Forensic Scientist Job Description, Career as a Forensic Scientist, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job

Just so you know all crimes aren't solved in a neat little hour time span like on tv. Most crimes take years to be solved and some cases are tucked away in file cabinets left unsolved forever.

O Chem was a cake walk...It's P chem you need to look out for!



The only thing that you can really do in high school that will help you out is to make sure you get prerequisites done for the classes you will need to take in college. If haven't taken Chemistry or Biology in high school then you will need to take a beginner class in college before you can take the classes you actually need and that can delay your graduation.



I recommend not getting a forensic science degree. Get a regular science degree. It takes 6 months to a year to actually get hired (and that's if you're at the top of the list) and you will need to be able to get a normal lab job while you're at it. If a regular chemistry lab sees you have a forensic science degree instead of a chemistry degree they might be afraid that you will ditch them for a forensic job and so they won't want to waste money training you if you're just going to leave.



In the article it talks about testing environmental water to see if a company is polluting. For that you will want to work at a normal environmental lab. You would not do that at a "forensic" lab.



The article talks about some people work as a police officer first and then transfer to a forensic job while they are taking college classes. I don't know where they come up with that but it is BS. Police officer and scientist are two very different jobs and you can't just hop from one to another without getting proper education first. If you want to be a forensic scientist then why would you be wasting your time being a cop?



A lot of what it says in the article seems just little off-kilter (no offense to whoever wrote it) so make sure to look at the job requirements for the particular place(s) you might want to work.



And 200K? I guess a medical examiner might be able to make that much eventually but that's performing autopsies they aren't attached to the police department.

Usually $30K is around entry level and normally goes to $60K for when you can perform analyses on your own. Lab directors can make $100K but if you want this job for the money you should go somewhere else. Taxpayers hate you so the labs are always always always underfunded and they think you already have the magical, beyond top-of-the-line gadgets that they see on TV and they don't think you need any more.

no. It is nothing like CSI.

Salaries go from about 30K to over

200K if you're a medical doctor in forensics. You can get up to about 100K if you work for more than 20 years, and even more if you specialize in something.

ok my mother wants to go back to college and at first she wanted to do forencsic but she didnt think it would work out and i want my mother to make something of herself how do i get her into a college

hi im a freshman and i want to get into forensics, but i would like to know what the salary is and the requirements are. also my GPA is 4.8 is that good enough to be in forensics or also a doctor?

I plan on being a forensic scientist but how many years do u have to go for it?? is it really like CSI??

what is the salary an hour?

hi i'm currently taking up forensic science at a school called Stratford Career Institute.But i'm also trying to find a great school that would give me some assistance and close to my area.

i'm currently studying medical sciences: anatomy at the university of kwa-zulu natal. i;m a firstyear student and keen to get into forensics. i am concerned with the availability of job opportunities and would like to know what the possible opportunites are and what the job salaries are like>

I've been taking a look at a few of these comments and I have a few suggestions for all of you in high school. I am a senior in college right now double majoring in cell/molecular biology and health science human biology with a minor in chemistry. I'm planning on applying to forensic science master's programs in early fall. As far as high school goes...I was actually doing business. To be honest high school really doesn't matter. I was so worried about what classes to take and gpa and act ect., but honestly with a little effort it is easy to get into any school.

If you want to go into forensic science you must be able to get through calculus, so AP calc in high school would be good. I took it then but failed second semester and never actually took the AP test for college credit. I re-took it as a college freshman and it was a lot easier than my high school class. More important classes are organic chemistry that will really determine if you will be able to hack the science field. O-chem is extremely hard!!! My sister was planning on going to phamacy school but could not hack this class so ended up switching to environmental science. This is true for many college people that I know. Organic chemistry is pretty much the deal breaker!

It's NOT like CSI.

Im very interested in forensic science. I want to be one when i grow up. I am in grade 9 right now and i am starting to question about this career with teachers and researching about it on the internet. My teacher says that first you have to study bio chem and then you have to go directly into forensics(She says studying bio chem will give you a better understanding of forensics when you go directly into it)

Hi my name is Maria im a freshmen in high school. I really like the show csi and have always been curious about this sort of thing. I was just woundering how much it would cost to go to school and what are some of the best forensic schools?

I know Loyala University in Illinois has a forsensic scientist program. im interested in stuff like that but idk about getn close 2 dead bodies like that...lol

A lot of these comments have questions that are answered by simply reading the information above. A link and numbers are also given under "Where to Go for More Information."

my name is shawn wittman and im 16 years old! i really like watching csi on tv and think it might be the right carreer for me! i was wanting to know some good colleges to look into for theis specific feild? any suggestions?? thank you!





shawn wittman





east central high school

tulsa,ok

how long do you have to go to college if you want to be one?

I'm not quite sure what I want to do yet but a forensic scientist could be a good carreer for me. What colleges are recommended for a forensic science carreer.

I am 17 years of age and I have planned to become a forensic scientist and are wondering about the benefitially aspect of it, does being a CSI include havind a 401K Plan?

im a high school student i've benn planning to go in to forenic science sicence since i was six what information could you give me on the job

im also in high school and a freshman and were doing a career development project so i need information on job outlook in the future in the field and entry levl to the transition level

You'll need to take mathematics and science courses. Also, you should look into speech classes and english classes so that you;ll be able to communicate effectively. The salary range varies. Normally you'll begain with about 30,000 and once you're a more experienced forensic you'll be able to earn up to 100,000. Also, the Air Force and Army offers careers in the forensics fields. ATM is a pretty good college to go to if you're seeking a career in forensics. I'm 16 years old! :D

I am in highschool, freshman to be exact. But, I am and always have been interested in being in the forensic feild. So, what do I need to accomplish, like what courses shall I need to take?

I am 13 years old and I chose to do a project on Forensic Scientists. Ever since I have started watching CSI I have become very much interested. What are the salary ranges for Forensic Scientists? What is the outlook for the job?

I'm only 15 but im very much interested in a forensic field, what kind of courses should i be taking in highschool?

I'm doing a project for a class and i need information on all fields of forensics. including typical salaries and the educations required. if you could help before tuesday, that would help me a lot. thank you very much



sincerely,



Arielle T.

I am doing a project and i need help. Also I have for longed dreamed of becoming a forensics biologist and investigator. I need to know where some good colleges are in texas. Please help me.

Thanks very much,

Jocelyn D.

I am a senior and I want to go into the field of forensic science. I would really like information about a college that you feel is good for this career. I am seeking this information soon because i have already waited too late to start college searching. I would like a school that offers both undergraduate and graduate classes for this field. Please help me because i really need this information.



thanks,

shymika

I ENJOY WATCHING CSI ON TELEVISION... IT JUST SEEMS SO EXCITING TO GO OUT AND FIND CLUES THEN RESEARCH AND RUN TESTS... RIGHT NOW I AM STUDYING CAREERS AND FORENSICS SCIENTISTS REALLY INTERESTS ME... SO I HAVE TO RESEARCH HOURLY WAGES, FUNDS, SALARIES, AND DUTIES... SOME DAY I WILL HELP TO STOP CRIMINAL VIOLENCE AND HELP PEOPLE SUCCEED IN LIFE AND LIVE...

my name is erica and i want to become a entomology scientist and i want to know what colleges would be good 2go 2

i was wondering what the length of this career is.

like when should you retire or when do you have to stop working.

i need help im doing a project

Im only 15 and i want to major in the forensic field. What types of things could i do in advancement to become a forensic scientist?

I am 42 and want to know if I am to old to start a career in forensic science I have just started taking Criminal Justice in June of 2008 and want some feed back? It is a Bachelor's degree and I graduate when I will be 46.

As far as what classes to take in high school, most of the bachelor's degrees needed to become a forensic scientist involve natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology) and math. Basically take as many science and math classes that you can because each one prepares you for the classes that you will take in college that bring you one step closer to your bachelor's degree.
SAT's? Well, mainly their importance lies in that they help you get into college and can also allow you to test out of basic english and math college courses. They can also make you more competitive for scholarships.
As of right now, I'm in college but I haven't finished my bachelor's degree yet and so I can't tell you whether or not the job would be really difficult or not. But I would imagine that as long as you know the material the job is going to just be applying the things you learned in school.
As far as I know, most forensic science employers require at least a bachelor's degree (4 years) and some will even request a masters (another 2 years) or a doctoral degree(total of 8?). Also, to see what classes are required for a bachelor's degree in say biology or chemistry you can go to any university's website and see which classes are required for that major and also read what is involved in each course in the course descriptions. Hope that helps.

i hav the same comment as one of the people. What kind of classes should i take in high school?? does SAT's really matter?? Would this job be hard for a student with about a 85-90 avg or do i have to be really smart?

I am interested in forensic science. I am interested in science period. I need info on the education required to be a forensic scienetist. I am ready to do the wrok, I just need to know how long I have to study before I can do what I and interested in.

this sight was very helpful im doing a project about science careers at my school and i decided to be a forensic scientist and this was very helpful to find the information i need. Thanks. and it really help me understand what i didnt get at first. =)

Hi my name is Lucia. I have an associate in science in histology technology. I would like to mayor in forensics, but I need to know if I have to go for the bachelor first and then do the master in forensics.I also need some information about a good university that offers the forensic science course in Miami, florida.

Thank you!

Hello, my name is Stephanie. I am almost 15 and i want to major in forensics. I was hoping to get some more informatoin on what kind of college classes you have to take, what high school classes would help you, and where i could contact someone to answer all my questions. If anyone can give me informatoin please comment or e-mail me softballbabe66@hotmail.com. Thank you!

How Easy Is It To Get Into The Job Without University And Learnt Whilst Working?

Hi I am 20 years old. I want to know if you didn't go to college yet and you were going this year and you had a job of doing Forensic Scientist would you still get the job or not, or can you stay and learn more about it with the people working?

i am doing a report on Forensic Scientiet I have some interviwe questions I would like to ask.IF YOU ARE A foerensic Scientist please respond.

1.how did you get your current job position?

2.Doyou enjoy your job?

3.Doyoulike your coworkers?

4.please describe a day in your life.

5.would you recommand this line of work for me?

6.what is the one thing u wish somebody told you prior to getting into this line of work? thank you

Hi my name is zakiya and im 16 and am curently a junior at jordan high school and this web site helped me on my report for my computer class and for my forensics class.

hi im jordan and im 13 im doin a report on forensic scientists and i need good info so if ne one knows a forensic scientist contact me



Liilani_Kehaunani@hotmail.com

im a forensic scientist. wht do u want 2 know?

I am interested in forensic sciences and wonder what the hourly pay is for a forensic scientist and what would the job demand be in the future.

My name is Brittany and im 13 i want to learn wat would i make if i had a masters degree being a crime lab technincian please someone please let me kno

hi when i grow up i want to become 1 but i have a long way to go but i am going to viset a lab this year right i an=m doing a project on a forensic sientest

I'm only 18 and i really have a passion to a forensic scientist but i want to start learning more about it and maybe even visiting a lab. I just have no idea how to start so if anyone can help me and give me some information I would really appreciate it.

where can i find forensic scientist to discuss this topic?

if anyone has information that would be useful for a student intested in this please e-mail me,im doing a program that helps you choose your career so any help would be greatly apreiciated

I think that this website should include medical, vacation, sick leave, travel and relocation.