Forensic Science Careers

• Detail oriented
• Good with putting pieces of a puzzle together
• Curios
• Analytical

Is so, a career as a forensic scientist may be perfect for you. Forensic science careers focus on the use of science for the purposes of law. Forensic science is an important component of the justice and regulatory system. Forensic scientists are involved in all aspects of criminal cases with the goal of evaluating all information to determine the facts.

Forensic scientists focus study crimes, crime scenes and make connections to explain crime. They provide information to investigators, attorneys, judges, and juries with the overarching goal of determining innocents or guilt. It takes teamwork to solve a crime and thus forensic scientists work together with police officers, sheriff’s deputies, attorneys, DEA, CIA and FBI agents as well as crime scene investigators.

Some forensic scientists work in laboratories, others directly on crime scenes while some teach in colleges and universities. They work for federal, state and local government, medical examiners offices, hospitals, police departments or independent forensic science consultants.

There are a number of disciplines within forensic science. Depending on your area of interests, you will be able to chose from a number of exciting careers.

Criminalistics

As a criminalist, you would analyze, compare, identify and interpret physical evidence. Your main role would be to examine physical evidence such as hair, fibers, blood, seminal and body fluid stains, drugs, foot prints and bullet marks. Criminalists are trained to separate important evidence from irrelevant or those of little value. Additionally, sorting, comparing and identifying evidence are all important components of this profession. The types of analysis conducted by criminalists are difficult as they require an acute attention to detail and the ability to apply practical scientific knowledge in the laboratory.

Criminalists work in laboratories in police departments, district attorney’s offices, medical examiners offices, private companies as well federal agencies. Additionally, there are many opportunities to teach at community colleges, universities and four year colleges.

To become a criminologists, you need to complete a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biology, physics, molecular biology or a related science filed. However, the title of the degree is not as important as are the courses that you take. To progress in this career and be able to apply and qualify for higher level positions, you will have to complete a master’s degree. For more information regarding available degree programs in forensic science, use our search box below. Request information from a number of schools and investigate their course offerings, program mission and goals.

As a forensic engineer you would apply the science of engineering to law, civil as well as criminal matters. As a forensic engineer you would be part of accident reconstruction, causes and origins of fires and explosions, design review as well as evaluation of quality of construction or manufacturing. While there are no programs offered that are specifically for forensic engineers, obtaining a bachelors degree in engineering is the first step toward this exciting forensic science career.

As a forensic engineer you could work in large corporations or government agencies. You could also work for smaller firms or be self employed. Finally, you could teach and serve as an academic adviser to future forensic engineers.

Odontology, or forensic dentistry, involves the application of dental science to physical and biological dental evidence. Odontologists participate in autopsy examinations, conducting dental examinations that use both physical and biological evidence.

This forensic science career is critical in identifying missing persons, identifying victims of major catastrophes or accidents as well as solving cases of assault, rape or homicide. Other tasks of this exciting and challenging career include examining the presence and extent of physical neglect, personal injury law, workers compensation, professional malpractice and other civil litigation cases.

Given the scope of the job, there are many opportunities for forensic odontologists with coroners, medical examiner offices, state and local government agencies as well as military. Positions in legal firms as well as insurance companies are also common.

Out of all the forensic science careers, forensic pathology is probably the most widely publicized and depicted in television shows and movies. While pathology is the study of disease, forensic pathology is the application of the principles of pathology to legal issues.

As a forensic pathologists you would examine the cause of deaths due to homicide, suicide or sudden deaths. You would work closely with other areas of forensic science in solving crime and examining the crime scene.

All forensic pathologists are medical doctors. In addition to medical training, an apprenticeship in pathology is required. Since forensic pathology is a subspecialty of pathology an additional year of training is required focused specifically on forensic pathology. Forensic pathologists work in city, county or state medical examiners offices, hospitals, state and federal government agencies.

Forensic psychologists and psychiatrists deal with a wide range of legal issues, either criminal or civil. In criminal trials in this profession you would evaluate competency and if a person is fit to stand trial or testify. Juvenile delinquency, child custody, domestic abuse, adoption and foster care are just some of the family issues frequently dealt by forensic psychologists and psychiatrists. Providing expert testimony as well as advising judges and lawyers are common tasks of this career path.

While psychiatrists are medical doctors, psychologists are behavioral scientists. Both career paths require extensive training and post graduate education. Psychiatrists must complete medical school as well as residency training while psychologists usually complete their masters and graduate degree in psychology. Forensic psychiatrists and psychologists can be self-employed in a private practice or work for the city, county, hospitals, state or federal government agencies.

Additional specializations within forensic science careers include physical anthropology, questioned documents and toxicology. As you can see, the number of career paths within the field of forensic science is quite impressive. Given the scope of work and the required training and education for most career paths, the number of jobs to choose from is encouraging. If any of the topics listed above have intrigued you, consider investigating some forensic science degree programs to determine if you should pursue this career path further.
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