Forensic science offers four relatively specific career categories.
Forensic science offers four relatively specific career categories including medical examiner, crime-scene examiner, crime-lab analyst and forensic engineer. Two additional career areas are technical assistance (polygraph, composite artist or computer technician) and academic assistance (psychological profiler, social scientist or psychologist). These positions require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and some positions require a master’s or doctorate degree.
Community Colleges
Community colleges are an excellent place to begin studying for a forensic career.
While most forensic science careers require a baccalaureate or advanced degree, a student can begin studies at a two-year college. Tacoma Community College in Washington offers a forensic science associate degree that provides a foundation for a crime-scene investigator. The college provides a variety of courses that lead directly to nine different forensic areas from which most student transfer as juniors to a four-year college. Offering the world’s first associate degree in DNA forensics, Massachusetts Bay Community College’s program trains student with real DNA evidence from real cases and is completely hands-on to provide students wide-ranging skills and teaches them mitochondrial DNA analysis, a method to determine the identity of human remains.
Tacoma Community College
6501 South 19th St.
Tacoma, WA 98466
253-566-5000
Massachusetts Bay Community College
50 Oakland St.
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
781-239-3000
Bachelor's Degree
Crime lab analysts often pursue different paths of investigation, although analysts generally need a bachelor’s degree.
Crime-lab analysts often pursue different paths of investigation. However, analysts usually need a bachelor’s degree, preferably in chemistry. Biology is important for anyone interested in DNA work, which also benefits from courses in genetics and biochemistry. More precise specialties include individuals with degrees in botany, anthropology, zoology or entomology. At Youngstown State University in Ohio, the interdisciplinary forensic science degree program offers four career paths including anthropology, biology, chemistry and generalist covered in a required 125 to 128 semester hours. Beyond the general studies classes, the program includes several chemistry, biology and criminal justice courses. Pennsylvania State University’s bachelor degree in forensic science requires a minimum 124-hour program that offers either a biology or chemistry track. Beyond the forensics, courses cover courtroom testimony, principles of crime-scene investigation and criminalistics.
Forensic Science
Bitonte College of Health and Human Services
Youngstown State University
One University Plaza
Youngstown, Ohio, 44555
330-941-3000
Forensic Science
Eberly College of Science
Pennsylvania State University
107 Whitmore Lab
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-6758
Graduate Degree
Michigan State University’s master of science degree in forensic science is a collaboration between a number of colleges and departments.
Michigan State University’s master of science degree in forensic science is a collaboration between a number of colleges and departments ranging from the college of human medicine to the college of agriculture and natural resources, college of natural science departments, the college of social science and, of course, the school of criminal justice that oversees the program. Admission to the program requires an undergraduate degree in a field related to the master’s program, a 3.0 undergraduate grade-point average and good scores on the graduate record exam. The program requires a minimum of 38 semester hours covering forensic anthropology, biology and chemistry and a thesis. Internships are available in the forensic labs in the United Staes and abroad.
Office of Admissions
Michigan State University
250 Hannah Administration Building
East Lansing, Michigan 48824-0590
517-355-8332
Tags: State University, bachelor’s degree, biology chemistry, Community College, degree forensic
