To become a forensic scientist, a bachelor’s degree in natural or applied science is recommended, with additional training from agencies or professional organizations. Different specialties require different degrees, and certification is recommended but not required. Forensic scientists can work in various locations, and certification requirements vary by specialty.
Preparation to become a forensic scientist usually begins with your first degree after high school, although high school science often forms an important foundation, and specific forensic science courses, offered at a growing number of schools, can also establish an important basis. The first step will usually be secondary education at an accredited higher education institution.
While you can start with an associate’s degree as an entry point, according to the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science, that won’t be enough to get you the job you want or to qualify for certification. A bachelor’s degree in natural or applied science is recommended, and advanced degrees, including DDS or MD, may be required for specific specialties or by certain employers. Additional training is usually provided by agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) or Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), or by other agencies such as the California Criminalistics Institute, as well as professional organizations.
Another consideration will be what type of forensic scientist you are interested in becoming. Areas can be considered by type of work: academic, crime scene, medical or laboratory or by specialty. The academic field would be your choice if you want to become a forensic science teacher. If you are interested in the investigative aspects, the Crime Scene Examiner, Investigator or Forensic Engineer may be the path you want to take. The field of medicine is for you if you want to become a forensic scientist who is a forensic anthropologist, dentist or forensic dentist, forensic pathologist, medical examiner or forensic psychologist, for example. And if you become a laboratory-focused forensic scientist, your field of work might be characterized as one of the sciences of biology, botany, chemistry, entomology, or toxicology, or you might focus on a specific type of evidence such as DNA, documents, fingerprints, firearms or tool marks.
Forensic scientists are hired to work in various locations. Academic forensic scientists are employed by colleges and universities, as well as high schools that offer forensic science courses. Forensic scientists with a medical specialty may work in hospitals, medical examiners or doctors’ offices. Laboratory-oriented forensic scientists may work for law enforcement departments or other law enforcement agencies, including government agencies, the military, private companies, or independent consultants.
Certification is a recommended, but not required, step for those who want to become a forensic scientist. The Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board, Inc. is the accreditation agency that oversees forensic science accreditation boards. They accredited eight agencies that meet certification standards for forensic scientists. These eight groups are the American Board of Criminalistics, the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, the American Board of Forensic Dentistry, the American Board of Forensic Toxicology, the American Board of Forensic Toxicology, the American Board of of Medicolegal Death Investigators, the Board of Forensic Document Examiners, and the International Institute of Forensic Engineering Sciences.
If you want to eventually become certified, which is recommended but not always necessary, you should know what the process requires from the beginning. Please note that different boards, as they deal with different areas, have different requirements, but ethics and safety are general requirements. The American Board of Criminalistics requires a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from an accredited institution, two years of forensic laboratory experience or teaching experience, and completion of a diploma certificate exam, and an additional proficiency exam and two years of experience in a specialty area for peer certification. Certification lasts five years, but fellows have annual proficiency tests.
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