BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
The bachelor’s degree is the standard entry credential for forensic laboratory work, and it is also the level where the online question gets complicated. A forensic science bachelor’s is a laboratory science degree. Roughly half the major is chemistry and biology with hands-on laboratory sections, and those sections cannot be replaced by video demonstrations if you intend to work at a bench. Fully online forensic science bachelor’s degrees are therefore uncommon. What you will find are hybrid programs – lecture and theory delivered at a distance, laboratory work completed on campus, at an approved partner site, or in concentrated residency blocks – alongside a much larger number of fully online criminal justice degrees carrying a forensic-sounding title.
That distinction is the most important thing on this page. This section explains what the degree actually contains, how the online and hybrid versions handle laboratory requirements, and how to tell a science degree from a criminal justice degree wearing a forensic label.
Generally no, not one that leads to crime laboratory work. The chemistry and biology laboratory sequence is the core of the degree, and hiring agencies look for it on the transcript. Hybrid programs that deliver lecture content online and laboratory content in person are the realistic path. Fully online options exist but are usually criminal justice degrees with a forensic emphasis.
Credit distribution. A BS in Forensic Science is built on general and organic chemistry, biology, and often instrumental analysis, with forensic specialization layered on top. A criminal justice degree with a forensic concentration keeps the criminal justice core and adds a few forensic survey courses. For investigative and sworn roles the second can work; for laboratory analyst roles it usually does not.
At minimum, general chemistry with laboratory, organic chemistry with laboratory, and general biology. Stronger programs add biochemistry, genetics, analytical or instrumental chemistry, physics, statistics, and calculus. Count the laboratory credits specifically, not just the course titles.
Approximately 120 semester hours, typically four years full-time. Laboratory-heavy majors sometimes take longer for part-time students, because laboratory sections are offered less frequently and often only in specific terms.
It is a useful signal. The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission accredits undergraduate and graduate forensic science programs against curriculum standards for science content. Not every legitimate program holds it, and its absence is not disqualifying, but its presence tells you the science core has been reviewed by the field rather than only by the school.
A bachelor’s in a natural science or forensic science is the common entry credential for many laboratory technician and analyst positions. A master’s is more often pursued for specialized disciplines, research, laboratory management, or by career changers who hold a science bachelor’s in another field.
For a full map of this program area, start here: Forensic Science Program Guide
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard
The direct route. A BS in Forensic Science combines the chemistry and biology core with forensic specialization and courtroom coursework, and is designed against what crime laboratories expect to see on a transcript. It is the strongest signal of intent, and at FEPAC-accredited schools the curriculum has been reviewed against field standards. The tradeoff is specificity: if you leave the field, a forensic science degree is a less familiar credential to employers outside it than a chemistry or biology degree.
Many crime laboratory analysts hold a straight natural science degree. Some agencies prefer it, because the science depth is unambiguous and the laboratory credit hours are easy to verify. A biology degree is a particularly strong foundation for forensic DNA and serology work, and a chemistry degree for controlled substances, toxicology, and trace evidence. Adding a forensic concentration, minor, or a few electives gives you the specialization without narrowing the degree.
This is the pathway most commonly available fully online, and it is the one most often misunderstood. It prepares you for investigative and sworn roles and gives you literacy in evidence handling, but it does not deliver the laboratory science credit that bench positions require. If your target is crime scene work at an agency that staffs those roles with sworn officers, or investigative work generally, a criminal justice degree is a reasonable choice made deliberately. If your target is the laboratory, it is a costly detour. For the data and intelligence side of investigations, see crime analysis instead.
| Course Topic | What You Learn |
|---|---|
| General & Organic Chemistry with Labs | Reactions, separations, and the bench technique the rest of the degree assumes |
| General Biology & Genetics | Cell biology, molecular biology, and the inheritance principles behind DNA typing |
| Analytical & Instrumental Analysis | Chromatography, spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry used in casework |
| Forensic Chemistry | Controlled substance identification, ignitable liquids, and unknown residues |
| Forensic Biology & DNA Analysis | Serology, extraction and amplification, profile interpretation, and mixtures |
| Forensic Toxicology | Drugs and poisons in biological samples, and the pharmacology to interpret results |
| Trace Evidence | Hairs, fibers, glass, paint, and soil comparison |
| Crime Scene Investigation | Documentation, search patterns, collection and packaging, chain of custody |
| Evidence Law & Expert Testimony | Admissibility standards, report writing, and testifying under cross-examination |
| Internship or Capstone | Supervised laboratory or agency experience, or an applied research project |
This is the question to ask first, and to ask in writing. Programs handle it in several ways, and they are not equivalent:
The science sequence determines your timeline. Chemistry in particular is a chain – general chemistry before organic, organic before biochemistry and instrumental analysis – and each link usually has a laboratory section offered in limited terms. Before you enroll, confirm:
If you are trying to move faster than a standard four-year plan, compare accelerated forensic science programs – but note that laboratory sequences compress poorly.
Transfer credit can meaningfully shorten a forensic science bachelor’s, particularly for general education and the introductory science sequence. Rules vary by institution, so confirm:
See Affordable Online Forensic Science Degrees for more on managing total program cost.
Verify that the institution holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor – such as HLC or SACSCOC – through the U.S. Department of Education database. Then check separately whether the forensic program holds FEPAC accreditation, which reviews curriculum against the field’s own standards for science content, laboratory experience, and ethics instruction. A program can be legitimate without it, but the claim should be verified at the source rather than accepted from a marketing page.
A bachelor’s in forensic science or a natural science is the common entry credential for laboratory technician and analyst work. A master’s in forensic science is more often pursued for specialized disciplines, research and method validation, supervisory and laboratory management roles, or by people who already hold a chemistry or biology bachelor’s and want the forensic specialization without repeating an undergraduate degree.
Compare degree options:
Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
Back to Online Forensic Science Degrees: Programs & Careers (2026)
