Forensic Science

Forensic science personnel investigate crimes by collecting and analyzing physical evidence. Often, they specialize in areas such as DNA analysis or firearm examination, performing tests on weapons or on substances such as fiber, glass, hair, tissue, and body fluids to determine their significance to the investigation. Forensic science personnel also prepare reports to document their findings and the laboratory techniques used, and they may provide information and expert opinion to investigators.

Most forensic scientists work in crime labs run by city, county, or state governments. The next largest group works for Federal agencies including the Department of Justice (FBI and Secret Service), Treasury (DEA and BATF), Postal Inspection Service, and Health and Human Services. A smaller number work in private labs and colleges and universities.

Education and Training
Beginning forensic scientists usually have atleast a bachelor's degree in forensic science, chemistry, biology, physics, or physcial anthropology. Students don't need to specialize at the undergraduate level. In fact, broad training allows bachelor's degree holders more flexibility for job hunting or changing jobs. Students who pursue study beyond a bachelor's degree often specialize in a subfield of forensic science, such as firearms examination, depending on their interests. A Ph.D. is usually preferred for advancement to many administrative positions such as a lab director.

Career Outlook and Salary Potential
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies "Forensic science technicians" as one of the fastest growing occupations in 2004, with numbers nationwide expected to jump from 9,800 in 2004 to 13,400 in 2014. In May 2006 the BLS reported the mean annual wage was $48,130 (annual wages at the 10 percentile were $27,530 and the 90 percentile were $73,100). Experienced crime lab professionals earned about $40,000 to $85,000, and some lab directors earned as much as $100,000.

CJ / Forensic Science - Bachelor of Science
AIU Online's BSCJ degree with a concentration in Forensic Science is designed to help meet the need for career-focused professionals with the knowledge and skills to pursue exciting opportunities in this growing area of the criminal justice industry. The program features industry-relevant coursework taught by faculty members with real-world experience in the criminal justice industry.

Forensic Criminology - Certificate
Through the Criminal Justice concentration, explore cognitive, behavioral, and psychological theories of criminal behavior from the serial killer to the terrorist. Discover and analyze types of victimization and how to work with victims of crime as you prepare for or grow your career in the fields of criminal justice, social service, or law enforcement.

CJ / Crime and Criminals - Bachelor of Science
The B.S. in Criminal Justice - Crime and Criminals program is designed to help you gain the skills and knowledge to prepare for a career in law enforcement, the justice system, corrections, homeland security, and social services. The program blends contemporary theory on the nature, extent, and cause of crime with the study of national and international criminal justice practices. Learning is supported through coursework and a final capstone project. Plus, the program uses the latest interactive media, including lifelike, computer-generated scenarios from crime scenes. Our curriculum is based on the recommendations of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. The program can help prepare you to become a more effective social change agent in criminal justice organizations at the local, state, federal, or international levels.

In this concentration, you will study criminal theories and behavior, and you will discover the proper way to conduct a criminal investigation. Areas of study include: assessing a crime scene, handling witnesses/suspects/informants, and administering surveillance techniques.

Criminal Behavior - Bachelor of Arts
This degree program combines courses in criminal justice and behavioral science to prepare you for success in a variety of professional settings in the areas of crime prevention, the administration of justice, or rehabilitation. You'll learn about public policy and the causes, enforcement, and prevention of crime in today's society.

Criminal Justice / Psychology - Applied Associate of Science
One way to help prevent crime is to understand why crimes are committed. You will delve into courses that teach you about the psychological reasoning behind premeditated acts. Your understanding of psychology and how it relates to criminal justice will help prepare you for a career where you can change the lives of many people.

Your courses will prepare you to better understand criminal and deviant psychology. Criminal minds can be complicated and your degree will help you understand what drives these individuals to commit crimes. Your courses will be led by instructors with vast knowledge of the subject matter and real world experiences.

A specialization in Psychology will help you focus on the internal factors of why crimes are committed. Your study of psychology as it relates to criminal justice will allow you to look at the justice system from a different perspective. Your ability to apply what you learned will help you understand the criminal thought process.

Criminal Justice / Criminal Offenders - Bachelor of Science
Rasmussen College's Online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice - Criminal Offenders program will prepare you to distinguish between genuine and simulated mental illness. You can help prosecutors put deserving criminals behind bars. As a criminal defense consultant, you can aid in the jury selection process, offer detailed testimony as a witness for the defense, interview criminal suspects to determine their competency to stand trial, or as an expert witness, give sworn testimony regarding a criminal's state-of-mind at the time of his or her offense.

Once you have completed our online criminal offenders program, you will have acquired the knowledge of offender supervision, case management, psychological evaluations, drug/alcohol counseling, addictions education, job readiness training, social skills training, crime prevention program and more. This degree requires 180 credits to complete.