The Forensic Science Education Blog

Forensic chemistry attracts curious problem-solvers who can collect evidence with precision and remain objective in their observations. Ideal candidates for forensic chemistry positions must prove their abilities to follow legal and scientific protocols when collecting physical evidence from a crime scene and analyzing it in a laboratory.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the principal federal law enforcement agency of the United States. Its investigative authority is the broadest of all federal law enforcement agencies, and the Bureau’s workforce is similarly large, employing approximately 35,000 people, including both special agents and support professionals, to serve its mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution.

Crime analysts work in law enforcement analyzing crime reports, arrest records, police calls, and other data to establish patterns and make correlations. They synthesize the data they gather into detailed reports that their departments use to make decisions about prosecutions, patrols, and staffing.

By earning a graduate certificate or degree in forensic accounting, professionals with bachelor’s degrees in accounting can become certified in fraud examination, thereby protecting individuals, corporations, and entire economies from the perils of financial corruption. Online forensic accounting programs have expanded to allow students to maintain their current jobs while earning a certificate or degree.

The crime scene investigator, also called a CSI, will come to crime scenes in order to conduct an investigation and to collect evidence, and although there are varied paths to becoming a crime scene investigator, they typically involve a mix of rigorous coursework and empirical training.

Forensic nursing—an area at the intersection of medicine and law—is a specialty only recently recognized by the American Nurses Association (ANA). Read on to discover how to join the burgeoning field of forensic nursing, including information about accredited educational programs (online and on-campus) and professional certification.

What do forensic psychologists do? Responsibilities may vary, but most psychologists in the field help police determine the motives for certain crimes, narrow down a suspect pool, and generally provide deeper insight into the criminal mind in order to assist investigators.

The mortgage crisis of 2008, when investigated by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, was found to have been precipitated by an industry full of predatory and fraudulent practices. The commission referred dozens of cases to prosecutors. Although fines were paid, no one was indicted, no one was put on trial, and no one was jailed.

In order to catch tomorrow’s killers and to protect the innocent, forensics experts will need to look for critical evidence in the places it’s now most likely to be found: a stray email address, a grainy clip of surveillance footage, a single incriminating IP address pulled from a list of countless others.

Blow flies, flesh flies, maggots and carcass beetles — not what most people think about on a regular basis unless they work in the field of forensic entomology. This is the study of insects as related to legal investigations, but actually goes much deeper than that particularly for crime scenes and criminal investigations.

Forensic biochemistry has various applications. For instance, forensic biochemists may be asked to trace the origin of a particular substance, determine paternity or the relationships that specific people or animals share, or even track the spread of diseases.

For an unattended death, law enforcement must use a combination of investigative techniques and science to calculate how much time elapsed between the victim taking their last breath and their remains being found.

Forensic scientists have very interesting jobs that can take them from crime scenes to labs and to courtrooms. Those who have interests in the medical field, science, and law enforcement will find that this may be a perfect career option. Before learning how to become a forensic scientist, it is important to understand what those in the field do on a daily basis.

Real detective work is far removed from the glamorous media portrayals, requiring incredible patience, investigative rigor, and ironclad ethics. In addition to being exposed to potentially dangerous individuals and situations, the process of solving cases can take months or even years, much of it spent poring over documents, photographs, and files.

Those educated in forensic biology can seek out careers as biologists, DNA biologists, biologist forensic examiners, biology DNA program specialists, and more.