­nal Jus­tice: Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tion, BA

CSI Salary Table (BLS Occupational Categories)

CSI Salary by Job Title (BLS Data)

Salaries for crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion careers vary based on spe­cial­iza­tion, employ­er type, and expe­ri­ence lev­el. The Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics (BLS) does not report a stand­alone salary cat­e­go­ry called “Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tor,” so CSI pay is typ­i­cal­ly reflect­ed under relat­ed occu­pa­tion­al titles.

Below are the most rel­e­vant BLS job cat­e­gories and their medi­an annu­al pay:

• Crime Scene Inves­ti­ga­tor (CSI / Foren­sic Inves­ti­ga­tor): Varies by agency; com­mon­ly falls with­in foren­sic tech­ni­cian or detec­tive salary ranges
• Foren­sic Sci­ence Tech­ni­cians: $69,260/year
  These pro­fes­sion­als per­form lab­o­ra­to­ry and field-based evi­dence analy­sis and often car­ry out CSI duties in small­er agencies.
• Crim­i­nal Inves­ti­ga­tors & Detec­tives: $91,610/year
  Many expe­ri­enced CSIs tran­si­tion into detec­tive roles, where they con­duct full-scope inves­ti­ga­tions beyond evi­dence collection.

These salary cat­e­gories demon­strate the earn­ing poten­tial for dif­fer­ent inves­tiga­tive career paths. Start­ing as a CSI often leads to high­er-pay­ing inves­tiga­tive roles as skills and respon­si­bil­i­ties increase.

States That Hire the Most CSIs

Crime scene investigators—and pro­fes­sion­als in relat­ed foren­sic and inves­tiga­tive roles—tend to be con­cen­trat­ed in states with:

• Large pop­u­la­tions
• High num­bers of local, state, and fed­er­al law enforce­ment agencies
• Clus­ters of met­ro­pol­i­tan crime labs and foren­sic units
• Strong demand for pub­lic safe­ty professionals

Accord­ing to BLS occu­pa­tion­al dis­tri­b­u­tion data for foren­sic sci­ence tech­ni­cians and crim­i­nal inves­ti­ga­tors, the states that employ the largest num­ber of CSI-relat­ed pro­fes­sion­als typ­i­cal­ly include:

• Cal­i­for­nia – Large met­ro­pol­i­tan police depart­ments and numer­ous crime labs
• Texas – High pop­u­la­tion, mul­ti­ple major cities, and exten­sive state law enforce­ment infrastructure
• Flori­da – Sig­nif­i­cant demand across coun­ty sheriff’s offices and munic­i­pal agencies
• New York – Dense urban areas and sub­stan­tial foren­sic services
• Ari­zona – Strong growth in foren­sic and inves­tiga­tive ser­vices due to expand­ing cities

Oth­er states with notable CSI or foren­sic employ­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties include North Car­oli­na, Ohio, Penn­syl­va­nia, Col­orado, and Vir­ginia, espe­cial­ly in met­ro­pol­i­tan regions with estab­lished crim­i­nal jus­tice systems.

Why Should I Get My CSI Degree Online?

Online CSI degrees are a great way for indi­vid­u­als who are work­ing in anoth­er field to get the edu­ca­tion they need if they want to change their career path. They can start with the gen­er­al edu­ca­tion cours­es and work they way up until they have the degree of their choos­ing. Stu­dents can take all of the time they need to com­plete each step of their degree pro­gram ensur­ing they have a full under­stand­ing of their online cours­es before they move on to the next phase. The con­ve­nience offered by CSI online degree pro­grams makes any lev­el of edu­ca­tion possible.

Do I Need a Degree to Become a Crime Scene Investigator?

Depend­ing on your past work expe­ri­ence and the amount of edu­ca­tion you have in oth­er fields, you may not need to com­plete more edu­ca­tion to be a crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor. While there is some form of edu­ca­tion required for a crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor, you may be able to earn some of what you need by actu­al­ly work­ing in the field in oth­er capac­i­ties. When it comes time for you to apply for the investigator’s posi­tion, how­ev­er, you may want to enroll in a CSI online degree pro­gram to make sure you have the knowl­edge you need to per­form the required duties.

Crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor required edu­ca­tion cours­es can include foren­sics, inter­view­ing skills, pho­tog­ra­phy, scene man­age­ment, and oth­ers that will give you the tools and abil­i­ties you need to inves­ti­gate many dif­fer­ent types of crime scenes. Because crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion is a part of law enforce­ment, you will be required to know and under­stand the law as it applies to each spe­cif­ic event. It will be up to you to learn what lim­i­ta­tions and free­doms you have as an inves­ti­ga­tor and what chan­nels you must fol­low as an inves­ti­ga­tion progresses.

In order to become an effec­tive and rep­utable crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor, you need to know how to per­form var­i­ous tasks. While some can be learned through watch­ing oth­ers, it is best to enroll in an online CSI degree pro­gram that pro­vides you with all of the required skills and resources you will need to be suc­cess­ful. The con­ve­nience of an online pro­gram will offer the edu­ca­tion required for a crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor posi­tion. These degrees can be earned in what­ev­er amount of time is best for the stu­dent. There is no rush and the cours­es can be com­plet­ed while work­ing a full-time job.

Be aware of the accred­i­ta­tion sta­tus of the school you’re con­sid­er­ing. Accred­i­ta­tion from the one of the region­al Com­mis­sion on Col­leges means you’re choos­ing a sol­id dis­tance learn­ing pro­gram. Accred­it­ed online pro­grams are just as trust­wor­thy as in-per­son, and online learn­ing is ide­al for cer­tain learners.

What Does It Take to Be a Crime Scene Investigator?

The list of qual­i­fi­ca­tions for a crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor is rather long, but there are a few key char­ac­ter­is­tics that are absolute­ly nec­es­sary. Being obser­vant is a must. You must be able to pay atten­tion to even the small­est details. Some pieces of evi­dence can be incred­i­bly minute, so hav­ing an eye for detail and being able to observe the envi­ron­ment you are in will be what defines you as an investigator.

Prob­lem-solv­ing skills are also impor­tant. You need to be able to take many dif­fer­ent pieces of a large puz­zle and fit them togeth­er cor­rect­ly to get the right answer to the ques­tion at hand. Part of prob­lem-solv­ing is hav­ing the abil­i­ty to com­mu­ni­cate. Inves­ti­ga­tors need to be able to ask the right ques­tions if they plan on get­ting the right answers. Being able to inter­view some­one who may have vital infor­ma­tion means being able to put them at ease and car­ry on a calm and col­lect­ed conversation.

Tenac­i­ty is anoth­er trait of a good crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor. Many cas­es are even­tu­al­ly solved because a ded­i­cat­ed crime scene inves­ti­ga­tor refused to give up. Stay­ing com­mit­ted to a case and con­tin­u­al­ly look­ing for new clues and bet­ter answers is how an inves­ti­ga­tor solves cas­es. It’s also impor­tant to want to con­tin­ue to learn. The eager­ness to con­tin­ue your edu­ca­tion will ensure that you have the skills you need to per­form every duty that is required of you. Online CSI degree pro­grams can pro­vide you with all of the skills nec­es­sary to do your job.

Quick Links — Relat­ed Rankings:

25 Best Bach­e­lor’s in Crime Scene Investigation

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10 Most Afford­able Bach­e­lor’s in Crime Scene Investigation

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