The application of forensic science is most commonly used in criminal investigations as well as criminal convictions. It focuses on uncovering physical evidence through recognition, identification, testing, and evaluation.
It is known that forensic science will be applied to collect evidence from crime scenes, interpret criminal data, help in criminal or civil court cases, determine the cause of a crime, analyze evidence and use it to formulate hypotheses, and preserve and catalog specimens to be analyzed.
Depending on your level and responsibilities, there are a number of careers you can pursue within the forensic science field. With a forensic science degree, you can work in laboratories or at crime scenes; as information security analysts behind screens; as private investigators in armored vehicles or insurance offices; or in boardrooms of private and public administrative offices.
Best 15 Careers in The Forensic Science Field
1. Forensic Accountants
- Average salary: $79,369 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field
In the case of forensic accounting, crime leaves clues, and the evidence is in the numbers. The forensic accountants’ work is to help disrupt large-scale crime, determine fault in this case, and explain the complicated financial transactions that led to this high-profile conviction.
In addition, forensic accountants work to uncover fraud and protect bank accounts against fraudulent activity. They will examine financial records and accounts that may be used as evidence. They can also help in court to determine damages and awards for cases.
2. Forensic Anthropologist
- Average salary: $143,759 per year
- Requirements: Candidates should have completed medical school programs and three to five years of residency training in general pathology
The primary duty of forensic anthropologists is to conduct autopsies on the bodies of people who have died to determine the cause of death. These professionals may help in the investigation of crimes like murder and evaluate the findings of autopsies.
Afterwards, forensic anthropologists will work closely with law enforcement to identify remains, especially after a natural disaster where there are mass casualties. They can help identify victims, collect evidence at crime scenes, and determine the cause of death in criminal cases where skeletal remains are present.
In the end, forensic anthropologists have the ability, along with law enforcement, to determine whether someone died at the hands of homicide or suicide or perished due to accidental death or natural causes.
3. Forensic Psychologist
- Average salary: $120,710 per year
- Requirements: Must hold a minimum of a master’s degree in forensic psychology
The American Psychological Association (APA) reveals that forensic psychologists are licensed psychologists with a fundamental understanding of clinical, forensic, and legal systems. These professionals usually work in courts, prisons, mental hospitals, and government agencies and may also be involved in criminal or civil cases.
Within the legal system, forensic psychologists will conduct several duties, including acting as expert witnesses in court cases and doing psychological assessments of criminals, witnesses, and defendants in legal proceedings.
In addition, these professionals will also create treatment plans and intervention methods for prison inmates and make recommendations for the inmate’s parole. Usually, forensic psychologists work for community health centers, government agencies, psychiatric hospitals, and correctional facilities.
4. Forensic Scientist
- Average salary: $49,103 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in forensic science
The main responsibility of a forensic scientist is to solve some of the world’s most egregious abuses of people, the environment, and institutions. These professionals work in two environments: gathering evidence from crime scenes and analyzing evidence in laboratories.
In the process of an investigation, forensic scientists will take photos and keep written records of crime scene evidence. They most commonly work for crime laboratories, medical examiner officers, and police departments.
5. Forensic Specialist
- Average salary: $57,750 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in forensic science, biology, chemistry, or a related field
With a variety of methods, forensic specialists perform physical evidence assessment at a crime scene, including chemical, instrumental, and microscopic methods. These professionals will work with drugs, biological fluids, gunshot residue, blood, and other materials found at a crime scene.
In addition, forensic specialists also serve as expert witnesses in court cases and perform research related to new forensic equipment and technology.
6. Forensic Technician
- Average salary: $64,890 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in forensic science or forensic
The main duty of a forensic technician is to gather and analyze psychic evidence. These professionals spend the majority of their days working with evidence collected from crime scenes, especially in a laboratory environment that consists of biological material such as glass, hair, fabric, fingerprints, various chemicals, bullets, and anything else that can help identify what happened during a crime.
So far, the field of forensic technology offers a number of opportunities for career advancement. As a forensic technician, you may spend a significant amount of time in laboratories and at crime scenes, using various tools and techniques to collect evidence and solve a case in a single day.
7. Forensic Manager
- Average salary: $63,484 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in forensic science or a related field
As a forensic manager, you have the responsibility to supervise the activities that support criminal investigations. You may also plan, direct, and coordinate a variety of activities related to forensic science within crime laboratories or other forensics organizations.
8. Forensic Toxicologist
- Average salary: $77,303 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in forensic science or a related field
Toxicology is known as the study of the effects of drugs and chemicals on biological systems.If you decide to pursue your career as a forensic toxicologist, you may have a better chance at steady development and real-world impact.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that jobs in the forensic science technician sector, including forensic toxicologists, are expected to grow by around 16% in the decade preceding 2030, much faster than the U.S. average for all occupations (8%).
In postmortem toxicology, a forensic toxicologist may work with medical examiners, coroners, and pathologists to uncover the role of drugs, alcohol, and other substances in the cause of certain deaths.
Furthermore, a forensic toxicologist may perform analyses of biological fluids, tissues, and, in some cases, bone and hair to identify the presence of degrading substances in a deceased person. These professionals will also contribute to the investigation of homicides, suicides, and overdoses by determining the cause of death.
9. Forensic Nurse
- Average salary: $80,010 per year
- Requirements: Holding a registered nurse’s license and at least completing forensic nursing training
In a forensic investigation, a forensic nurse is an essential part of caring for victims and helping with criminal investigations. These professionals provide physical evidence reports in assault and accidental death cases. They must also care for patients’ immediate medical needs and bring perpetrators of physical sexual assault crimes to justice after collecting and preserving evidence after traumatic events.
Forensic nurses spend their most time with law enforcement, doctors, and victims to collect evidence and provide support. Further, they probably take photos, measure wounds, and take tissue or blood samples as official evidence in a criminal investigation.
10. Forensic Investigator
- Average salary: $90,370 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in forensic science or a related field
Since crime scene investigation is a very long process, the forensic investigator plays an important role in a complex leadership position. These professionals often work for a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency. They have a lot of responsibilities and competencies as detectives, such as conducting interviews, analyzing public and private records, securing crime scenes, and writing detailed investigative reports.
The forensic investigator takes the lead role and is responsible for managing the diverse and often separate components of the investigation while setting the overall strategic direction of the investigation. Further, they may need to coordinate with their counterparts at other federal, state, and local agencies to maintain smooth communication and chain-of-evidence integrity.
11. Forensic Engineer
- Average salary: $85,525 per year
- Requirements: Completing an ABET-accredited bachelor’s degree program in engineering and earning a master’s or doctoral degree
The primary duties of a forensic engineer could be divided into two parts: investigation and engineering. In this case, a forensic engineer has the responsibility to determine the causes of failure and provide expert testimony on fixing an existing structural problem.
A forensic engineer will analyze the collected evidence using engineering practices and principles before making an official assessment of the causes of structural failure. Further still, a forensic engineer will work to assess the reasons the materials failed and give guidelines to prevent structural failure from happening again.
12. Forensic Biologist
- Average salary: $66,850 per year
- Requirements: At least earn a forensic science certificate
Basically, a forensic biologist will work to collect evidence from a crime scene and analyze it for clues to gather details. From this objective process, these professionals collect theories about who or what is at fault in a crime.
Forensic biologists also prepare a detailed analysis of their findings by examining bodily fluids, hair, bones, plants, insects, and animals at a crime scene that can be used in legal cases for determining the cause of a crime.
In the field, they may collect biological samples from outdoor areas, from clothing fibers, or from surfaces such as weapons at a crime scene. In a laboratory, they may evaluate the collected evidence using microscopes and DNA analysis techniques.
13. Forensic Autopsy Technician
- Average salary: $40,858 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in forensic science or a related field
For those who are fascinated by human anatomy and are not afraid of dissecting the body, becoming a forensic autopsy technician can be a rewarding career. Interestingly! Becoming a forensic autopsy technician does not require extensive postsecondary learning.
You can prefer to work in a coroner’s office or a medical examiner’s office. Further still, you can help families find out what may have caused the death of a loved one. As a forensic autopsy technician, you may have several tasks, such as providing specimen containers for examination, preparing the autopsy suite, moving bodies, and helping the pathologist with a variety of parts of the exam.
14. Forensic Chemist
- Average salary: $60,590
- Requirements: Earning a bachelor’s degree from an accredited forensic or natural science program
Becoming a forensic chemist is a great career option for scientists who are interested in criminal justice. To investigate physical evidence, forensic chemistry may involve using scientific methods by analyzing evidence collected from crime scenes and providing testimonies based on laboratory test results.
The collected evidence can then be analyzed to help law enforcement determine the cause of a crime or who is to blame. These professionals have to know multiple disciplines, including genetics, biology, toxicology, physics, and materials science.
In most cases, forensic chemists will work in law enforcement crime laboratories rather than at actual crime scenes. Furthermore, they may also be expected to present their findings in legal proceedings.
They may be tasked with explaining technical-scientific analyses in a simplified and objective way. If you decide to pursue a career as a forensic chemist, you must have the ability to think critically.
15. Forensic Entomologist
- Average salary: $59,150 per year
- Requirements: A minimum of a master’s degree in forensic science
If you are amazed by the success of solving a case with just a maggot, that’s what forensic entomologists do. In the course of a crime investigation, forensic entomologists will use their knowledge of how insects aid in bodily decomposition so they can determine the time and source of someone’s death.
Unlike forensic biologists, who examine all types of physical evidence at a crime scene, forensic entomologists focus their investigation on the presence or absence of insects to draw conclusions about the time and cause of death.
If you are not bothered by bugs and insects, you can pursue a career in forensic sciences as a forensic entomologist. To become a forensic entomologist, you need to gain education and experience through school and work, as well as pursue certification.
Okay, these are some kinds of jobs you can choose if you want to pursue your career with a forensic science degree.
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