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Major · Homeland Security

Lab science and crime-scene method for evidence-based forensic careers

Criminalistics and Criminal Science (CIP 43.0402) trains you to apply laboratory science and investigative technique to the analysis of physical evidence. About 406 students complete it across 24 institutions; bachelor’s graduates earn $60,044 and the strongest BLS destination is forensic science technicians at $67,440 with 12.8% growth.

Schools offering
24
Annual completions
406
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$58k

About this major

Criminalistics and Criminal Science (CIP 43.0402) applies clinical and criminal laboratory science, investigative technique, and criminology to the reconstruction of crimes and the analysis of physical evidence. Coursework blends chemistry, biology, and physics with evidentiary testing and analysis, evidence handling and storage, criminology and police science, computer applications, record-keeping, and reconstruction technique. Lab time covers serology and DNA, trace evidence, latent prints, drug chemistry and toxicology, ballistics, and crime-scene documentation. The credential sits closer to a science degree than to a generalist criminal-justice degree, with the courtroom-testimony and chain-of-custody training that distinguishes evidence work from research science.

The major fits students drawn to laboratory work and methodical analysis who want their science applied to investigative outcomes rather than academic publication. Procedural rigor matters as much as technical depth: chain of custody, accreditation standards, and the documentation that holds up under cross-examination define the work. Patient persistence helps — running 200 samples through a toxicology screen or working a single case across months requires the same temperament as bench science. Comfort with both lab settings and crime scenes (which are often unpleasant) sets this major apart from purer chemistry or biology paths.

One grounded observation about scale and trajectory: 406 students complete this CIP across 24 institutions, with bachelor’s graduates earning $60,044 and associate’s graduates $43,558. Top producers include Jacksonville State University (71), Florida International University (70), Florida Gulf Coast University (64), Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon (35), Seattle University (31), and Washburn University (30). The strongest BLS destination is Forensic science technicians ($67,440 median, 12.8% growth, bachelor’s entry); the broader career lane includes state crime labs, local PD crime-scene units, ME and coroner offices, federal labs (FBI, DEA, ATF), and private forensic services.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Police and sheriff's patrol officers $76k +3.1% High school diploma or equivalent
Detectives and criminal investigators $94k -0.7% High school diploma or equivalent
Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other $60k +3.5% Associate's degree
Forensic science technicians $67k +12.8% Bachelor's degree
Criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary $71k +2.0% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$58k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$44k

Bachelor's

$60k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you enjoy laboratory science but want it applied to investigative work rather than research publication, you can handle the procedural side of evidence handling (chain of custody, ANAB ISO 17025 standards, courtroom testimony preparation) with the same care you bring to the bench, you’re comfortable with the unpleasant realities of crime scenes and biological evidence that day-to-day forensic-science-technician work involves, you have geographic flexibility toward state-capital cities (Sacramento, Tallahassee, Austin, Albany) where the major hiring labs sit, and you accept that the stronger forensic-science-technician growth rate (12.8%) reflects a small absolute number of openings annually.

Reconsider this route if your real interest is the broad criminal-justice system rather than lab work — Criminal Justice/Safety Studies (43.0104, 33,388 completions) is the much larger and more directly recruited credential for patrol, corrections, courts, or general LE administration. Pause if you can’t relocate for crime-lab openings, since the major underperforms wage expectations when graduates stay in markets without forensic-lab employers. Watch the CSI Effect: Hollywood inflated student demand well past crime-lab hiring capacity, and many graduates wait 1-3 years for analyst openings or pivot into patrol-officer entry. Plan for a master’s in forensic science (George Washington U, John Jay CUNY, Sam Houston State, Penn State, U of New Haven) if you want competitive state-lab analyst or federal-lab positions; the bachelor’s alone places best at smaller agencies and crime-scene-investigator support roles.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Criminalistics and Criminal Science

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL 0 71 71
Florida International University Miami, FL 0 70 70
Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL 0 64 64
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon Bayamon, PR 0 35 35
Seattle University Seattle, WA 0 31 31
Washburn University Topeka, KS 0 30 30
Glenville State University Glenville, WV 0 24 24
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Mercedita, PR 0 23 23
Alabama State University Montgomery, AL 0 13 13
Tiffin University Tiffin, OH 0 13 13
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

33,388 completions/yr

Criminology

8,556 completions/yr

Criminal Justice/Police Science

7,520 completions/yr

Forensic Science and Technology

2,398 completions/yr

Criminal Justice and Corrections, General

1,490 completions/yr

Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism

1,074 completions/yr

Cybersecurity Defense Strategy/Policy

333 completions/yr

Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services

145 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Criminalistics and Criminal Science majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework blends chemistry, biology, and physics with criminology, evidence-handling procedure, and laboratory technique. You spend lab time on serology, trace evidence, latent prints, drug chemistry and toxicology, ballistics, DNA analysis, and crime-scene reconstruction. Classroom work covers criminal law, courtroom testimony, chain of custody, and the statistics that underlie evidence interpretation. Programs that maintain a working forensics lab and ANAB-accredited equipment teach you the methods state crime labs actually use.
What jobs do graduates land?
The packet names five occupations. The strongest direct match is Forensic science technicians ($67,440 median, 12.8% growth, bachelor’s entry) — the SOC code that covers state and local crime-lab analysts and crime-scene investigators. Other tracked roles: Police and sheriff’s patrol officers ($76,290, 3.1% growth), Detectives and criminal investigators ($93,580, -0.7% growth), Life-physical-and-social science technicians, all other ($60,130, 3.5% growth, associate’s entry), and Criminal justice teachers postsecondary ($71,470, doctoral entry). Realistic destinations include state crime labs (DPS forensics, state-police labs), local PD crime labs (NYPD, LAPD, Houston PD), state medical examiner and coroner offices, FBI and DEA labs at the federal tier, and private forensic services or insurance-fraud investigation.
How does this compare to general Criminal Justice (CIP 43.0104)?
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies (43.0104, 33,388 completions) is the much larger generalist credential covering policing, courts, corrections, and the system as a whole. Criminalistics and Criminal Science (43.0402, 406 completions) is the science-leaning, lab-focused subset — chemistry, biology, and physics applied to evidence rather than the broader system view. Pick 43.0104 if you want patrol, corrections, courts, or general LE administration; pick 43.0402 if you specifically want crime-lab analyst, crime-scene investigator, or medical-examiner-office work. The smaller completion count partly reflects administrative grouping into 43.0104 at many universities.
Is the bachelor’s enough, or do I need a master’s?
BLS lists bachelor’s as typical entry for forensic science technicians, but the practical labor market tells a tighter story. State crime labs and major-PD crime-scene units favor master’s degrees from established programs (George Washington U, John Jay CUNY, Sam Houston State, Penn State, Marshall U, U of New Haven, Boston U School of Medicine, FIU) for analyst hires, particularly in DNA, toxicology, and trace evidence. The bachelor’s gets you crime-scene-investigator entry at smaller agencies and lab-technician support roles. Plan a master’s if you want federal lab work or analyst positions at competitive state labs.
How competitive is the job market — and what about the CSI Effect?
Forensic science technician shows 12.8% growth, but the absolute number of openings is small — roughly 1,800 annually nationally — and Hollywood (CSI, NCIS, Bones, Forensic Files) inflated student demand well beyond crime-lab hiring capacity. Many graduates wait 1-3 years for openings or pivot into police-officer entry, federal-agent tracks, or general criminal-justice work. Geographic flexibility matters: state-capital cities (Sacramento, Tallahassee, Austin, Albany) host the major hiring labs. Cyber-forensics and digital-evidence work are wage-growth lanes that absorb increasing volume.
What credentials and certifications matter most?
Industry credentials carry significant hiring weight. The American Board of Criminalistics (ABC) certifies analysts; the International Association for Identification (IAI) certifies in latent print, crime-scene investigation, and forensic photography; the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT) is the toxicology standard. Specialty boards exist for forensic anthropology (ABFA), odontology (ABFO), and entomology (ABFE). State crime labs operate under ANAB ISO 17025 accreditation, and analysts complete agency-specific training and proficiency testing. Programs that build certification preparation and accredited-lab internships into the curriculum produce stronger graduate placement.