What Can You Do With a Forensic Science Degree? Jobs (2026)

Key takeaway: A forensic science degree points at a small, specific set of jobs, and most of them sit inside government agencies with their own hiring gates — background investigations, polygraphs, drug screening, and in the sworn roles, academy training and state certification that no degree confers. Median annual wages for the occupations this degree leads into are $72,060 for forensic science technicians, $76,210 for police and sheriff's patrol officers, and $93,790 for detectives and criminal investigators (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians). The laboratory side of the field is chemistry- and biology-heavy, and program science content matters more than the words "forensic science" on the diploma.

Jobs you can get with a forensic science degree

Three occupations account for most forensic science graduates. They are meaningfully different jobs — one is scientific and laboratory-based, two are sworn law enforcement — and they are entered through different doors.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. A median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less; individual pay varies by agency, jurisdiction, shift assignment, and years of service.

Forensic science technician. This is the occupation the degree is named for, and it splits into two distinct working lives. Crime scene technicians work in the field: securing a scene, photographing and diagramming it, locating and collecting physical evidence, lifting prints, and maintaining a chain of custody that will hold up under cross-examination. Laboratory analysts work at a bench, running the evidence — DNA extraction and STR analysis, controlled substance identification by GC-MS, toxicology, firearms and toolmark comparison, latent print comparison, trace evidence, or digital forensics. Both sides write reports that become discoverable documents, and both may be subpoenaed to testify and defend their methods. Employers are almost entirely public: municipal and county police departments, sheriff’s offices, state crime laboratories, medical examiner and coroner offices, and federal laboratories. Some agencies hire technicians as civilians; others staff the crime scene function with sworn officers, which changes the hiring path completely.

Detective and criminal investigator. Investigators build cases. They collect and evaluate evidence, interview witnesses and interrogate suspects, write and execute warrants, coordinate with forensic laboratories and prosecutors, and prepare cases for trial. This category covers both local and state detectives and federal criminal investigators — the 1811 series positions at agencies such as the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, Secret Service, and the IRS Criminal Investigation division. It carries the highest median wage of the three, largely because federal investigator positions sit inside it. At the local level, detective is almost always a promotion earned after years as a patrol officer, not a job you apply to from outside.

Police and sheriff’s patrol officer. Patrol officers respond to calls, enforce law, conduct traffic and field stops, secure scenes, write the reports that everything downstream depends on, and testify in court. For students targeting local investigative work, this is the realistic entry point and the reason it belongs on a forensic science careers page: patrol is the on-ramp to detective in most departments. Entry runs through an agency’s own hiring process and a police academy, and requires state peace officer certification (POST or its local equivalent). Many departments accept a high school diploma or associate degree at entry; a bachelor’s often affects competitiveness, incentive pay, and promotion.

What the degree level changes

Bachelor’s level. The online bachelor’s in forensic science is the standard credential for the laboratory and crime scene side of the field, and the specific science content inside it determines which laboratory doors open. Crime laboratories hire against discipline requirements, not degree titles. DNA analyst positions in laboratories operating under the FBI’s Quality Assurance Standards require specified coursework in biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and statistics — this is a hard, auditable requirement, not a preference. Controlled substance and toxicology positions expect a substantial chemistry sequence, often including organic and analytical chemistry with laboratory work. A forensic science program light on laboratory chemistry and biology can leave you technically holding the right-sounding degree and still ineligible for the analyst job you want. Compare course lists directly, and note that fully online delivery constrains how much hands-on laboratory work a program can provide.

Also worth naming plainly: a degree does not certify you. Individual analysts pursue certification through discipline bodies such as the American Board of Criminalistics or the International Association for Identification after they are hired, and laboratories themselves seek ANAB accreditation. Those come later, on the job.

Master’s level. The online master’s in forensic science matters most for laboratory advancement, for moving into a specialized discipline, for technical leadership and quality assurance roles, and for research or teaching. It is not a requirement for entry-level technician work in most laboratories, and it will not substitute for missing undergraduate science prerequisites. If your bachelor’s did not carry the chemistry or biology a laboratory requires, a master’s that fills those specific gaps is useful; a master’s that layers policy and administration on top of the same gap is not.

The sworn roles are a separate track. No academic degree makes you a police officer or a detective. Those roles run through agency hiring: written and physical fitness testing, an extensive background investigation, psychological evaluation, often a polygraph, then a police academy and state certification, then a probationary period. Federal criminal investigator positions add age limits (typically entry before age 37 for 1811-series positions, with exceptions for veterans and current federal law enforcement), citizenship requirements, a security clearance, and a firearms and defensive tactics academy. Plan around those requirements early — a disqualifying background item or an age ceiling matters more to this career path than any course you take.

Related paths that need different degrees. Forensic pathologist requires a medical degree plus residency and fellowship. Forensic psychologist requires a doctorate in psychology plus licensure. Forensic accountant runs through forensic accounting and usually a CPA. A forensic science degree does not lead to any of those.

Common questions

What jobs can you get with a forensic science degree?

The occupations this degree leads into most directly are forensic science technician — covering both crime scene work and laboratory analyst roles in DNA, controlled substances, toxicology, firearms, latent prints, and trace evidence — along with detective and criminal investigator, and police and sheriff’s patrol officer. Nearly all of these positions are with government employers.

How much do forensic science majors make?

Median annual wages are $93,790 for detectives and criminal investigators, $76,210 for police and sheriff’s patrol officers, and $72,060 for forensic science technicians (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians). These are midpoints across everyone working in each occupation, not starting salaries, and public agency pay is usually set by a published step schedule.

Do you need a master’s in forensic science?

No, not for entry. A bachelor’s with the right laboratory science coursework is the standard credential for technician and analyst positions. A master’s is most useful for advancement into technical leadership, quality assurance, specialized disciplines, research, or teaching, and it will not make up for missing undergraduate chemistry or biology prerequisites.

Can you become a crime scene investigator with an online degree?

Sometimes, and it depends on the agency. Where crime scene work is a civilian position, an accredited online bachelor’s can qualify you, though agencies still run a full background investigation and often expect hands-on evidence collection training. Where the crime scene unit is staffed by sworn officers, you must go through the agency’s law enforcement hiring process and the police academy regardless of your degree. Laboratory analyst roles also require documented laboratory coursework, which limits how much of the science can be completed online.

What science courses do crime laboratories actually require?

Discipline-specific ones. DNA analyst positions in laboratories following the FBI Quality Assurance Standards require specified coursework in biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and statistics. Controlled substance and toxicology positions expect organic and analytical chemistry with laboratory components. Check a program’s course list against the requirements of the discipline you want before you enroll — the degree title alone will not qualify you.

Is a forensic science degree worth it?

It is worth it if you are targeting laboratory or crime scene work specifically and you choose a program with real chemistry and biology depth, since the field is small and the hiring is credential-specific. Weigh the tuition and the narrowness of the job market against your goals on the is a forensic science degree worth it page.

Keep exploring

• Start at the online forensic science degrees hub, then compare the bachelor’s and master’s.
• Look at pacing and cost with accelerated forensic science programs and affordable forensic science programs.
• Find programs near you through forensic science programs by state and city.
• Compare related fields: criminal justice, crime analysis, criminology, and biology.

Data verified: August 12, 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)