by our College Data Analytics TeamFind out the essential details every criminalistics and criminal science. major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering criminalistics and criminal science. programs.
In the U.S., criminalistics and criminal science. is a widely-pursued major, with 584 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Criminalistics and Criminal Science. Schools ranking analyzes these 28 schools to determine the best overall colleges for criminalistics and criminal science. students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of criminalistics and criminal science. programs later in this article.
Programs in Criminalistics and Criminal Science. emphasize a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations criminalistics and criminal science. graduates commonly enter.
Skills developed in a criminalistics and criminal science. program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
According to O*NET, a criminalistics and criminal science. major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several criminalistics and criminal science. degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 87 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 9 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 408 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 74 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 6 |
People currently working in careers related to criminalistics and criminal science. tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or equivalent | 30.7% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 24.0% |
| Some college courses | 16.1% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 12.7% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 11.1% |
| Master’s degree | 2.5% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 1.8% |
| Doctoral degree | 0.5% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 0.2% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.2% |
View the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in criminalistics and criminal science. careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Studying criminalistics and criminal science. opens doors to numerous career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to criminalistics and criminal science..
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to criminalistics and criminal science..
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Police Identification and Records Officers | 532,882 | 7.1% |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | 469,816 | 14.5% |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | 449,456 | 2.0% |
| Customs and Border Protection Officers | 349,535 | -1.2% |
| Intelligence Analysts | 313,116 | 11.7% |
| Quality Control Analysts | 105,873 | 12.9% |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other | 71,781 | 0.4% |
| Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary | 52,113 | 12.0% |
College Scorecard reports median earnings of criminalistics and criminal science. graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $51,422 |
| 4 years | $49,125 |
| 5 years | $55,237 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for criminalistics and criminal science. graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers criminalistics and criminal science. grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Remote Sensing Technicians | $99,834 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other | $95,957 |
| Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary | $91,449 |
| Forensic Science Technicians | $85,117 |
| Intelligence Analysts | $65,483 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $64,492 |
| Police Identification and Records Officers | $61,847 |
| Quality Control Analysts | $53,423 |
With 28 different criminalistics and criminal science. programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased criminalistics and criminal science. school rankings to help you.
Students interested in criminalistics and criminal science., you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
