Best Forensic Science Schools Near Pleasant Hill, CA (2026)

Pleasant Hill, California has 6 accredited schools offering forensic science programs, with tuition ranging from $1,312 to $50,974 per year for indexed programs. Pleasant Hill has a population of about 34,335. Median household income is $144,513 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 55.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning forensic science-related role is Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer at a median $132,000 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Forensic Science Schools to Pleasant Hill

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer forensic science programs near Pleasant Hill, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Pleasant Hill city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

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:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Pleasant Hill. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Diablo Valley College

Pleasant Hill, CA 1.1 miles from Pleasant Hill BOC Score 69.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,378
Avg net price $8,312/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California forensic science page.


Forensic Science Wages Near Pleasant Hill

Pleasant Hill is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Forensic Science Technician$109,930San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$95,095
Detective and Criminal Investigator$126,700San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$109,602
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$132,000San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$114,187

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Pleasant Hill at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population34,335Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$144,513Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+55.5%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)115.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Pleasant Hill-Area Cities With Forensic Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited forensic science schools are near Pleasant Hill, CA?

Our directory has 6 accredited schools offering forensic science programs near Pleasant Hill. The closest is Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA (1.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (94.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying forensic science roles near Pleasant Hill?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying forensic science-related roles near Pleasant Hill are: Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($132,000), Detective and Criminal Investigator ($126,700), Forensic Science Technician ($109,930). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Martinez instead of Pleasant Hill?

Martinez, CA is 3.8 miles from Pleasant Hill and has its own set of local forensic science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Pleasant Hill an affordable place to study forensic science?

Pleasant Hill’s median household income of $144,513 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Pleasant Hill while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Forensic Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Pleasant Hill

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Pleasant Hill:

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.